Central Province

Mariano Edward Lakae of Apanaipi village, Bereina, Central province, who conspired with two others to defraud the National Provident Fund some 18 years ago, was sentenced to six years in prison. However, the court wholly suspended that jail term because the accused has since aged and the case had dragged on for too long.

The court was of the view that Lakae’s case took too long to come to finality and he suffered enough.

Central Province Pressure Group spokesperson, Lucielle Paru, says the land has been sold to people who had no right over it.

The meet was held to address the issue of the illegal land grabs that are taking place in Central and the recent land grab of Manumanu that had two high profile ministers step aside from their portfolios for allegations of involvement.

From Gabadi, Kairuku-Hiri, Paru said the land itself, as per the Defence organisation, is not suitable for a naval base and that it goes 10 kilometres inland.

Alex Una, 38-years-old, from Gogoi village, Rigo, Central Province, and his lawyer went before the court with a bail application last Friday.

That application was refused today by Justice Panuel Mogish because he was of the view that no good reason was put forward by Una to support his bail application.

The judge also raised concerns about the substantial amount of money that was stolen which is yet to be recovered by police.

“A staggering amount of K1.195 million was stolen from Tropicair staff. There is no evidence that all the monies have been recovered.

Schools in Central Province and the National Capital District did mainly registration and enrollment of students today before classes get into full swing during the week.

Loop PNG visited schools in the Central Province, including Porebada Primary School.

The school is located within Porebada Village in the Kairuku-Hiri District and has a population of over 700 students, excluding the elementary school.

Students were busy cleaning up the school ground and classrooms to get them ready for classes.

The father, Julias Maputuna, from Goodenough Island, is taking his family home for the first time for Christmas after living in Moresby for 17 years.

Their journey started this morning at Boroko where they got on a PMV to Kupiano in Central Province.

From Kupiano, they will travel by dinghy to Mailu Island in Central, which is about 121km from Alotau Town.

They plan to spend a night on the island before heading out to Five Bay in Suau, MBP, by dinghy.

This call follows an observation on the growing number of waste heaps along the two main highways into the Central Province – Magi Highway and Hiritano Highway.

The waste vary from old household and office furniture, vehicle parts, old drums to shopping plastics and boxes.

This practice has been ongoing for years and has become a norm for anybody in the city to drive out and dump their waste anywhere along the highway.

The upgrade will be done on the 56km road from Alotau town to East Cape in Milne Bay, which is where the national highway ends.

The Magi Highway goes southeast from Port Moresby, turning inland and east just before Rigo, passing through Kwikila.

The road then runs across the Mai Kussa River at Bannon Bridge, where, within a few kilometres, the asphalt concrete gives way to a graded road which continues to Kupiano.

Allan Aiso was convicted by the Bomana National Court on Oct 24 for the murder of George Evi on May 5, 2015, at Aipeana village, Kairuku district.

He was found guilty of hurling a spear-knife at Evi’s chest after he found him standing next to his dead pig in the garden.

Justice Panuel Mogish, sentencing him to 25 years’ imprisonment this week, deducted one year, six months from that sentence. This was due to time he spent in remand at Bomana. Aiso will now serve a remaining 23 years and six months in prison.

The protest aims to enhance opportunities for gender equality and women empowerment.

The women claim that for years they have been the scapegoats of taboos and customs.

They have suffered for years from continuous alcohol and drug-related verbal and physical abuse plus sexual violence that has deprived women rights in the rural areas.

The organisers say they aim to speak out for the silent majority and break down the stigma that accompanies so many experiences of violence and abuses.

The trekkers, from Australia, Belgium and Scotland, commenced the 220km journey at Gabagaba Village, Central Province, on October 4.

They successfully completed the track in 17 days, led by experienced trekker Peter Gamgee from the Getaway Trekking Company.

They’ve all taken home wonderful memories of the diverse plants, animals, culture and people living along the trail.

The track was used by American soldiers during World War II in 1942 during a battle to defeat the Japanese on the northern beaches.