East Sepik Province

Stanley Moui Jombu of Passam, East Sepik Province, was apprehended in Maprik last week after being on the run since June 20.

Unfortunately, Wewak Provincial Police Commander, Chief Inspector Peter Philips, said four others who also escaped that day are still at large.

They are Robin Weibi of Tomonoum Village, Nuku, Sandaun Province, Timon Kangapu of Hirae Village, Kopiago, Hela Province, and Nigel Tianguma Harvey of Mikarew area, Bogia, Madang Province.

Once more, this bilum (string bag) lived up to its name at the recent East Sepik Provincial Day in Port Moresby.

Carried by a University of PNG student from the area, this particular bilum stood out in a crowd comprising of dark body paints and red and dull green coloured provincial flags.

Unlike the common smaller bilums carried with pride by most who are from Yangoru or associated with the area, this bilum was below knee length and stretched out in width.

Rebecca Lus is the proud weaver.

The Sepik River Crocodile Festival is a three-day cultural celebration staged annually in Ambunti, East Sepik Province, of Papua New Guinea.

The festival is usually held every first weekend of August and this year, it will be celebrated starting from the 5th through to 7th August.

The year 2017 marks the festival’s 11th anniversary. It celebrates one of PNG’s famous tribal heartland and the significance of the well-regarded crocodile - a significant part of the Sepik culture.

Since the alleged airport kidnap of another candidate, where Bird was caught in the middle, he says he will not get involved in anything else that takes place in Port Moresby unless it concerns the people of East Sepik.

Bird has his sight set on building provincial capacity so as to protect his people’s future from potentially poor financial and investment decisions of the government.

He says while he understands that the devaluation of kina is unavoidable, he is sure that an O’Neill-led government will not support his ideas at the national level.

Returning Officer Cherobin Vaiang is hopeful to get counting underway by this Sunday, at the Angoram Community Centre.

Over in Wewak, reports from yesterday put polling team 74 in the Boiken-Dagua LLG, on Yuo Island.

From Yuo, Team 74 will move to Karasau Island, and then onto mainland Boikin, before it proceeds into town for the training of counting officials.

Wewak Urban LLG, which was supposed to hold its final day of the two-day polling, got cancelled. The same went for Wewak Rural, Wewak Island, Turubu and Boikin-Dagua.

Wewak Returning Officer, Thaddeus Ulapapik, confirmed to this newsroom that weather was to blame for suspension of polling today.

He said polling will resume depending on the weather.

Ulapapik is confident polling will be completed within the gazetted 14 days.

Meanwhile, the RO appealed to candidates to educate their scrutineers so they do not delay the flow of polling. 

The incident happened at the Wosera-Gawi Electorate on Monday afternoon during polling.

Provincial Election Manager Kila Ralai said he is yet to get confirmation from returning officer and assistant returning officer on the incident.

However, he said intoxicated youths disrupted polling because their names were not on the roll.

Frustrated voters then clashed with the youths, making the terrified polling officials run away, leaving two ballot boxes behind.

Ralai said quick response from Police resulted in the confiscation of all polling materials.

 In many villagers scattered among the vast stretches of grassland lacked a road network, and getting to town or seeking health and education services is hours walk from their villagers.    

Trade, Commerce and Industry Minister and local MP, Richard Maru under his term, had used public funds to build road to this isolated villagers, who called themselves ‘Wimori’  or Bandicoot because of the surrounding they live in.