Team PNG’s squash trio of Madako Suari Jnr, Feanor Siaguru and Amity Alarcos will reset and turn their attention to the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles at the Commonwealth Games. Despite results not going their way over the weekend in the Men’s and Women’s Singles, head coach Marc Forster said there were still positives to take away from the performances of the three. “Junior (Madako) needs to keep up the standard and keep solid. Youngsters Feanor and Amity will come away with an understanding now of what it takes to be a professional like the players they’re seeing here,” said Forster. “But all is going well, they’re still in the game.” The Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles will start on Wednesday, August 3. To other results from Day 3 (Sunday, July 31), Team PNG’s Georgia-Leigh Vele fell short with a time of 30.34 in the heats of the Women’s 50m Butterfly. In boxing, Team PNG’s male flag bearer John Ume bowed out of the Men’s Over 60kg-63.5kg (Light Welter) after referee Jennifer Huggins stopped the contest 1:50 seconds into the first round after Ume sustained an injury. The win was awarded to his opponent Joseph Tyres from England.

Team PNG's table tennis duo of Geoffrey Loi and Tammi Agari remain focused on delivering results come game day. Loi will be competing in the Men’s Singles and Agari in the Women’s Singles. They both will then come together for the Mixed Doubles. “We didn’t want to waste time as soon as we got here and have been making the most of every opportunity to train,” said head coach Rea Loi. “We’ve had training sessions playing against countries like Fiji and Nigeria which is helping us get fully prepared.” “I’m happy with how things have gone so far. Geoffrey and Tammi are motivated and are up for the challenge to bring back results. “We’ll have the draws done on August 1 to find out who we’re going up against and we play later the same day.”

Governor General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae, GCL, GCMG, KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea, has expressed joy and elation at the grand final win of the Papua New Guinea women’s national football team in Suva, Fiji last night. The Governor General and Lady Emeline Dadae had earlier shared a short video on the Government House Facebook page cheering and congratulating the women’s soccer team for advancing to the grand final match with Fiji. Grand Chief Sir Bob, a soccer fan and enthusiast, has been following the women’s team’s progress closely and watching every match on television. “I wish to express my heartiest congratulations to the women’s soccer team for the great win against Fiji last night. You did your country and fellow Papua New Guineans proud with your outstanding performance on the field throughout your competitions. You worked hard for this as demonstrated by the team work and camaraderie you displayed in every competition. Congratulations on a great win and for inspiring us all to continue to stand united and with pride fly our country’s flag high. Thank you for lifting our spirits and reawakening our patriotism, and most importantly, for uniting us all with your win. Lady Dadae joins me in congratulating each and every one of you and wish you the best in your preparations to take on other nations in the upcoming competitions,” Grand Chief Sir Bob said.

Weightlifter Morea Baru bags first medal for PNG. Lifting a total of 273kgs to take out the Silver Medal in the Men's 61kg. [caption id="attachment_24661" align="aligncenter" width="810"] Photo Credit: Team PNG[/caption] While Team PNG weightlifter Dika Toua took to the platform in what proved to be a highly competitive Women's 49kg division today. Coming agonisingly close, she missed out on a medal by a mere 1kg Source: Team PNG

CANDIDATES contesting the Kagua – Erave open seat in Southern Highlands have urged the electoral commission to allow all the 44 boxes disputed boxes to be counted instead of allowing only 28 (boxes) and setting aside 16.   Spokesperson and PNG National Party candidate Markus Kamali said that instruction from the electoral commission was to set aside all the 44 boxes last week but they went ahead to count them.   He said of the 44, they counted 28 and set aside 16 which was not fair. Provincial election manager Alwin Jimmy said 44 ballot boxes were counted and instructions from the electoral commissioner Simon Sinai not to count them on Monday afternoon was received late.   Those 44 boxes were allegedly hijacked and complaints were raised by assistant returning officer (ARO), candidates and voters to Sinai claiming that certain candidates hijacked the boxes and should not be counted.   Jimmy said boxes have been counted and cannot reverse it. The boxes are from these four local level government (LLG’s) Aiya, Erave, Kagua rural and Kuare.   Sinai, in a letter to returning officer (RO) Albert Wens Heleve, accused him of failing to communicate with him on issues raised and he has treated letters from the AROs, candidates and voters as objections made under Section 153A of the organic law. He said his decision on the objection of the 44 ballot boxes not to be admitted into scrutiny was for the following reason: Section 153A of the Organic Law required an objection to be made to the RO and no other person. The objection was initially addressed to the RO but he did not communicate it to his office. Kamali said since the 28 boxes have proceed to counting the remaining 16 boxes must also be counted as well.   He said this is not a fair decision to lock away 16 boxes and count 28 because there are part of 44 disputed boxes.   “This is unfair for all the candidates because the fault was made by the agent of the electoral commission to count these boxes despite the instruction from the commissioner Sinai,” Kamali said.   “I’m asking the electoral commissioner Simon Sinai and the provincial election manager Alwin Jimmy to allow the 16 boxes to be counted along with the 28 boxes.   “If you can count the 28 disputed boxes from the 44 then why are leaving out these 16 boxes?   “What interest does the electoral commission has with these 16 boxes?   “If the 28 boxes were counted, then I’m calling on the electoral commissioner Simon Sinai to allow the 16 boxes to be counted as well,” Kamali said.   Kamali said that if these boxes are not counted then the writ for Kagua – Erave should not be accepted because counting is not fair.

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) women national soccer team- the Lakatois, came out victorious in the grand final showdown against the Fijian girls in the OFC Women Nations Cup on Saturday. The PNG girls put up a strong challenge for the Fijian girls in the first half and by the time it was half time, the girls were leading 2 goals to 1. [caption id="attachment_24654" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo Credit: Oceania Football Confederation[/caption] After the half time break, the match saw the Fijian girls coming close several times to level the score, but the PNG girls strong defense saw them unable to score any. [caption id="attachment_24653" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo Credit: Oceania Football Confederation[/caption] The match proceeded on to full time with the score unchanged since half time, PNG 2 and Fiji 1. The PNG women national team’s victory has created history to pass the first test to the 2023 Women World Cup. The match was played out in front of fans of both PNG and Fiji at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Fiji.

Penrith Panthers will be without star half Nathan Cleary for at least five weeks, with the NRL coming down hard on his tip-tackle on Parramatta's Dylan Brown. The NSW star was charged with a grade three dangerous throw, his second charge for the season, following his fine for dangerous contact in round six. An early guilty plea will see Cleary sidelined for five weeks, but should he challenge the charge at the judiciary and is unsuccessful, that will rise to six weeks. If he accepts the charge, he will be unavailable for the ladder-leading Panthers until the first week of finals, missing matches against the Raiders, Storm, Rabbitohs, Warriors and Cowboys. Cleary was sent off for the first time in his career after Brown was slammed head-first into the turf in the tackle. The Panthers suffered a 34-10 loss in Friday night's blockbuster at Western Sydney Stadium, playing with 12 men for more than an hour after Cleary was sent from the field in the 18th minute. Cleary posted to his Instagram story after the match to apologise for the incident. "Filthy at myself for such a dumb moment that let the boys [and] the fans down," he wrote. "I'm not about that, it was terrible technique [and] I need to be better." It was the first time a Penrith player has been given his marching orders in 10 years. Source: ABC news

Police Commissioner David Manning has condemned the recent sorcery related violence and killings in the Enga province in relation to the death of Enga businessman Jacob Luke of Mapai Transport. Nine women were rounded up and tortured over the death of the Engan businessman. Police in Enga intervened when news of the torture reached Wabag town. Unfortunately, police were only able to rescue five badly injured women who were tortured. Four died and were buried before police arrived. Mr Manning said, “This barbaric, senseless and evil act is an insult to the memory of a great man from Enga. Jacob Luke was kind, honest, and a hard-working man who was against such evil acts. “I have been assured by the Enga Provincial Commander that all who participated in the torture and murder will be arrested and charged. This evil act cannot continue and the police will take the strongest stand. We will not rest until every one who was involved in this evil act are arrested, charged and prosecuted,” Mr Manning said.

To mark the World Day Against Trafficking on July 30, the U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a new $10 million USD (35.6 million PGK), five-year partnership with The Asia Foundation to implement counter-trafficking in persons interventions in Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. USAID’s Pacific Regional Initiative and Support for More Effective Counter Trafficking in Persons (Pacific RISE CTIP) project aims to strengthen trafficking in persons prevention, protection and prosecution through a holistic, multisectoral approach that engages government, civil society, and the private sector. “We are pleased to partner with the Government of Papua New Guinea to end human trafficking.  We must work together, and in partnership, to effectively address this crime.  Through this program, we hope to support and encourage Papua New Guinea to take concrete steps to end trafficking in persons, such as becoming party to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking In Persons among other prioritized actions outlined in the TIP report,” said Joseph Zadrozny, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy Port Moresby. “Pacific RISE CTIP represents the U.S. government’s strong commitment to combat trafficking in persons in Pacific Island countries,” said Tony Greubel,  Charge d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, Suva.  “USAID and its partners are committed to helping the Pacific Island countries uphold human rights and combat this modern form of slavery.” On July 19, the U.S. State Department released the 2022 annual trafficking in persons report (TIP).  The U.S. Secretary of State is required to submit the TIP report to Congress annually under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA).  The annual TIP report documents the efforts by governments of countries including the United States to combat human trafficking. Papua New Guinea remained in the Tier 2 Watch List in 2022 relative to 2021.  According to the report, the governments of these countries do not fully meet the minimum standards in the elimination of TIP under the TVPA but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. Through the project, USAID will help reduce the incidence and vulnerability to trafficking, enhance mechanisms and strategies to prevent trafficking, improve protection services for victims, and increase access to legal services and remedies. Pacific RISE-CTIP will work to counter trafficking in persons through a whole-of-society approach that engages with Pacific governments, civil society and the private sector. “We are especially supportive of the aspect of a holistic, multi-sectoral approach that engages government, civil society, and the private sector.  Strong and robust relationships are essential to making lasting impact in a way that meets national priorities and values community leadership,” said Sandra Kraushaar, The Asia Foundation Regional Representative, Pacific Islands.

Police Commissioner David Manning has urged caution for the general public when it comes to reading and believing news that is posted on social media. Mr. Manning made the comments after a number of rumours began appearing about the roles of security forces at the time of the Return of Writs and the sitting of the Eleventh Parliament. “There are a number of nonsense rumours spinning around on social media about all manner of security issues relating to the election and what will happen on the 29th of July,” the Commissioner said.  “These include claims of massive security crackdowns, right through to claims of rogue security personnel, and I can tell you none of this will occur.”  Commissioner Manning further highlighted the damage fake online stories can cause, particularly when these relate to security matters. “Talks of insurrection in the ranks and divisions between disciplined forces is ridiculous, but sadly some people can be misled to believe these claims are true. “Police, Defence and Correctional Service work very close together and draw on each force’s strength in personnel and training. “I want to reassure the country that we in the disciplined forces are intact and going about our jobs protecting our countrymen and women and the national interest. “Social media that is driven by the wrong people is toxic for our internal security, particularly as there is a section of our community who finds some kind of sick satisfaction in causing anxiety and fear amongst our communities. The best thing these people could do is to check themselves in for mental health issues. “A very serious security concern for our country right now is the damage inflicted by nameless and faceless people hiding behind computer keyboards. “Free speech and the right of expression are cornerstones of our great democracy. “The cancer in our democratic process are lies, fake news, incitements to violence and intimidation that we often see online,” Mr Manning said.

Prime Minister James Marape has congratulated the Papua New Guinea women’s soccer team on its advancement to the OFC Women’s Nations Cup with a 3-0 win over Samoa in the semi-final in Suva, Fiji,  this week (July 27 2022). He has wished them all the best in the grand final on Saturday which will determine whether or not they get a place in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The team is supported by the Government and people of PNG through National Gaming Control Board and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd. PM Marape said PNG’s young women soccer stars were the “best news” for PNG after all the bad news about election-related violence. “Our young women are indeed a breath of fresh air for PNG after all the gloom and doom stories about election-related violence,” he said. “Today, I join with the rest of our nation in celebrating the win of our women’s soccer team, who have brought great pride to us all. “I am especially proud because two weeks ago, while attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, I visited them and wished them all the best as they strive for a place in the World Cup. “They carry the hopes and dreams of our nation, especially our young women, and we are just one step away from the world stage. “I will join in with the rest of PNG on Saturday as you bring us together as one people, one nation, one country.”

Security forces and PNG Electoral Commission officials in the Southern Highlands Province met this week to look at strategies to complete counting before 12 August, the new date for the return of writs for the 2022 National General Election. “Counting in the province is a bit slow so I had a meeting with the Provincial Election Manager Mr Alwyn Jimmy, the Quick Response Force Commanders, Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector Daniel Yangen and the electoral officials in the province to strategise on how we can fast-track the counting,” Highlands Western End Commander acting Assistant Commissioner John Kale said. Mr Kale said counting in the Southern Highlands province is so far progressing well without any major election related issues, however, he has received police intelligence reports of an alleged build-up of firearms within Mendi township. There were also reports of certain candidates intending to block off the two roads into Mendi from Tente and Kiburu but they were warned not to do so. Mr Kale said security concerns is also another reason the authorities are looking at completing the counting quicker. “We told the electoral commission officials to speed up counting and they are doing that now. The way they are planning their counting process looks good and we should be winding down the counting by next week,” Mr Kale said. In the meantime, Mr Kale has appealed to all the candidates to cooperate with the security forces and the counting officials to ensure the counting is completed well before August 12. “I also want the public to refrain from creating unnecessary disturbances during the counting and declaration periods,” Mr Kale said. The Commander said polling for Southern Highlands was done peacefully and he expects the same to be maintained during counting and declaration. Mr Kale said the security personnel consisting of the PNG Correctional Services, PNG Defense Force and the Police are doing a great job in providing security during the 2022 National General Election.