The Media Council of Papua New Guinea (MCPNG) has called on Prime Minister James Marape to stop Telikom PNG silencing and suppressing media personnel.

Telikom PNG, which is 100 percent government-owned, has two key outlets: FM100 radio and EMTV.

Recently, it sacked FM100 talkback host Culligan Tanda after he featured opposition East Sepik Governor Allan Bird on his show, following the most recent vote of no confidence.

• READ MORE: Other PNG media freedom reports

Local media report that Tanda was initially suspended for three weeks without pay on April 22, and subsequently terminated.

MCPNG president Neville Choi said this was just the latest example of media suppression by Telikom PNG going back to 2018.

He said that he himself was sacked in 2019 after EMTV had run a story quoting the former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying she would not be riding in one of the PNG government’s luxury Maseratis during an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting in Port Moresby.

Choi said the story, though correct, was perceived as painting the government of the day in a “negative light”.

‘Free, robust media essential’
He said a “free, robust, and independent media is an essential pillar of democracy”.

“It is the cornerstone of allowing freedom of speech, and freedom of expression.

“Being in a position of power and authority gives no one, especially brown-nosing public servants wanting to score brownie points with the sitting government administration, the right to suppress media workers who are only doing their jobs, and doing it well,” he said.

The council also reminded the management’s of state-owned media organisations, that the Organic Law on the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) defined corrupt conduct by public officials and the dishonest exercising and abuse of official functions.

According to a PNG Haus Bung report, Marape has directed his chief of staff to get to the bottom of the issue.

He has also denied government interference, according to a report by Exeprenuer.

“We don’t get down that low as to editorial content,” Marape was quoted as saying by the the online magazine.

In December, Marape gave “full assurance that my government will not dilute the media’s role.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Sincha Dimara, the news and current affairs manager at EMTV and one of Papua New Guinea’s most experienced journalists, has been sacked after weeks of being suspended.

Dimara, who was one of the longest serving journalists in PNG and at EMTV for 30 years, was accused of “insubordination” after political pressure from a minister.

It concerned stories EMTV had run about a controversial Australian businessman Jamie Pang operating in PNG who was facing criminal charges.

• READ MORE: EMTV news team walk out in protest over suspension of their chief editor
• Other reports on EMTV newsroom unrest

When she was suspended, 24 other news staff walked off the job in support — they were later sacked.

Leading independent journalist Scott Waide worked alongside Dimara for years and said her main concern was that the other reporters be re-instated because there was important work to do with the elections looming in mid-year.

“She was trying to negotiate the re-instatement of the 24 stafff who were sacked because they stood up,” he said.

Heavy penalty expected
“And she was expecting a termination or something like that heavier penalty after her suspension.

“So she was saying, ‘Even if they sack me that’s fine, but the 24 staff have to go back to work because we have an election to cover in June'”

Pacific Media Watch reports that EMTV is reported to have recruited recent graduates and inexperienced journalists to replace its core team, which was one of the most experienced newsrooms in Papua New Guinea.

The suspensions have been widely condemned by the PNG Media Council, Brussels-based International Journalists Federation, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, Media Alliance (MEAA), Pacific Freedom Forum and Pacific Media Watch.

RSF called it “unacceptable political meddling”.

Some media critics have expressed concern about a foreign CEO at the network axing virtually an entire newsroom. They say the country’s leading television channel has lost credibility as a result.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s national media section committee of elected officials has condemned the suspension of 24 Papua New Guinean TV journalists who walked off the job in support of their colleague.

They have alleged intimidation by EMTV management and political interference. The journalists may now lose their jobs.

EMTV head of news and current affairs Sincha Dimara has been suspended for 21 days without pay over a dispute about editorial balance.

• READ MORE: Papua New Guinea TV news chief suspended for ‘insubordination’
• Jack Lapauve: Why we walked out in protest over EMTV news independence
• Papua New Guinea: EMTV suspends veteran journalist for alleged defamation
• RSF condemns ‘unacceptable political meddling’ over PNG news chief suspension
• Other EMTV crisis reports

The incident is the third time in five years that senior journalists have been suspended for reporting public interest news stories.

MEAA’s National Media Section committee resolved: “MEAA stands in solidarity with the journalists of EMTV in Papua New Guinea and condemns the suspension without pay of news manager Sincha Dimara and notice that 24 journalists face dismissal for walking off in support of her and over on-going editorial interference by management.

“This is an assault not only on workers’ rights but also media freedom in PNG.

“No journalist should be economically sanctioned for alleged ‘insubordination’ involving a dispute over editorial balance or be terminated for taking industrial action in support of a colleague in this circumstance.

Dramatic escalation
“This dramatic escalation by EMTV comes as MEAA continues to hold on-going concerns about allegations of political interference in the editorial decision making at PNG’s only national commercial broadcaster.

“Ms Dimara’s case, alongside those of former EMTV head of news and current affairs Neville Choi and former Lae bureau chief Scott Waide, is the third in five years of senior journalists being suspended for reporting on matters of public interest.

“MEAA calls on EMTV executive management to reinstate Ms Dimara and her staff on full pay and guaranteed journalists’ editorial independence.”

• The International Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Pacific Media Watch are among international groups that have made statements condemning the suspension of Dimara and called for her reinstatement on full pay.

A national trade union in Papua New Guinea today blamed State Enterprises Minister William Duma for causing a media freedom furore at the country’s premier television broadcaster EMTV as a general election looms in June.

The crisis has led to the suspension of the news chief and a walkout by 19 journalists and news workers last week that forced the channel to repeat its Wednesday 6pm news bulletin the following night.

Following the walkout, EMTV interim CEO Lesieli Vete suspended the news team and reportedly hired stand-in staff after walk-in interviews.

• READ MORE: Why we walked out in protest over EMTV news independence – Jack Lapauve
• Nineteen journalists suspended from Papua New Guinea news station in coverage row
• Pacific media groups rally behind suspended Papua New Guinea journalist
• PNG journalists walk off the job over sacking of news boss
• Duma denies giving instruction to EMTV
• Background and other Pacific Media Watch reports on the EMTV dispute

A former sports reporter, Dinnierose Raiko, who was promoted to EMTV sales department late last year, was said to be now acting news editor.

The PNG Trade Union Council (PNGTUC) has appealed to Prime Minister James Marape to intervene and for head of news and current affairs Sincha Dimara — suspended for 21 days without pay for alleged “insubordination” — to be reinstated without penalty.

Dimara is one of Papua New Guinea’s most experienced journalists with 33 years in the industry.

She was reportedly suspended for broadcasting stories about the arrest of Australian businessman Jamie Pang, including criticism of police and criminal procedure in the case.

‘Blackout’ of Pang news
The coverage centred on Pang, who had first been arrested in 2021 after police discovered an illegal firearms cache and an alleged meth lab in the Sanctuary Hotel Resort and Spa in the capital Port Moresby, where Pang was group operations manager.

The PNGTUC accused minister Duma of “instigating the whole mess” by ordering a  “blackout [of] all news on Jamie Pang” and on the performances of state enterprises.

“All national leaders are mandated to serve the people’s interest and must be seen to uphold and promote tenants of democracy and not otherwise,” said PNGTUC acting general secretary Anton Sekum in a statement.

“The powers vested in them to make decisions over public utilities and finance should not be used as a stick to control media freedom specifically, and for that matter, generally, violate democratic rights of people.”

William Duma, as minister responsible for the Telikom Holdings Ltd which owns EMTV through Media Niugini Ltd, had “intimidated the management of EMTV and Telikom” by making it known that he would not approve funding to relocate EMTV studios to the Telikom Rumana Haus if EMTV published any “negative news” about Pang and any state-owned enterprises.

Sekum said the Prime Minister would need to “confirm for public benefit” whether minister Duma’s action reflected the official position of his government.

“This country cannot afford to be led by leaders pushing self-serving ulterior agendas any more. We need leaders serving the real interest of the people more now than any other time in our short history,” he said.

‘Worst ever reward’
Sekum described the suspension of Dimara without pay “for doing her job right was the worst ever reward for diligently serving EMTV for over 33 years”.

The PNGTUC said it had been reliably informed that there had been no bias in the Jamie Pang coverage that Dimara had been penalised for.

“But what is of more concern to the PNGTUC as the national workers’ rights organisation and as a defender of our democracy is the fact that bad politics [has] crept into the media space to control media freedom,” he said.

“Penalising Sincha for doing the right thing is a classic example.”

Sekum called on the prime minister to “restore some sense into the whole affair” by ensuring that Sincha Dimara and her television crew would be reinstated to their jobs without loss of entitlements.

“Journalists are workers and we will stand up for them until they get justice,” he said.

Call for sacking of EMTV CEO
Sekum also called for the sacking of the EMTV interim CEO Vete, accusing her of violating media freedom in breach of the constitution.

The government and EMTV management made no immediate response to the PNGTUC’s claims.

However, an internal memo by EMTV to staff said the decision of the news team to walk out in protest and not produce the news bulletin on February 17 was “insubordination”.

In a separate letter to the Post-Courier in response to a news story on February 18, EMTV management claimed Dimara had been suspended because she allowed and stood by “news coverage stories promoting Jamie Pang as a role model”.

Meanwhile, Lae staff members of EMTV held a press conference tonight and reaffirmed their support for their colleagues in Port Moresby.

Global media freedom watchdogs such as the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have condemned Dimara’s suspension and called for her immediate reinstatement. The PNG Media Council, Pacific Freedom Forum and Pacific Media Watch have also criticised the suspension.

Papua New Guinea is ranked 47th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

The EMTV News editorial decision to run the two stories [about the court cases involving Australian hotel businessman Jamie Pang] was based on two important points in our line of work:

Impartiality and Objectivity.

Impartiality cannot be achieved by the measure of words in a story, it is achieved by:

• Avoiding bias towards one point of view
• Avoiding omission of relevant facts
• Avoiding misleading emphasis

All of which are stated in the EMTV News and Current Affairs Manual 2019 in section 17.5 under standard operations of the television code.

• READ MORE:  Nineteen journalists suspended from Papua New Guinea news station in coverage row
• Pacific media groups rally behind suspended Papua New Guinea journalist
• PNG journalists walk off the job over sacking of news boss
• Background and other Pacific Media Watch reports on the EMTV dispute

By running the stories, the team was accused of bias.

We fail to see the areas of bias in our stories, especially because we presented more than one point of view in both stories.

The information presented was based on facts and in avoiding any misleading emphasis; we delivered objective television news packages that were fully impartial in the code and conduct of journalism.

Objective stories
Overall, both stories were objective stories where two or more opinions were looked at closely in each story.

To be clear, in television news objectivity is achieved by taking a rational but sceptical approach to ALL points of view.

In this case, Jamie Pang’s arrest, conviction and charges were looked at, as well as his community and social activities:

• Pang was arrested – Fact
• Pang was convicted, charged and fined for having firearms and munitions in his possession – Fact
• Pang was acquitted by a sound and proper court of justice in the PNG judicial system, from charges relating to methamphetamine – Fact
• Being acquitted by a sound and proper court of justice in the PNG judicial system, makes Pang a free man from drug charges – Fact
• Pang is heavily involved in social and community works – Fact
• Pang was rearrested and detained – Fact

All these factual points were documented in one story.

It is important to understand, that in objective writing, the opinion of the interviewees are their own. However, [how] it is perceived by the our viewers is up to them to weigh [up] and decide.

Objective [news] stories are often mistaken as opinion pieces.

They are not the same.

An opinion piece is a commentary on one point of view.

Journalism independence
As journalists we cannot be servants of sectional interests. It is our duty to speak to both “saints” and “sinners”. It is our democratic right to report on the good, bad and the ugly aspects of any story.

There are no instances of perceived impartiality in our reporting which display a lack of objectivity.

And a lack of objectivity leaves room for personal bias which is not acceptable in the journalism code of ethics.

The failure of the interim EMTV CEO, Lesieli Vete, to understand how a newsroom operates and a newsroom’s code of conduct led to the suspension of head of news Sincha Dimara.

Vete’s failure to try to understand the newsroom’s points of objectivity and impartiality in the stories led to her issuing of the statement portraying the newsroom as biased and in support of meth by sympathising with Pang’s employees and friends.

Vete’s statement served the purpose of explaining the leaked memo and portraying a bad picture of her newsroom.

Her statement lacked objectivity and impartiality because a written standpoint of the newsroom’s reasons for airing stories in the coverage of the Pang story were not included in her statement.

Suppression of media freedom
Vete’s questioning of our stance on running the story, and not showing any interest in learning nor understanding the way it was put together, led to further suppression of freedom of speech; direct and daily intimidation of senior and junior staff; micromanagement of staff whereabouts and activities; and direct and indirect threats of termination on staff.

The immense pressure to put a [news] bulletin together while being highly and closely monitored took a direct and serious toll on newsroom staff morale.

This created conditions that were suffocating to work under. A walk off was imminent.

We are making a stand now in solidarity against bullying and ill treatment of newsroom staff in the absence of news managers.

This is the third time we are experiencing a suppression of our right to freedom of speech, and we want it to stop once and for all.

After the suspension of Sincha Dimara, EMTV’s deputy news editor Jack Lapauve Jr is now the most senior news manager and he was with the walk out. He posted this commentary on his Facebook page and it is republished here with his permission.

Papua New Guinean television station EMTV did not run its usual 6pm news bulletin last night as its journalists and news production crew in Port Moresby and countrywide walked off the job demanding their suspended head of news and current affairs, Sincha Dimara, be reinstated, reports PNG Post-Courier.

Papua New Guineans were also denied the right to information when the newsroom team walked off with the production of the 6pm news.

The station was forced to replay Tuesday’s news segment instead.

• READ MORE:  EMTV news team walk out in protest over suspension of their chief editor
• Papua New Guinea TV news chief suspended for “insubordination”
• Papua New Guinea: EMTV suspends veteran journalist for alleged defamation
• RSF condemns ‘unacceptable political meddling’ over PNG news chief suspension
• Other EMTV media freedom reports

Dimara was suspended last week by the EMTV management following an internal memo preventing the newsroom from running stories on currently embroiled businessman Jamie Pang.

She was suspended without pay for 21 days on the grounds of alleged insubordination and damaging EMTV’s reputation by running stories that were sympathising with the hotelier who is currently in custody for several serious charges of criminal conduct.

The management in a statement maintained its stand stating that “the leaked internal memo served as a caution for EMTV journalists to be sensitive when conducting interviews and to follow reporting guidelines”.

“The memo did not in any way restrict the journalists’ freedom of press rather the memo was circulated to staff with the view to properly scrutinise the content of the news stories before they were aired that day.”

PNG Media Council condemns suspension
The PNG Media Council, in a statement, condemned the suspension of Dimara and called for her immediate reinstatement, saying that the council saw her suspension solely as an act of intimidation by the interim CEO and management of Media Niugini Limited.

“Media Niugini Limited (MNL) has not learned from its past experiences of sidelining, and even terminating its heads of news, based on political directives,” the council stated.

The president of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), Kora Nou, urged all media organisations in the region to “vigorously defend the editorial independence” of their newsrooms.

Nou said both the management and newsroom executives of all media organisations had their distinct roles to play.

He said he had reached out to the interim chief executive officer of EMTV, Lesieli Vete, to get her side of the story but had not received much feedback.

In a statement released late last night by the newsroom staff, they said their decision to walk off their duties was because the issue could have been handled better by the interim CEO, adding that it was the third such incident involving heads of news.

“This is the third time in a space of five years for an EMTV news manager to be suspended due to external influence,” they stated.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, the national EMTV News team wrote a letter to Vete expressing concern over the suspension of Dimara. They met with both EMTV and Telikom managements who explained their decision to suspend Dimara.

“The EMTV Newsroom would like to apologise to our viewers for not bringing you tonight’s news bulletin. We will return when the wrongs have been righted,” the statement said.

Republished with permission from the PNG Post-Courier.

The national news team of Papua New Guinea’s major television channel, EMTV, walked out last night in protest over a decision earlier this month to suspend head of news Sincha Dimara for 21 days without pay for alleged insubordination.

They have condemned the political “endless intimidation” of the news service which has led to the suspension or sacking of three news managers in the past five years.

The news team has vowed to not return until the “wrongs have been righted” by the EMTV management with Dimara, a journalist of 33 years experience, being reinstated, and acting CEO Lesieli Vete being “sidelined and investigated for putting EMTV News into disrepute”.

• READ MORE: Papua New Guinea TV news chief suspended for “insubordination”
• Papua New Guinea: EMTV suspends veteran journalist for alleged defamation
• RSF condemns ‘unacceptable political meddling’ over PNG news chief suspension
• Other EMTV media freedom reports

In a statement signed by the “Newsroom 2022” team made public tonight, the team apologised to viewers for not broadcasting last night’s news bulletin.

“With all that has happened in the last eight days, the EMTV News team has decided to walk off producing EMTV News for tonight, Thursday, 17th February 2022,” the statement said.

“We, therefore demand that Ms Dimara be reinstated and for interim CEO Lesieli Vete to be sidelined and investigated for putting EMTV News into disrepute.

“We no longer have confidence in her leadership.

Apology to viewers
“The EMTV Newsroom would like to apologise to our viewers for not bringing you tonight’s news bulletin. We will return when the wrongs have been righted.”

The controversy arose over a series of news stories about Australian hotel businessman Jamie Pang and his court cases.

According to the newsroom statement, on Monday, 7 February 2022, “a fraction of the EMTV News team was verbally notified of a decision made by EMTV management to suspend EMTV’s head of news and current affairs, Sincha Dimara for a 21-day period”.

The statement said the decision had been based on two grounds:

“Purported insubordination over a series of news stories relating to Jamie Pang and his associates and damaging the reputation of EMTV, which the interim CEO claims EMTV received negative comments from the public on the airing of Jamie Pang’s stories.”

Court proceedings against Pang related to producing, trafficking, and distributing narcotics were dismissed last month. Despite his acquittal, police detained Pang for alleged breach of immigration law and firearm offences.

The news team said the issue could have been “handled better” by the interim CEO Vete who “lacked a demonstration of leadership”.

“We are dismayed at the extreme harsh treatment of our head of news and the continuous interferences from outside the newsroom,” the statement said.

Third suspension in five years
“This is the third time in a space of five years for an EMTV news manager to be suspended due to external influence.”

• Scott Waide was the first manager suspended in 2018 over a story aired during the 2018 APEC meeting.
• Neville Choi was terminated in August 2019, also on grounds of “insubordination”.
• And now Sincha Dimara was placed in a similar situation.

On Wednesday, 9 February 2022, the news team wrote a letter to Vete expressing concern on the suspension of Dimara.

According to the news team, Vete queried the letter demanding to know which staff members were involved in sending out the letter.

The same day, Thursday, 10 February 2022, the entire news team expressed their concern in another letter with signatures from all individual members to support the call to re-instate Dimara.

“We are certain that the manner and approach taken by the interim CEO over the suspension of Ms Dimara is not right,” said the news team.

“We consider the grounds of suspension to be shallow, contradictory and irrelevant.

News reports ‘unbiased and factual’
“The news team strongly believes that the stories that ran on the nightly news relating to Jamie Pang were unbiased and reported with facts and did not impede on any of the current laws nor did not implicate anyone.”

On Thursday, 10 February 2022, the EMTV management team, acting CEO of Telikom – the owners of EMTV’s parent company Media Niugini Limited (MNL)  — and few senior officers met with the news team and explained their decision to suspend Dimara.

The management team initiated an audit investigation into the situation to determine what went wrong. That investigation is still continuing.

After that meeting, the news team wrote another letter addressed to Telikom acting CEO, Amos Tepi and copied in the chairman of Telikom, Johnson Pundari which was sent to both Tepi and Pundari yesterday – February 17.

“The decision to suspend Dimara is wrong as it breaches the Media Code of Ethics which is to report without fear or favour,” the news team said.

The team also said it was standing up against continuous intimidation from the interim CEO.

‘Endless intimidation’
“We condemn the endless direct or indirect intimidation which includes:

• Threats of terminating news members for not putting together a news bulletin;
• Micromanaging daily news production by being present in the master control room during live news;
• Forcing the news team to sign a recently drafted news manual through the HR Department; and
• Attempts to single out individual staff and asking if they have read the news manual or finding out if they have completed a degree or diploma in their respective fields.

Under Dimara’s leadership, EMTV News has won the award for AVN Outstanding Reporting from the Pacific category for a well-documented series, Last Man Standing, which covered the political life of a founding father of Papua New Guinea, Sir Julius Chan.

Dimara was planning the coverage of Papua New Guinea’s 2022 National Elections and the news team insist they need her leadership.

There was no immediate public response from the EMTV management to the news team’s walkout protest last night, nor was there any mention of the absence of the nightly bulletin on the new channel’s website.

The Media Council of PNG condemned Dimara’s suspension, describing the move as a “dangerous precedent … in an election year”.

Several media freedom monitoring organisations have made statements with the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemning the “unacceptable political meddling” and calling for immediate reinstatement of Sincha Dimara.

The Paris-based International Federation of Journalists also condemned Dimara’s suspension and urged the company to immediately reinstate her.  Pacific Media Watch reported on the ongoing intimidation of EMTV editorial staff.

#PacificMediaWatch #EMTV news team walk out in protest over #suspension of their chief #editor #AsiaPacificReport #mediafreedom @RSF_AsiaPacific @RSF_inter @shrek45 @Scott_Waide @PNGAttitude @PNGPostCourier @PngPles @pngfacts @EveningReportNZ https://t.co/3Z9klzoelH pic.twitter.com/H3MYewL1Ng

— David Robie (@DavidRobie) February 17, 2022

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the “unacceptable political meddling” behind Sincha Dimara’s suspension as head of news and current affairs at EMTV News, Papua New Guinea’s main public television news channel, after three news stories annoyed a government minister.

The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog said in a statement today she must be reinstated at once.

After 33 years at EMTV News, Sincha Dimara was suspended for at least three weeks without pay on February 7.

• READ MORE: Other reports on EMTV News and Sincha Dimara

From a leaked memo from Lesieli Vete, the CEO of Media Niugini Limited (MNL), EMTV’s owner – which was finally published on February 9 – her staff learned that she had been accused of “insubordination” and “damaging the reputation of the company”.

The “insubordination” consisted of three stories by Dimara’s news team about Australian hotel manager Jamie Pang’s legal problems in Papua New Guinea and suspicions that the police had violated criminal procedure in the case,

Their reporting seems to have displeased Public Enterprises Minister William Duma, who — according to several accounts — was behind the decision to suspend Dimara.

Duma is also in charge of Telikom, the state-owned telecommunications company that owns MNL, and therefore, by extension, EMTV News.

Two days after Dimara’s suspension, the Media Council of PNG issued a statement defending her decision to broadcast the three stories.

Dimara told RSF that she was very concerned that the suspension was “affecting the performance of my staff”.

Deliberate intimidation
“As Sincha Dimara’s suspension is clearly a ploy to intimidate the entire editorial staff at EMTV News, we demand her immediate reinstatement as head of news and current affairs,” said Daniel Bastard, head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

“This political interference weakening diversity in news and information is all the more unacceptable for having disturbing precedents and coming just four months ahead of next June’s general elections.”

Political and commercial pressure aimed at limiting editorial freedom at EMTV News is not new.

Scott Waide, an EMTV News senior journalist of long standing, was suspended in November 2018 over a story suggesting that the government had misused public funds by purchasing luxury cars, as reported by Asia Pacific Report.

He was later reinstated after protests and has since become an independent media operator.

The political pressure on EMTV News is such that Neville Choi was fired as head of news in 2019 on the same grounds as his successor now — for “insubordination.” He was eventually reinstated.

Papua New Guinea is ranked 47th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

Asia Pacific Report and Pacific Media Watch collaborate with Reporters Without Borders.

The Media Council of PNG has condemned the suspension of the news chief of Papua New Guinea’s major television channel, EMTV, describing the move as a “dangerous precedent … in an election year”.

The council said the suspension of head of news and current affairs Sincha Dimara for 21 days without pay over coverage by EMTV about the rearrest of Australian hotel manager Jamie Pang last month was an an act of intimidation by the interim CEO and management of Media Niugini Ltd in the face of political influence.

It amounted to “suppression of a free media in the country”, the council added in its statement today.

• READ MORE: EMTV clarifies leaked memo on Jamie Pang news stories
• Pang back in custody
• Dismissal of Pang’s charges a slap in the face, says Yamasombi
• Suspension of EMTV’s news chief sparks PNG journo protests

Papua New Guinea faces a general election in June this year.

As a warning to all media managements in PNG, the council said that a strong news service was only as strong as its head of news, with the support of the company’s management and board.

“To resort to suspending its head of news for reasons of performing and complying to a ministerial directive based on personal or emotional reactions to social media comments about a story reeks of undue political influence, and sets a dangerous precedent as the country moves into election year,” it said.

“[This is] a time when strong independent news assessment will be key in news coverage.”

Reinstate Dimara call by Media Council
The council called on EMTV’s interim CEO Lesieli Vete and the management to immediately reinstate Dimara as head of news to “protect the interest of the media industry”.

The suspension had been at the “behest of an executive directive” from the minister responsible for EMTV to “fix the problem”. The minister was not named by the council.

For EMTV’s CEO Vete to “target her head of news in efforts to ‘fix the problem’ clearly shows that Media Niugini Ltd has not learned from its past experiences of sidelining, and even terminating, its heads of news based on political directives“.

The council’s statement also cited four EMTV reports of the Pang coverage, which it described as well-balanced and presented:

• Friday, January 28, 2022: “Pang acquitted”, about the legal outcome of the case against the hotelier.
• Monday, January 31, 2022: “Pang’s staff concerned”, focused on the alleged human rights abuse surrounding the re-arrest of Pang.
• Tuesday, February 1, 2022: “Boxers concerned for Pang”, focused on the views of boxers involved in community martial arts programmes run by Pang.
• Wednesday, Febuary 2, 2022: “Mixed martial arts”, focused on the Mixed Martial Arts club with no mention of Pang’s association with it.

Other PNG news media reported Pang being acquitted and the concerns of his employees over his rearrest.

‘Shallow’ reasons for suspension
The council said it recognised Dimara’s news assessment over the stories and rejected EMTV management’s reasons for suspending her, describing them as “shallow”.

EMTV’s management claimed staff were neither “restricted nor stopped from reporting unfolding stories on the detained resident”.

It said a leaked internal memo had been the result of “alleged insubordination by staff towards verbal lawful instructions to drop stories sympathising with Pang”.

Suspension of the news manager of Papua New Guinea’s major television channel, EMTV, has sparked a flurry of protest from senior news personalities and independent who condemn the apparent political pressure on the broadcaster.

Long standing and experienced news manager Sincha Dimara has reportedly been suspended over news judgement in a move that a former EMTV senior news executive  said “reeks of external influence” on the company’s top management.

“A CEO is a buffer between staff and any external pressure. You need a heart of steel and buckets of bravery to fend off political pressure,” said independent television journalist and blogger Scott Waide.

• READ MORE: Other PNG news media reports

Waide was himself subjected to unfair suspension over airing a controversial story about then Peter O’Neill government’s purchase of luxury Maseratis for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference hosted in Port Moresby in 2018. He was later reinstated after an international outcry.

The Maserati saga continues to be a controversy in PNG.

“There is another way to correct coverage that does not ‘fit the aspirations’ of a news organisation — it’s called leadership,” said Waide in response to the Dimara suspension.

“If the CEO is too timid and cannot protect our Papua New Guinean staff, then please resign and go home! This is not the place for you.”

In responses shared on social media, former publisher of the PNG Post-Courier and a regional media consultant Bob Howarth, asked: “What does the Media Council have to say about political meddling in PNG’s struggling ‘free press’ …?”

Another former news executive, Joseph Ealedona, who headed the state broadcaster NBC and was himself involved in controversies, said NBC had built its reputation and integrity for years and “has the people’s protection”.

“It did happen to me but the people’s protest and insistence and the will of senior statesmen and political leaders to right the wrong saw me return for EMTV,” he said.

“in my view, it is just someone trying to protect oneself and fearful of losing privileges and has no guts to say no … and listening to just one or two people.

“I would believe that the PM [James Marape] is not happy with this this, it is at the detriment of the government if allowed to continue, especially when the NGE is around the corner [national general election is in June].

“The freedom of the media is very important to a free democracy but we in the [media] fraternity must carry [on] with utmost respect and do nothing but expose the truth as a responsible profession.”

Ealedona said journalists “must continue to fight against and with the might of the pen”.

He also asked what was the stance of the Suva-based Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) in response.

I spent five years as the lone journalist on the remote Pacific island of Yap. During that time I was harassed, spat at, threatened with assassination and warned that I was being followed.

The tyres on my car were slashed late one night.

There was also pressure on the political level. The chiefs of the traditional Council of Pilung (COP) asked the state legislature to throw me out of the country as a “persona non grata” claiming that my journalism “may be disruptive to the state environment and/or to the safety and security of the state”.

• READ MORE:  Pacific media freedom and news ‘black holes’ worsen for World Press Freedom Day
• Pacific Media Watch reports
• Media freedom in the Asia Pacific region

During a public hearing of the Yap state legislature in September 2021, 14 minutes of the 28-minute meeting was spent complaining about an article of mine that reported on the legislature’s initially unsuccessful attempt to impeach the governor.

One politician then posted about me on his Facebook page, under which a member of the public posted a comment saying I should be assassinated.

American Bill Jaynes, editor of the Kaselehlie Press in Pohnpei, one of Yap’s sister states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), has had his share of death threats over the years, too.

Several death threats
“In the 15 or so years I’ve been at this desk I have had several death threats,” he said.

“Early on in my tenure, some angry individual carved a request for me to perform an act of physical impossibility into the hood of my car which then rusted for posterity. Most of that was during the early days before I came to be trusted to view things from an FSM rather than a foreigner’s point of view and to handle things factually rather than sensationally.”

Freedom of the press is included in both the FSM and the Yap State Constitution, but as Leilani Reklai, publisher and editor of the Island Times newspaper in Palau and president of the Palau Media Council, says: “Freedom of the press in the constitution is pretty on paper but not always a reality.”

These incidents are shocking, but sadly are not isolated. Journalists in the Pacific face imprisonment, loss of employment and banishment from their homes.

“While there might not be assassinations, murders, gagging, torture and ‘disappearances’ of journalists in Pacific island states, threats, censorship and a climate of self-censorship are commonplace,” professor David Robie, founding editor of Pacific Journalism Review, wrote in a 2019 article for The Conversation.

A Fijian journalist, who asked to remain anonymous, said that after he posed questions to a politician during a public forum, the politician replied that he knew where the reporter lived. The following day, the reporter’s car was broken into.

Soon after, the reporter was told that if he didn’t stop being critical, he would be kicked out of his job “and can go bag groceries instead” and he was evicted from his housing. The reporter believes all of these incidents stemmed from the questions he asked of the politician.

“Within one week my life changed completely,” he said. “I do not see a future for me or any other journalist who is curious and questioning to make a career in journalism in Fiji.”

Fiji ranked 55th in world
According to the Reporters Without Borders’ 2021 World Press Freedom Index, Fiji is ranked as 55th out of 179.

The index highlights the “draconian” Media Industry Development Decree, introduced in 2010 and turned into law in 2018. “Those who violate this law’s vaguely-worded provisions face up to two years in prison. The sedition laws, with penalties of up to seven years in prison, are also used to foster a climate of fear and self-censorship,” said Reporters Without Borders.

In 2018, senior journalist Scott Waide of Papua New Guinea was suspended by EMTV after the airing of his report critical of the government for purchasing 40 luxury Maseratis and three Bentleys to drive attendees during the APEC conference.

Reinstated after a public and media outcry, Waide stated during an interview on ABC’s Pacific Beat programme: “Increasingly, not just EMTV, but nearly every other media organisation in Papua New Guinea has been interfered with by their boards or with politicians, or various other players in society.

“They’re doing it with impunity. It’s a trend that’s very dangerous for democracy.”

Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific director of Reporters Without Borders, said the situation is complicated by how small and connected many Pacific nations are.

“The fact is that political leaders are also economic bosses so there’s a nexus. It’s symptomatic of the small journalistic communities in the Pacific islands that need to deal with the political community to get access to information. They have to be careful when they criticise knowing the government can cut advertising, publicity, etc. There’s still a strong level of intimidation.”

While there are particular dangers faced by local journalists, foreign reporters living in the Pacific are not safe either.

Denied renewal of work permit
Canadian Dan McGarry, former media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post and a resident of the island nation for nearly 20 years, was denied renewal of his work permit in 2019. The reason given was that his job should be held by a local citizen.

But McGarry said he believed it was politically motivated due to his reporting on “Chinese influence” in the small nation. He was then denied re-entry to Vanuatu after ironically attending a forum on press freedom in Brisbane.

Regional and international news organisations came to his defence and the court granted McGarry re-entry, but the newspaper’s appeal to have his work permit renewed is ongoing.

I have written about some sensitive and difficult topics and like to think of myself as pretty fearless. In 2018 I wrote about illegal fishing by Chinese commercial fishing boats around the Outer Island of Fedrai. That coverage resulted in the expulsion of the fishing vessel and significant political consequences.

I’ve written about issues in the customs and immigration processes in FSM, that were potentially jeopardising tourism to Yap, which is so important to so many people’s livelihoods, and also about a huge and controversial proposed resort that would have seen thousands and thousands of Chinese tourists flown in to that tiny island on charter flights.

These stories matter and just because some Pacific nations are small and remote does not mean that they do not need or deserve the scrutiny of a free press.

But eventually, the threats to my safety were too much to handle. I spent too much time looking over my shoulder, living behind locked doors and never going out alone after dark.

In mid-2021, I moved to Guam for greater peace of mind where I am continuing to write about this largely invisible, but crucial part of the world.

Joyce McClure is a freelance journalist based in Guam. This article was first published by The Guardian’s Pacific Project and has been republished with permission.

Senior EMTV journalist and bureau chief Scott Waide in Papua New Guinea’s second city Lae this week called time on his inspirational 25-year relationship with the television channel. He is taking on other challenges, like Lekmak, and this was his social media message of thanks to supporters.

I didn’t quite realise how many people I touched positively through this work. It has been an emotional week talking to and encouraging, especially younger staff in Lae, Port Moresby, and the outer bureaus.

This transition has been harder on them. Personal messages have been overwhelming. They’ve come both from people I know and total strangers.

It has been a 25-year association with EMTV. Even with short absences, the relationship has always been there.

• READ MORE: Scott Waide’s blog My Land, My Country

However, after two and a half decades and a third stint lasting almost 10 years, my contract has ended and I have decided to move on.

There have been a lot of questions and suggestions that I will or should contest in 2022.

The answer is NO. I have no interest in politics.

One of my primary goals was to give young people the opportunity to excel and to guide them as much as possible so that a new generation of journalists take on the challenges.

Creating opportunities
I spent a lot of time between Unitech and Divine Word University (DWU) talking to as many students as possible and creating opportunities – opportunities many of us didn’t have back then.

We live in two worlds – one, urban and convenient and the other rural and difficult where men women and children die every day.

There’s still a lot of work to be done. My hope is to see younger people go out to rural PNG and tell our people’s stories. Because if we don’t, they will only see government presence during election time and continue to suffer.

We must celebrate the good in our country. We must celebrate our people, culture and our way of life. We must appreciate our knowledge keepers, our elders and our children.

Papua New Guinea is a great country with huge opportunities.

For EMTV, it is a Papua New Guinean institution. It is a custodian of nearly 40 years of history. It is not just a cash cow for shareholders.

My appeal to the government is to care for this institution by choosing good people for the board and good organisational heads that understand this country and care about it.

Good leadership vital
Without good leadership, staff will suffer, good people will leave and the institution will be destroyed.

I want to thank my wife — Annette — and my children. They sacrificed and suffered a lot because I was absent when I was needed most.

While the job, from the outside, looked glamorous. It wasn’t. It takes an incredibly strong woman to live through the challenges.

I owe an enormous amount of gratitude to my brothers and sisters and my parents for their understanding.

Thank you to John Eggins, Sincha Dimara, Titi Gabi, Father Zdzislaw Mlak, Father Jan Czuba, Tukaha Mua and Bhanu Sud who gave me the opportunities. If it weren’t for these seven people, a lot of us would not have come this far.

Pacific Media Watch newsdesk

Papua New Guinean police have released a detained EMTV staff man, Richard Magei, after he reportedly filmed officers destroying buai markets at 5 Mile in the capital of Port Moresby.

An appeal by the television channel for more information was posted on the network’s Facebook page, saying Magei, a sales executive, “was taken by police around midday today after he reportedly filmed them destroying buai markets at 5mile market on his phone”.

It added: “We need your assistance in tracking down the vehicle [number given on the posting] and Richard.”

• READ MORE: Political interference with PNG police
• Masiu calls on police to release detained EMTV staff

The television station’s management later removed the Facebook posting apparently while negotiations for Magei’s release were under way. But the incident came as an independent development blog in Australia today accused the PNG police of “rogue brutality” over several incidents.

Police Minister Bryan Kramer posted on the EMTV News Facebook page this message: “I’ve raised [the Magei] issue with ACP [Assistant Commissioner of Police] for NCD [National Capital Distriict] for Wagambie Jnr and he responded [that he had] asked Met Sup to look into it.”

The Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Timothy Masiu, appealed for Magei’s release, calling for “common sense to prevail”, the PNG Bulletin reports.

“I wish for Mr Magei’s unconditional release if he is indeed being held by police,” Minister Masiu said in a statement.

A senior EMTV news executive later confirmed that Magei had been released without charge.

The chewing of betel nut, the seed of the Areca palm known as “buai” in PNG, is common across parts of Asia and the Pacific. It is a strong tradition in PNG but some authorities have been trying to suppress the custom.

Police brutality a concern for PNG
“The use of force by police and police brutality continue to be a concern to the people of Papua New Guinea,” wrote Terence Kaidadaya and Okole Midelit today in the blog of the Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific.

“Police brutality is only perpetrated by a minority of ill-disciplined rogue police officers and does not reflect the mindset of the Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) in its entirety, but it certainly gives the constabulary a bad reputation,” the blog posting said.

“It creates distrust of the police by citizens and reflects badly on the PNG government.”

Kaidadaya is a foreign affairs officer with the Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs Department and Midelit is a teaching fellow with the political science department at the University of Papua New Guinea.

The blog cited two examples out of many over the past few years – one from last month and one from 2016 – to illustrate the fact that alleged police brutality often stemmed from political influence in policing:

• 

  “On 18 April 2021, a few police officers attached to the Fox Unit in Port Moresby allegedly forcefully entered [lawyer Laken] Aigilo’s residence at night and assaulted him, and later kidnapped and threatened to kill him before detaining him at the Boroko Police Station. As Mr Aigilo has indicated, this was done without any prior formal complaint lodged against him, and without an arrest or search warrant. He was released the next day after instructions were issued by PNG Police Commissioner David Manning.

• “A practising lawyer, Mr Aigilo alleges that the police attack raises the question of whether or not police acted impartially or in support of Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas against him. This is because Mr Aigilo’s alleged assault and detainment came a day after he formally lodged a complaint with the PNG Ombudsman Commission against Sir Peter over allegations relating to financial mismanagement of the Porgera mine landowners’ royalty payments totalling up to K1.6 billion over a 30-year period.”
• “In 2016, students at the University of Papua New Guinea led nationwide protests against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. Their grievances were many but centred on accountability and the lack of execution of a long-standing corruption charge and arrest warrant against the prime minister.
• “To quell the protest, armoured police officers went to UPNG and opened fire on unarmed university protesters, [shooting four dead and wounding 13]. The action was viewed by the public as politically motivated in order to protect politicians.”

Appropriate discipline needed
Kaidadaya and Midelit wrote in their blog that “appropriate disciplinary action needs to be taken against officers who either violate their constitutional roles or take sides when it comes to political interests”.

“Most importantly, politicians need to stop interacting with the police, and stop using them for political reasons,” the authors said. “Perhaps then, trust in, and the credibility of, the RPNGC could be restored.”

Seventy-four health workers in Papua New Guinea’s Morobe province have been isolated after coming in contact with a 35-year-old National Department of Health officer who has tested positive with covid-19.

The officer arrived in Lae on Sunday from the capital Port Moresby to attend a workshop and became ill on Monday.

Angau Hospital chief executive Dr Kipas Binga said today the 74 workers had not shown any symptoms but would be tested.

“The officer is a National Department of Health (NDOH) worker. He arrived on PX106 flight from Port Moresby,” Dr Binga said.

“We have also asked Air Niugini to give us a list of passengers so that we can track down passengers.

“Hotel workers face a very low risk because they were not in direct contact with the patient.

“This is an imported case. We do not have community transmission. People should not panic.”

Papua New Guinea has 63 confirmed covid-19 cases and no deaths but a spike in cases in Port Moresby in the past week has caused concern.

Lockdown comes into force
Earlier today, EMTV’s Annette Kora reported that as “unpredictable cases” of covid-19 continued to increase in Port Moresby, measure 11 for a two-week lockdown had gone into effect this morning.

Applicable only to Port Moresby residents, the coronavirus measure 11 was announced by Pandemic Controller David Manning for a halt to public motor vehicle (PMV) services for the two weeks.

This was to mitigate the spread of covid-19 in the city.

EMTV’s scope of the city early today showed, that apart from cab motorists, public motor vehicles had adhered to the measure and there were no buses seen to be picking up any commuters.

Workers were the only ones huddling at bus stop shelters – no PMV’s in sight.

Only taxi cabs looking to make a few extra money during the lockdown were lined up in front.

Companies, departments, and agencies have been encouraged to arrange transport for pick up and drop off of its staff during the two-week lockdown.

Schools have been suspended for two weeks and a curfew has been imposed in NCD starting tonight from 10pm to 5am.

The NDOH and the NCDC Provincial Health Authority will ensure these measures are adhered to.

The Pacific Media Centre has a partnership with EMTV News.

Jenelyn Kennedy eloped with her partner at a tender age of 15, bore him his first child at age of 16, and died at age 19 – allegedly at the hands of the very person she thought she loved and would take good care of her.

It’s a tragedy no parent would want to share.

Horrifying details have been revealed about this week’s cruel death of a Papua New Guinean teenager that has shocked a nation.

READ MORE: Prime Minister Marape – this is not a Melanesian thing

Jenelyn Kennedy’s close friend and babysitter, Rachael Ipang, has talked to EMTV News about the tragedy.

She has told how Jenelyn silently suffered torture allegedly at the hands of the father of her two children and died a painful death – and not even the five young men alleged to have lived in the house at the time could stop this.

Jenelyn Kennedy eloped with her partner in 2016 and her grandfather and uncle searched for her everywhere. When they found her and reported this to police, no action was taken.

She was taken away as his wife.

Broken arm, bruised face
She never returned home until October last year with a broken arm and bruised face.

Her uncle Dickson Karava, who had searched for her when she first eloped, said when Jenelyn returned home in October, she had with her two babies and there was not much he could say.

He said he just hugged her and took her in.

But she returned to the partner and had escaped three times since then and she had been taken to safe houses in different parts of Port Moresby.

When told to report the matter to the police, Jenelyn usually discouraged her uncles from trying.

Uncle Sepoe Karava said she told them that the partner’s family had got “long hands”. They had their own police and soldiers and said even if the matter was reported, no action would be taken.

The only person who witnessed her life with the partner was the babysitter, her childhood friend Rachael Ipang.

Tears over final moments
Ipang recounts the final moments with late Jenelyn and sheds a few tears.

She alleged the partner had five chains in the room, had tied Jenelyn up and used pliers, screwdrivers, bottles, and knives to torture her.

Her death allegedly resulted from the torture that started last Thursday with non-stop beatings, all done in closed doors.

While a private doctor was called to the house on Monday, no alarms were even raised by this doctor. She attended to the victim and left, said the babysitter.

Jenelyn succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Tuesday morning. That is when the beatings stopped and no noise came from the room, according to Ipang.

Prime Minister James Marape has called for “effective prosecution” for the killing of an “innocent beautiful girl”, reports PNG Post-Courier.

‘Don’t hide behind culture’
“I call for all witnesses of crime, including domestic violence, don’t hide behind culture, compensation and tribal embrace, let us all assist prosecuting lawlessness and violence.”

Marape said no amount of compensation would cover the death but justice must be served.

“I offer my sympathies to the family of the innocent beautiful child,” he said.

The postmortem of Jenelyn Kennedy took place today at the Erima Funeral Home.

Bhosip Kaiwi, who was in police custody, has been charged with one count of wilful murder.

The charge does not allow for bail, and Kaiwi will have to apply for bail in the National Court. Other charges are expected, police said.

The Pacific Media Centre has a partnership with EMTV News.

Pacific Media Watch

Three children were among ten people killed in a brutal attack in Porgera in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands last week.

This report by EMTV’s deputy news editor Scott Waide provides context and an insight into tribal fighting.

Twenty three people have been killed in tribal fighting so far during March alone.

The men women and children were killed at Suyan village near the Porgera township, the same village where police constable Timot Kavanmur was killed in January.

Initially, nine people had been confirmed dead. However, one of two victims wounded in the attack died in hospital late Wednesday afternoon bringing the total number of dead to ten.

• The Pacific Media Centre’s earlier report last week

Journalists across Papua New Guinea have spoken out in support of EMTV news director Neville Choi after his “unacceptable” termination from a role he had held for six years.

A public statement released on Monday listed the reasons for his termination, one of which was his refusal to bury a February 2019 story about the PNG Defence Force pay strike outside the Prime Minister’s office.

However, EMTV deputy head of news Scott Waide told Pacific Media Watch they had broadcast the news because it was balanced and the fallout had already been resolved internally.

UPDATE: EMTV news boss reinstated, PM orders inquiry

READ MORE: EMTV staff protest over sacking of ‘flawless’ news manager Neville Choi

“Neville did his job as head of news and a journalist. He took both sides of the story and we ran it on EMTV news,” said Waide.

“There was nothing conflicting about the story but the fact that he defied the orders of the acting CEO didn’t go well with the management and they issued a warning letter to him.”

Another reason for the termination was Choi’s defiance of a directive from EMTV’s board, Kumul Telikom Holdings Ltd, to fire Scott Waide himself for his coverage of the 2018 APEC summit.

The story reported New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision not to use the controversial government Maseratis during the summit.

While Choi refused the directive, management suspended Waide until an angry public backlash saw him reinstated.

Choi received a warning from management for his refusal to follow directives.

Flawed logic
Waide said he and the other journalists at EMTV could not understand the logic of using long resolved issues as an excuse to terminate someone.

“What management in their right mind would table something that they’ve already issued a warning letter for and resolved and then put it in a termination letter?”

While fellow journalists have rallied in support of Choi, Waide said the saga had affected the morale of the newsroom and compromised the plans and strategies that were in place.

“It has pretty much destabilised the whole EMTV newsroom and the management, but also it jeopardises our international links with organisations like Reuters, RNZ, and ABC because Neville is the main point of contact.”

Credible journalist
“Neville is a credible journalist in his own right,” he said.

“He’s set the standard in terms of his professionalism and he’s been in news management for 20 years.

“He’s not a controversial person. He’s just a very down-to-earth journalist who does his job. He’s being very loyal to EMTV and he’s built up a formidable team. They look up to him for support and leadership; to have that important element removed like that has been very upsetting for many people, not just within EMTV but outside as well.”

Waide said that other staff were intimidated by acting CEO Sheena Hughes, from Fiji, and human resources when they expressed their concerns about the termination.

“They told them if you are unhappy with this decision we will happily show you the door.”

Newsroom strike
While Meriba Tulo was made acting news director, she and the rest of the EMTV news team protested against the termination by walking off the job, forcing the broadcaster to replay the news bulletin for the first time in 30 years.

While there has not yet been a positive response from management, Waide said there were negotiations going on at various levels.

Social media has erupted with comments of support for Neville Choi and outrage over his termination.

Journalists and cameramen are being urged not to accept offers of work from EMTV to fill the void left by the striking news team.

PNG Media Union
On a Facebook comment, journalist Harlyne Joku stressed the need for a union group to represent the PNG media.

“We need to seriously consider forming a PNG journalists union to help us stand in solidarity to peacefully protest and negotiate issues affecting our colleagues, in this case the termination of EMTV news director Neville Choi,” she wrote.

“If EMTV staff protest or go on a sit in strike they can be terminated too. Let’s start by forming a journalists union.”

A Facebook post from former Post-Courier editor and chair of the PNG Media Council Alexander Rheeney called for Sheena Hughes herself to stand down and condemned the interference of the EMTV Board Kumul Telikom Holdings Ltd (KTHL) in independent news.

Commercial interference
According to former EMTV journalist Sylvester Gawi, commercial and governmental interference in the PNG media is a common occurrence.

“Journalism in PNG is no longer free. Commercial TV stations like EMTV are owned by Kumul Telikom Holdings Limited a government entity and it is nonetheless controlled by the government through the board,” he told Pacific Media Watch.

“I was asked to resign from EMTV in 2015 after I refused to do a story for one of their commercial clients.”

“I see that as much as we need commercial clients to support EMTV’s operation, the newsroom should not be expected to compromise its stance with commercial partners.”

However, he says that Choi’s termination sets a dangerous precedent and would only add to the demise of journalism in PNG.

“I believe journalism in PNG would go down the drain if we tolerate such actions like the termination of Neville Choi for standing up for his news team.”

• More EMTV News stories

Papua New Guinea’s EMTV news and current affairs manager Neville Choi has been sacked after six years of service in this role, triggering strong protests from staff in the country’s main television news service.

EMTV staff called for the reinstatement of Choi and for the “sidelining” of acting chief executive Sheena Hughes for bringing the company into “disrepute”.

Choi is the president of the PNG Media Council and an experienced head of the newsroom having previously worked for several years as editor of Wantok Niuspepa.

READ MORE: Bryan Kramer: Who was behind O’Neill government revenge on Scott Waide?

According to a statement released by the EMTV management this afternoon, his termination took effect yesterday morning, report the PNG Post-Courier’s Melisha Yafoi and Elias Nanau.

The company said his termination had no association with political motives, and was a “disciplinary action” taken for non compliance by Choi towards EMTV’s company human resources policies.

EMTV said his role will be looked after by Meriba Tulo who is now the acting head of news and current affairs.

ËMTV management said it was confident over Tulo’s appointment as the acting news manager and would continue to support him and the overall news department.

Deeply resentful
The company also thanked Choi for his leadership, guidance and experience in the role, but staff are deeply resentful over the termination.

A staff person who did not want to be identified said Choi had delivered a “flawless news content development and presentation” under his leadership within the news and current affairs team.

Last year Scott Waide, the bureau chief of EMTV’s Lae office, was terminated for reporting about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s refusal to use the controversial Maserati vehicles when she attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Port Moresby.

Waide was reinstated after widespread protests and news consumers petitioning against his termination on social media.

Staff at the television channel tonight issued their own statement, saying they were “appalled and ashamed” by the harsh treatment by EMTV’s acting chief executive, Sheena Hughes. The statement on social media said:

Pacific media freedom and ignorance of Pacific issues by mainstream media in New Zealand are growing challenges for the region, says a journalism academic

“There are so many issues in the Pacific that are simply ignored by the mainstream media,” Pacific Media Centre director Professor Robie bluntly told the two-day Oceans and Islands conference for Pacific researchers that ended in the Fale Pasifika at Auckland University today.

He cited the ongoing human rights situation in West Papua – which will be marked tomorrow with flag raising ceremonies across New Zealand – and the recent New Caledonian independence referendum as examples of poorly covered issues.

READ MORE: The NZ news item that sparked the Scott Waide saga

The conference was hosted by the NZ Institute for Pacific Research, a NZ government-funded consortium of Auckland University, Otago University and Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

Addressing the centre’s research and public strategy, Dr Robie also shared his concerns about media freedom in the Pacific region and highlighted this week’s dramatic developments in Papua New Guinea in the wake of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference.

Scott Waide, one of the country’s most high profile and influential journalists, was secretly suspended over broadcasting a New Zealand television news item that criticised government spending on 40 Maserati luxury sedans.

Waide, deputy regional news editor of EMTV and who blogs on social issues in his My Land, My Country website, was reinstated a day after news of his suspension was leaked through social media networks, sparking a flurry of protests in international media.

“This outrageous meddling by the state-owned Telikom company’s board was kept quiet for a week until it finally went viral last Sunday.

‘Blatant censorship’
“This blatant act of censorship – publicly defended by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill – rebounded heavily on the government.”

Dr Robie, who is also the convenor of the PMC’s Pacific Media Watch freedom project in collaboration with international press watchdogs such as the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, criticised corporate and political inference in PNG’s news and current affairs media.

He said what had happened was salutary for Pacific press freedoms. While he described the reinstatement for Waide as a victory for media freedom in the region, he said the journalists’ own reflective comments were “lessons for the rest of the Pacific”.

“Papua New Guinea is a democracy and the media is free to hold those in authority to account,” Waide had said on his blog. “This means highlighting flaws in policy and making sure mistakes are pointed out and corrected. It is an essential part of our democracy.”

Dr Robie cited the Waide suspension as an example of some of the research, publication and storytelling provided by the PMC.

“We try to give lot more storytelling with Pacific voices and Pacific context,” he said.

“We try to provide an outlet for Pacific views and also information right across the region.”

Professional development
AUT’s PMC in the School of Communication Studies operated as independent university-based educational media by providing space for postgraduate students to have their stories published and broadcast for professional development.

This had contributed a lot to Pacific storytelling, he said.

“If we do things independently media-wise, there are a lot of stories that we can tell that much of the mainstream just ignores.”

The Pacific Media Centre’s Professor David Robie talks Pacific storytelling. Video: Blessen Tom/PMC

PMC publishes the following media:

• An online general news and current affairs website called Asia-Pacific Report and PMC Online which focuses on media issues and research.

• Its own YouTube (more than 200,000 viewers) and Soundcloud channels.

• Pacific Journalism Review, a peer reviewed journal, the only New Zealand-based publication specialising in journalism, media issues, communication and diversity in the South Pacific, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.

PJR is ranked on the SCOPUS metrics database and is in its 25th year of publication and is hosted on the open access indigenous research platform Tuwhera at Auckland University of Technology.

• Pacific Journalism Monographs, a peer-reviewed research companion to Pacific Journalism Review, which publishes longer research projects in an online and booklet format.

• Southern Cross, a weekly radio programme on Pacific affairs run by the PMC on Radio 95bfm at the University of Auckland.

Strong links
The PMC also has strong links with the University of the South Pacific journalism programme (Fiji) and Gadjah Mada University’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies in Indonesia and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre in the Philippines, and community publishing partnerships with organisations such as RNZ Pacific.

Professor Robie also mentioned PMC’s three-year-old Bearing Witness climate change project and talked about its “outstanding results” by award-winning postgraduate students reporting environmental issues.

He screened the trailer of Banabans of Rabi – A Story of Survival, a short documentary by Hele Ikimotu and Blessen Tom that was premiered at the Nuku’alofa International Film festival last week.

The inaugural Oceans and Islands conference concluded today.

Sri Krishnamurthi and Blessen Tom of the Pacific Media Centre are working as part of a PMC partnership with the NZ Institute for Pacific Research.

• More Oceans and Islands conference stories

Papua New Guinea’s O’Neill government has taken revenge against senior EMTV Reporter Scott Waide, who was suspended over his broadcasting of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s comments about the Maserati scandal.

I was informed soon after APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) that the O’Neil  actually planned on sacking Waide. However, there was pushback from the management and staff so they decided to instead suspend him and order that he go on leave.

I suspect given the recent unrest in Port Moresby involving security forces, they had to be careful not to trigger another incident.

READ MORE: O’Neill defends government on suspension of EMTV journalist Waide

So the real question is, who was behind the decision calling for Waide’s “sacking/suspension”, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill himself, or the usual suspects such as O’Neill’s Chief Media Officer Chris Hawkins and Minister for APEC Justin Tkatchenko?

EMTV is owned by Telikom PNG that is ultimately owned by Kumul Holdings Consolidated, a state-owned enterprise.

Shadow minister
The minister responsible for state-owned enterprises is William Duma and I am the shadow minister.

I will be writing to the minister and CEO of Kumul Consolidated Holdings asking them for an explanation behind this suspension.

I don’t expect a response, but what I can assure them is that following the removal of O’Neill in February 2019, the person behind the decision can expect to be sacked.

Last week, Opposition Members were on FM100 radio talkback that was telecast live on EMTV. However, half way through the programme we were cut off air. This is the second time it has happened.

It appears those feeding from a corrupt O’Neill government are starting to get desperate in their efforts to take away our rights – including our freedom of speech.

It’s time Papua New Guineans start to seriously think about organising ourselves in the cause to hold to account a corrupt prime minister and his cronies.

Opposition Madang MP Bryan Kramer is the shadow minister for state-owned enterprises, including the Telikom-owned EMTV. He founded the Allegiance Party and is an investigative journalist who publishes Kramer Report.

• EMTV suspends senior journalist Scott Waide over NZ Maserati news story
• More Scott Waide stories

The suspension of EMTV deputy news editor Scott Waide has brought us to a new low in Papua New Guinea’s downward spiral.

Freedom of speech and expression are a fundamental constitutional right entrenched in the constitution, are pillars of democracy and this suspension is a breach of this fundamental right.

We have become a dictatorship in essence and it’s happening right before our eyes. Leadership comes with the territory, and scrutiny and criticism are part of this package and the media plays a big part.

READ MORE: EMTV suspends senior journalist Scott Waide over APEC story

Biased reporting is not healthy for this country and it is indeed a sad day for PNG for one of its most loved journalists to be treated this way.

In fact, it’s disgusting and nauseating witnessing the gross abuse of power in recent times by those vested few in their bid for survival.

Desperation calls for desperate measures. All our oversight institutions and laws have been raped and plundered to a point where the remains are a dysfunctional wreck.

If we can’t condemn this stupid and selfish act then all of us leaders should resign in shame as we’d have failed miserably our mandated responsibilities as freedom of speech and expression is one of the foundation principles of any democratic society.

This is totally wrong, EMTV. What’s your role as a media outlet in nation building in PNG? The management should hang their heads in shame for stooping this low.

• Pacific Media Watch updates

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

People in earthquake-affected areas of Papua New Guinea’s Highlands have asked international agencies to bypass the national government when providing relief.

The PNG Government has admitted that its response to the earthquake has been slow, hampered by damage to roads and access to funding.

In Koroba in Hela Province, local leader Stanley Hogga Piawi told the ABC’s PNG correspondent Eric Tlozek that more than two weeks after the 7.5 magnitude quake, people were still waiting for help.

LISTEN: Angry Highlanders call on relief agencies to sidestep PNG government

Continuous rain is hampering relief efforts in the earthquake-devastated regions of the Highlands, reports the PNG Post-Courier.

The wet may continue for a few more days as helicopters, the mainstay of the relief efforts, are now limited in the operation.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office has warned of a “high risk” of landslides, flooding and a slight chance of a tropical cyclone. The wet season has finally extended into the Southern and Highlands regions, the NWS said yesterday.

As Papua New Guinea experiences the wet season and unusual natural disasters, the NWS forecasting and warning centre assistant director Jimmy Gomoga is now urging people to listen to the radio stations for weather warnings updates.

Aircraft use restricted
The Australian and New Zealand defence forces said yesterday they had limited the use of their lighter aircraft due to bad weather.

The NWS said the wet season normally set in about December until late May when the dry season begins.

“According to the latest analysis from the weather office, we are in a weak La Nina phase and will mean higher rainfalls across the mainland PNG and mostly over the Southern region with high risk of flooding in the Momase, Highlands and Southern regions, high risk of landslides in the Highlands and deforested areas and 30 to 40 per cent chance of a tropical cyclone forming or passing within PNG,” Gomoga said.

He said the wet season triggered tropical cyclones so people living along coastal waters, particularly along the Solomon Sea and Coral Sea, must listen to weather warnings on the radio and take precautions.

“This weather we are experiencing will continue for the next 24 hours and may continue as the country is still in the wet season,” Gomoga said.

“The peak period has already passed and the month of April and May are the transitional periods and eventually into dry season which kicks into in the month of June.”

In the meantime, the weather office is closely monitoring the ocean currents in possibility of a tropical cyclone.

Water shortage ‘looming disaster’
While relief supplies continue to be delivered to earthquake-affected communities, a lack of water is proving to be a looming disaster, reports EMTV News.

In a briefing, Oil Search Limited managing director Peter Botten said the lack of access to clean water sources for many communities had increased the risk of sickness.

The company is now working with its partners, including state agencies, in an effort to deliver clean water to communities, to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

Among its relief efforts, Oil Search has deployed a dedicated medical team to reach affected communities – these teams have already noted an increase in water-borne diseases, with several medical evacuations already carried out.

Australian doctors to help
Australian Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has announced Australian doctors would come to Papua New Guinea to help medical teams in earthquake-affected areas, as fear of water-borne diseases emerge, reports The National and as also reported earlier by Asia Pacific Report.

“We know that over the next few days or weeks, most of the water-borne diseases will start affecting some of the population in the area. We have to lift our presence in medical support that we will have to extend to them,” O’Neill said.

“Dr Temu [Health Minister Sir Puka] has already cleared for the Australian doctors to come and help us…They will come and help our own medical specialists which the Health Department is putting together to dispatch to the remotest communities throughout the country.”

Sir Puka said they were mobilising a team from the Port Moresby General Hospital.
“We have formally requested the Australian government [to send doctors] because Australian doctors in emergency situations are well organised,” Sir Puka said.

“So we have asked them for assistance which will complement what we have.”

O’Neill said relief efforts were ongoing, reports The National.

Remote communities
“We are starting to reach many of the remote communities, supplying medicine, food and relief supply to the provinces affected,” he said, adding that the district development authorities in areas being allocated funding were assisting the people “which we are not able to reach”.

“Most of the members of Parliament and the district chief executive officers have been trying to mobilise the supplies and in particular medicine, and getting the injured and the sick out of the areas that have been affected,” he said.

He added that commitments, towards the government’s relief efforts so far had exceeded K100 million.

It included donations from governments – “private sector donations coming through is well over K5 million.”

• More PNG earthquake stories

Survivors in Papua New Guinea’s earthquake in the Highlands face tough challenges. And so do the relief agencies and government authorities trying to deliver support to them.

Many of the worst affected areas in Hela and the Southern Highlands provinces are in isolated spots.

The people don’t live in large villages that you see on the coast. They live in small hamlets of 5-10 houses spread out over a plateaus or valleys.

They have no road access.

Many have to walk for hours to get within line of site of a mobile telecommunications tower in order to send a text message. Data signals are too weak and problematic.

For other locations, it takes more than a day.

Some of the villages are relatively close to the LNG site. But it looks deceptively close on a map.

Difficult to reach
What you’re dealing with on the ground are terrains that are extremely difficult to reach – even within a day’s walk. That is precisely why helicopters are vital in this disaster.

In some villages, people have had to build helipads on mountainsides to allow for medical teams to land safely.

Chopper pilot Eric Aliawi, who took an EMTV crew to one of the locations, had to land on three logs that had been placed on a spot dug out on a mountain side because the helipad had not been completed.

Even after landing, the crew and the doctors had to walk for about half an hour to get to the village.

A few commentators have said that the people affected are subsistence farmers and that they still have food to eat because they plant crops.

The reality is that their gardens have been destroyed and it is dangerous for them to go into the foothills and the valleys, or mountainsides, because of the ongoing aftershocks.

Trauma of death
They are also dealing with the trauma of the death and destruction that happened in their villages. They will have to adjust to normal life as time goes by.

Their houses have been destroyed and they have moved from the locations of their hamlets to central locations like schools, airstrips and mission stations to seek help.

Congregating in large numbers in one location is unusual for them. Losing their independence and relying on someone to give them food is also not something they are accustomed to.

They need is help to get back on their feet and resume their way of life.

They need the following:
Good quality tarpaulins for shelter – They live in a high rainfall area. The temperature drops rapidly at night and without shelter, young children and older people will get sick.

Food – With limited access to their gardens, food is a priority for them.

Water – Their water sources have been polluted. They need large water containers, tanks and clean water (as an immediate need).

Cooking pots – This is important if they are to boil drinking water.

Warm clothes + blankets – Sweaters, hoodies and simple blankets will help a lot to ease their burden. It is not as important as the others mentioned, but it will help.

Children’s clothing – also not an immediate priority but it will help a lot.

6 to 15cm nails and tools – in order to rebuild their houses, they need nails and tools like bush knives, axes and hammers. It is very difficult to obtain items like this where they are.

Disposable delivery trays, disposable suture trays – during the earthquake, sterilisation equipment at the Tari Hospital was damaged. The doctors need this to send to aid posts so that health workers can handle deliveries and other treatment.

The government contacts are:

Thomas Eluh – PA for Southern Highlands

Joseph Bando – PA Hela Province

Dr Tana Kiak – Tari Hospital

Inbox Scott Waide on Facebook for contact details, or text him on +675 70300459. Or email scott.waide@gmail.com for information. This article was first posted on Scott Waide’s blog, My Land, My Country.

• More PNG earthquake reports

By Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby

The Papua New Guinea government has declared an immediate state-of-emergency for the earthquake-devastated provinces of Hela, Southern Highlands, Western and Enga provinces.

Cabinet met yesterday and also set aside K450 million for relief and service restoration operations.

Prime Minister O’Neill also announced yesterday that cabinet had approved the establishment of a restoration authority that would manage long-term reconstruction efforts during a four-year period to fully restore normalcy.

O’Neill said that an emergency session of Parliament would be called soon to approve the legislation setting up the restoration authority.

He said K100 million would be released immediately and the remaining K300 million spread over a long term arrangement.

A committee assisted by the Works Department under an emergency disaster restoration team, led by Dr William Hamlin, as the emergency controller would be announced today.

Dr Hamlin and team would manage and co-ordinate all restoration activities working with provincial authorities.

Unprecedented disaster
O’Neill said that this was an unprecedented disaster in the Highlands region with an appropriate response underway by the National Government.

He said while all these decisions were being made, relief efforts were already underway, and further assessments provided to focus operations to areas in need.

“A state-of-emergency has been declared to expedite the restoration of essential public services including healthcare services, schools, road access, airports, power and communications facilities,” O’Neill said.

“An emergency session of Parliament will be convened for the presentation of legislation that will establish the restoration authority, with the date of the session to be announced by the Speaker of Parliament.

“Members of the PNG Defence Force and disaster officers were dispatched to the affected areas immediately following the earthquake, and are working with provincial authorities, particularly with the governors of Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.

“Essential government departments are already delivering relief, and we are further working with partners in the international community to utilise specialist relief capabilities to reach our people and communities affected by the earthquake.”

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist.

• More PNG earthquake stories

By Scott Waide of EMTV News

Our biggest challenge as Papua New Guinean journalists has been verifying the statistics from rural areas with limited resources. As much as possible, I’ve tried to talk to a victim of the earthquake or someone close to a victim.

Over the last 24 hours, it has been more of a “hit-and-miss” situation. People have been sending me text messages at 2am in the morning when they are in a mobile coverage area.

Then they have have to go back to their villages or deal with the ongoing tremors. Getting in touch has been difficult.

READ MORE: Earthquake disaster death toll stands at 31

So far, the current death toll from Monday’s 7.5 magnitude earthquake stands at 31.

The three separate sources in Southern Highlands, Hela and Western Provinces have also said the number of those injured and missing remain uncertain at this stage.

I note that overseas media is quoting a figure of 300. Truth is, we don’t really know.

Village deaths
With the help of Milton Kwaipo, I was able to get a recorded interview of Firmin Tiki, from Pureni village, Hela province who confirmed six deaths in his village alone.

Several of those injured by the quake have been take to Tari hospital for treatment. Again, we don’t know how many have been injured.

“Six people died. I don’t know how many injured. But there are many.”

Tiki, a rice farmer at a National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI), had just returned to his village when the quake struck early Monday.

“All our houses, our gardens have been destroyed. I don’t know about other places but we were hit hard,” he said.

It has been difficult getting in tough with Tari hospital.

Although I note the doctors have been working under difficult conditions to get through their surgeries using mobile phones torches.

13 people buried
Across the Strickland River in villages near the epicentre on the Hela-Western border, a community Health Worker, Paul Isilawa, confirmed that 13 people were buried on Monday.

They belong to the Edolo tribe whose hamlets are located in an area difficult to get to.

Sally Lloyd who grew up in the Western Province said nine of those who died are from Fau and four are from Aiya. Both villages are within Hela Provincial boundary. The reports were sent from the Mogulu Mission Station in Western Province by two-way radio.

In Mendi, Catholic Priest Fr. Pius Hal, said that 11 people including four children are confirmed dead. Two of the children belong to a local level government president. One family is still buried under a landslip.

“I am at the site where the family is buried. There is a lot of uncertainly about whether help will come. People are traumatised and they need to be comforted.

“The family who is buried are my relatives. They had just returned from Hagen the day before,” he said.

Many thanks
A great many thanks to the families of those on the ground. Thank you also to the police who were kind enough to provide verification and direction.

My gratitude also goes to the many “citizen journalists” who provided contacts, independent reports, pictures, audio recordings and videos of the destruction. There are too many people to name.

Mobile phone towers destroyed by the quake are slowly being repaired. So far, other information coming from far flung areas has remained unverified. The death toll is expected to rise as new information becomes available.

We still have a lot of work to do.

Scott Waide is the Lae bureau chief of EMTV News and began his career with EMTV in 1997 as a news and sports reporter and anchor. He and has been a media professional for more than 19 years. This article is from his personal blog My Land, My Country.

• More PNG articles

By Leanne Jorari of EMTV News in Port Moresby

Our society is evolving rapidly and a clear way to measure this transformation is the way Papua New Guinea women are seen and promoted.

Women across the country and the Pacific have been bolder and more vocal than ever before — shattering glass ceilings in sectors and industries across the board, and demanding gender equality and women’s empowerment.

In the current elections, the Electoral Commission says the highest ever number of women candidates are contesting for 111 seats in Parliament.

Out of a total of 3332 candidates, 165 are women — 30 more than in the last election in 2012.

In our largely patriarchal society, it’s no secret that over the years, women have faced unavoidable challenges in order to be heard and seen. Some may even argue that women face harder obstacles then men.

So the women that have surmounted all odds and smashed glass ceilings, while making their way to the proverbial “top”.

‘Pawa meri’
Celebrated for their accomplishments, many of these women are given the titles “Pawa Meri” — “power women”.

EMTV News spoke to Susil Nelson-Kongoi, a “pawa meri” in her own right, about her challenges and what knowledge she could impart to aspiring female leaders.

To celebrate the great leaders and to share ideas and stories, leading women across sectors in leadership across the Torres and the Pacific gathered today for a Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct panel discussion.

The panel was held to coincide with this year’s NAIDOC week, which celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Visiting was Vonda Malone, the first indigenous woman to be mayor for the Torres Shire Council. She shared her experiences of being a woman of colour in Australia and how she won in a male-dominated council.

EMTV News stories are republished with permission.

• More PNG election stories

By Vasinatta Yama in Kurumul, Papua New Guinea

Polling for Papua New Guinea’s Jiwaka province — created in 2012 by being split off from Western Highlands — has started, with some parts of Jimi electorate voting yesterday.

It will continue today, with North Waghi and Anglimp South Waghi electorates going to the polls.

Polling for Jiwaka was deferred last Friday until yesterday and today after identifying issues with the updated electoral roll.

Ballot boxes for Jimi Open where dispatched from 6 am.

For some areas in Jimi that received their ballot boxes, polling began about 9am, while others are still waiting.

Provincial Steering Committee chairman Michael Wandil said that by last night or early today, the 184 wards in the province should receive its their ballot boxes and go to the polls.

Jiwaka province polling officials received the preliminary roll just last Thursday, which resulted in the delay in the stamping of ballot papers and cross checking of names.

Scrutineers calm
Scrutineers have remained calm and very happy that they were able to observe the pre-counting of the ballot papers.

The stamping and packing of ballot papers by the steering committee has taken longer than anticipated.

There has been tight security since last Friday.

Provincial Police commander Joseph Tondop assured the public that there was a strong police presence everywhere, and polling would not be affected.

Jiwaka was created in May 2012 , the year of the last general election, and the provincial capital is temporarily located in Kurumul. Mostly provincial matters are handled in Kurumul and a handful in Minj.

Papua New Guinea’s highest mountain, the 4509m Mt Wilhelm, is on the border on Jiwaka, Simbu and Madang provinces.

Meanwhile, Loop PNG reports that under fire Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato has announced plans to establish a task force to spearhead the voter registration system immediately after the 2017 general election.

There has been widespread condemnation of the state of the electoral common roll with thousands of people stating that they are not listed.

EMTV News elections coverage stories are republished with permission.

• More PNG election stories

By Vasinatta Yama of EMTV News reporting from Wabag

Enga provincial election manager Anton Iamau says Enga is ready for polling on Tuesday in the Papua New Guinea general election.

He said this in spite of a few confrontations between the supporters of candidates and returning officers of a few electorates.

Enga provincial police commander Chief Superintendent George Kakas said the joint security forces were expecting a peaceful election for Enga.

Election manager Iamau said electoral officials could not bow down and listen to candidates and their supporters to defer polling next Tuesday.

“We are an independent body,” said Iamau.

Iamau said he was being confronted with supporters of some candidates from the Kombiam-Ambum electorate.

The candidates and their supporters had petitioned the PNG Electoral Commission in Wabag to change all the presiding officials, the returning officer and his assistant.

‘Biased appointments’
They claimed that the appointment of the officials was biased and was in favour of a particular candidate in the electorate.

Provincial police commander Kakas said the police and the joint security forces were managing every situation proactively and on a daily basis.

Kakas was expecting a peaceful election.

“Enga province has been passive as one of the hotspot areas in the country, in terms of tribal fighting during the election,” Kakas said.

“However, I would like to let the public know that people in Enga have changed and we will have a peaceful and successful election.”

Vasinatta Yama graduated from Divine Word University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, with majors in journalism and public relations and minors in international relations and diplomatic studies.

• More PNG election stories

The Joint Security Operation in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province will see more than 100 Defence Force troops assisting in the two-week general election that began on Saturday.

“These soldiers will come from the Weam Border operations of Western Province,” Western Province Elections Manager Max Paul said yesterday, reports EMTV News.

The Weam Border straddles the frontier between the Indonesian province of Papua and Papua New Guinea.

The rolling elections go into the third day this morning.

“We have over 100 polling teams,” Paul said.

Polling materials for the province were ready with most having been delivered by air and dinghy through the many river systems in the province.

“There has been little security concerns during the campaign period, and we hope that this will continue throughout the polling and counting days,” Paul said.

The three electorates in the province are North Fly Open, Middle Fly Open, and South Fly Open.

• More Asia Pacific Report election stories

By Theckla Gunga in Port Moresby

A joint parade between members of Papua New Guinea’s three disciplinary forces has been conducted in Port Moresby to mark the launch of the election operation.

The launch at the weekend signified the commencement of the Joint Operations in the National Capital District and Central Divisional Command. At least 10 companies were part of the parade. It was a short parade from the back of the Boroko Police Station to the front car park.

The parade was led by members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, followed by the Defence Force and Correctional Services.

Once the parade took their position, Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of operations Jim Andrews was invited by Head of the Command Sylvester Kalaut to review the parade.

Commissioner Andrews encouraged the members of the disciplinary forces to assist the Electoral Commission over security for the voters, candidates and election officials.

Although the 2017 National Election is conducted by the Electoral Commission, members of the three disciplinary forces have been engaged to ensure the elections are securely and safely conducted.

These officers will be providing security during the polling and counting periods, and in the remaining two weeks of campaign.

NCD and Central is the last command to launch its Natel Operation.

Similar operations were launched in the other divisional commands such as New Guinea Islands and Highlands divisional commands.

NCD and Central will go to the polls on June 27.

By Godwin Eki in Port Moresby

Hundreds of poor Papua New Guineans have been left homeless after their houses were destroyed by bulldozers without warning close to Jacksons International Airport in the capital of Port Moresby.

The people were still coming to terms yesterday with the loss of their homes with their eviction reportedly authorised by a business firm and police.

Community leader Paul Kop told EMTV News that their homes had been destroyed during the day when the men were away working and only women and elderly people were left at home.

He said although the villagers had been given a directive from Assistant Police Commissioner, Sylvester Kalaut, and a court order, the eviction notice was not sighted as proof of eviction.

Kop said the people should have been given one or two weeks’ notice before their homes were destroyed.

He said the majority of the homeless people were from the Southern Highlands, while others were from Morobe, Goilala, Chimbu, Enga and local Motu-Koitabuans.

He said 218 homes had been destroyed by the bulldozers.

Ten trade stores and five poultry projects with a total of 6000 chickens were also destroyed, he said.

National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop was reportedly arranging some assistance.

Papua New Guinea faces a general election on June 24.

Godwin Eki is an EMTV News reporter.

• The ‘battle of Paga Hill’ evictions

Pacific Media Watch News Desk

The Media Council of Papua New Guinea today condemned the “unacceptable … harassment and violence” targeting media workers covering the country’s 2017 general election campaign.

An EMTV camera crew was “harassed and assaulted” last Thursday in the Moresby South electorate in the National Capital District of Port Moresby and was covered by the television network.

The MCPNG said in a statement the harassment and violence on May 11 was “unacceptable and unwarranted”.

The media had an important role to play in the dissemination of information and awareness about the 3331 candidates contesting the 89 open electorates and 22 provincial seats, said council president Alexander Rheeney.

“Papua New Guinea’s 4 million-plus eligible voters are depending on the media for critical information on the 2017 general election, the candidates as well as political parties and their policies,” he said.

“The media should be allowed to report without fear or favour in this general election as they have in previous elections.

“The incident last Thursday involving an EMTV camera crew and the supporters of a particular candidate is unacceptable,” Rhenney said

‘Accept responsibility’
“All candidates should accept responsibility for the conduct of their supporters so any unruly behaviour should and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.”

Rhenney said the media industry remained united and vigilant in striving to inform and educate the public. He called on candidates or supporters who “had issues” with the media to take their complaints to the MCPNG.

EMTV reports that its crew was verbally assaulted and a senior cameraman punched and hit in the back with a 16 kg tripod by supporters of sitting Moresby South Member of Parliament Justin Tkatchenko.

“The mob demanded footage[to be] deleted and threatened to assault four crew members in an EMTV vehicle on Lawes road,” EMTV reports.

Journalists Bethanie Harriman and Stanley Ove Jr were collecting generic pictures of election banners around Port Moresby with senior cameraman Konts Kara when the assault happened.

After collecting pictures at Gerehu, the crew stopped in Moresby South.

On Lawes Road in Konedobu, supporters loyal to sitting MP Justin Tkatchencko attacked senior cameraman Kara.

Threatened over footage
“Mr Kara was verbally assaulted by the mob who then threatened to break a camera if the footage wasn’t deleted,” EMTV reports.

“The crowd advanced on the company vehicle banging on the windows, taking the keys off the driver, and forcing the cameraman to delete footage of the sitting MP’s campaign banners.

“A senior coordinator of the minister’s campaigning team accused EMTV of being biased in reports while swearing at the crew.”

Tkatchenko’s first secretary Keith Puairia was contacted by journalist Harriman and Puairia contacted the campaign coordinator, confirming the incident.

Elections in Papua New Guinea have traditionally been considered a time of great risk.

Media Niugini Limited management made a statement saying that EMTV News remained independent and impartial.

• EMTV crew assaulted by candidate’s supporters

The University of Papua New Guinea Council has suspended the 2016 Academic Year.

The announcement of the decision was made today by UPNG acting chancellor Dr Nicholas Mann following more than six weeks of protest and boycotts over the prime ministership of Peter O’Neill.

Other decisions taken by the UPNG Council include the suspension of the Student Representative Council (SRC), rendering it ineffective; and for students to leave the campus by this Saturday.

The decision has raised many questions regarding who will cover the costs of transporting students back to their home provinces.

UPNG Council said that it did not deal with the sponsorship of students, and their transportation home remains the prerogative of student sponsors.

EMTV News spoke to several first year students, who were unsure of their future at UPNG.

However, the UPNG Council has assured students that there is a process underway to ensure that first year students this year would not be pushed out by the new UPNG intake in 2017.

With regard to tuition fees for the year, the UPNG Council advised that funding for the first semester had already been used up following the beginning of the boycott, and the viability of refunds for the second semester of this year was currently under discussion.

Serah Aupong is an EMTV News reporter.

• Other PNG university campus unrest stories