A Solomon Islands player turns around. Solomon Islands defeated host Papua New Guine 5-4 in a dramatic come
back.
BY ROMULUS HUTA
In Port Moresby, PNG
A Solomon Islands player turns around. Solomon Islands defeated host Papua New Guine 5-4 in a dramatic come back.
THE Solomon Islands national under-18 hockey men’s team made a perfect comeback in the final third to edge hosts PNG 5-4 in a nail-biting action yesterday in the second round of the Oceania Youth Olympic Hockey Qualifiers in Port Moresby.
The contest was a repeat of their earlier meeting during the tournament’s opener on Wednesday where they drew two-all at the Sir John Guise Hockey Pavilion.
Like in the first meeting, the hosts opened scoring in the first third and came out leading 1-0 after the first 10 minutes.
The match resumed into the second period and Solomon Islands bagged a goal to equalise. However, PNG added two more goals and extended lead to 3-1 by the second interval.
The match grew tense as it entered the final period and Solomon Islands fought to their best to score a total of four goals through a last-gasp effort in the dying moments to win the match.
PNG tried to make a comeback in the final two minutes and could only manage to get one goal but it was too late as Solomon Islands held onto the 5-4 margin to win the match.
Solomon Islands head coach Allen Temoa was overwhelmed with the result.
“I knew we would win the game.
“After they came out leading us after the second period, I told the boys to focus and play with a strong winning mentality.
“Going into the final third, we made a lot of changes to our game approach.
“PNG players appeared to have slowed down in most of their turning and we used that as a weapon to redirect our game plan and ended up scoring the four goals,” Temoa added.
The Oceania Youth Olympic Hockey Qualifiers is being competed by the hosts, Australia, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
The competition is conducted in a round robin format of two rounds. This means that each team get to play all opponents twice.
In their other match yesterday against Australia, they lost 19-0.
Solomon Islands currently sits at the third position of the ladder with four points behind Australia and Vanuatu, respectively, while PNG occupies the bottom spot.
The men’s team have two more matches to play before all round robin matches are wrapped up.
The two winners of the men’s competition will qualify into this year’s Youth Olympic Games set to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.
Guntimac players set up defense as Kooline's Geroge Stevenson hangs infront their goal mouth
Mataks bags first win.
By Taromane Martin
Guntimac players set up defense as Kooline’s Geroge Stevenson hangs infront their goal mouth
SIPA National futsal league table leaders Kooline FC were held to a disappointing 3-3 draw by Guntimac FC at the Multipurpose Hall yesterday.
A win for Kooline yesterday would have seen them sitting comfortably in pole position with 12 points but were forced to share the spoils by a determined Guntimac side.
Team Captain Ellis Mana gave Mataks the lead in the first half after combing well with his little brother Benjamin Mana for their opening goal.
Kooline responded through experienced Alvin Hou who picked up a yellow card a minute earlier for a tough challenge on Benjamin Mana, to level the scores 1-1 before the break.
Ellis Mana regained the lead for Guntimac in the second half but saw Hou again beating their defence to draw the match level for the table leaders once more.
George Stevenson stole the lead for Kooline five minutes from time after Guntimac opted to defend deep in their arc.
Ellis Mani made sure Guntimac shared the spoils finding the equaliser for his side with a minute from time.
“We are pleased with the result. Most of our boys do not have enough experience compared to Kooline who has the likes of George Stevenson, Coleman Makau, Alvin Hou and Atana Fa’arodo,” Guntimac Team Captain Ellis Mana said.
“Unfortunately we decided to defend deep while leading 2-1 and allowed them to level before stealing the lead.
“We look forward for our next matches,” he said.
Kooline Team Captain Coleman Makau although disappointed with the draw says they will need to move on and get ready for their next match.
“First of all thank you to Guntimac for giving us a good fight. Even though we have the experience in the squad they proved they are up to the task,” he said.
“It’s good to see this happening because most people expect teams who have national players in them to always win.
“But the young boys now are proving everyone wrong as Guntimac has shown today which is a good sign is for futsal’s’ future in the country.
“I always tell my boys to collect all three points in our matches. The draw today was disappointing but that is that and we have to move on and get ready for our next game,” Makau adds.
Despite yesterday’s disappointing draw, Kooline are still top of the competition table with 10 points after four matches played while Guntimac are with seven points.
Meanwhile, Mataks FC also picked up their first win in the competition after defeating Vania FC 8-2 yesterday.
Team Official Joel Iro was pleased with the win saying it is a good sign for his side because it shows their formation is starting to gel.
“Our previous two games we were not settled because our players were scattered therefore did not have enough time to work on our formation and game plans.
“After those two games we went back and worked on it in preparation for this match and claiming our first three points is a good sign.
“We’ll need to work on our defensive side and most importantly our fitness. There is still enough to work on these areas,” Iro adds.
SIEC confirms list for Gizo-Kolombangara constituency by-election
FIVE candidates have been nominated to contest the Gizo/Kolombangara constituency by-election next month.
The Office of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission received the nominations by the close of nomination period at 4pm, Wednesday this week.
Returning Officer Christian Siale immediately after the close of nomination on Wednesday conducted a draw in Gizo, to determine the standing of candidates on the ballot paper.
The order of names on the ballot paper as a result of the draw is as follows:
In accordance with the process, publication of the List of Candidates at the close of nominations has been done throughout the constituency as of yesterday.
The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) in a press statement said the current standings are still subject to change if any candidate withdraws.
“After the close of nominations on Wednesday this week, 72 hours (3 days) was given, according to the Electoral Act, for any candidates wishing to withdraw to do so,” the statement said.
SIEC said the final list of confirmed candidates will be published after the withdrawal period lapses at 4pm on Saturday, April 28.
“If any candidates who wish to withdraw must do so in writing to the Returning Officer, within 72 hours after the close of nominations.” SIEC said.
The Returning Officer acknowledges the good people of Gizo Kolombangara for respecting and allowing the process to reach this far and would call for the same support and cooperation of the public during this campaign period to respect each other’s rights.
His Excellency the Governor General Sir Frank Kabui had officially proclaimed Wednesday, May 23, 2018 as the date for the Gizo Kolombangara By-Election.
SIEC would like to advise voters from Gizo Kolombangara constituency to be prepared to choose their representative and to listen to SIBC and Radio Happy Lagoon, as well as other media outlets including SIEC’s Facebook page for updates regarding important activities in the lead up to the By-Election.
A concerned citizen is calling on the Members of Parliament for West, Central and East Honiara constituencies to upgrade roads located in the inner section of Honiara.
Mr James Menai of Nangu Village, Santa Cruz voiced this to the paper yesterday.
He stressed that people living in and around areas accompanied by these poor conditioned roads often find it difficult when travelling.
Menai added that it is even more difficult for those who need to use public transportation to get to their destination because some cabs will not be able to travel on those roads.
On top of that, he said that it will also be critical in the case of emergencies especially when it involves transporting someone who needs to get to the hospital as fast as possible but can only get there at the pace the condition of the road allows.
Menai furthered that there are also many public servants who live along such roads.
He reiterates his call for the MPs to work together and have these roads upgraded.
THE $500,000 which has been allocated for the Ministry of Women Youth Children and Family Affairs will be focusing on youths and possibly children and having women missing out is a wakeup call, it is reported.
This was highlighted yesterday in an information sharing forum which was organised by the Solomon Islands National Council of Women (SINCW) executive, the Ministry of Women Youth Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) as well as a representative from the Prime Minister Office.
It was organised purposely for responsible authorities to come forward and clarify and help women to understand why ‘zero budget’ was a final provision allocated to women of Solomon Islands.
According to the General Secretary (SINCW) Casper Fa’asala, the budget allocation is a wakeup call for the MWYCF, its agencies, women organisations and women individuals in the country.
“Which means it’s a call for the MWYCF, its agencies especially the SINCW to strengthen its work as well as individual women and women organizations in this country needs to be committed seriously on whatever works with regards to women that needed to be done.
“Also there must be collaboration, communications, and a conducive environment in terms of the process for better consultation and improve dialogues on matters where women can understand to help them venture into upper leadership levels,” he said.
Fa’asala adds that these are some of the essential missing links which needs attention for the mentioned parties to relook at and consider them seriously in order to measure all work performances for better service delivery for the benefit of all the women in this country.
Meanwhile the Permanent Secretary of the MWYCFA Dr Cedrick Alependava says the money allocated to them is very small thus only youths and children will be able to benefit in the development sector.
However, he says women can still be able to access funds in the recurrent budget in the form of grant.
THE local organising committee responsible for Isabel province’s upcoming event is in preparation to stage the Kodili Festival that is set to kick off in June at Isabel’s provincial capital, Buala.
Local organising committee member, Mr Eddie Kopala confirmed that while preparations are still in progress with the committee now in the consultation process with participants and ward, the event will take place from June 25 to 29.
The consultations are purposely to brief participants oN the activities that will be held during the festival, as well to confirm the activities they will be participating in.
Stalls and public houses for the festival village are currently in progress and are expected to be ready before the end of May.
Beautification for the events Village has also been contracted out for any interested local beautification specialised groups.
Charges for the stalls will be categorised into three different rates; $1000 for food stalls, $700 for Art & Craft and $1,500 for major companies.
Musical instruments for the event will be sponsored by Hon Steven Abana and will be the biggest system Isabel province will use for the programme.
In the meantime, the participants wards in and around the province, while preparing their items to put on show during the event whilst, other ward participants are making calls, urging their honourable to assist and facilitate them for the upcoming event.
Kwara’ae chiefs attending the one day brief meeting on Wednesday
BY GEORGE MANFORD
AUKI
Kwara’ae chiefs attending the one day brief meeting on Wednesday
MORE than twenty chiefs from Kwara’ae within the central region of Malaita province have attended a one-day meeting concerning reviving the laws within the central, west and east Kwara’ae.
According to the chairman of the Taki Abu I Kwara’ae association (TAIK) Chief Francis To’otalau, the aim of the association is fundamental to restore and preserve the Kwara’ae Abu Gwaumauri (covenant) which has been the way of life or the bedrock of the fabric of moral life for Kwara’ae people from the beginning.
He said the moral, spiritual, social and economic strive of Kwara’ae people is quarantined by the restoration of the Kwara’ae Abu Gwaumauri.
The association also aims to document the Abu Gwaumauri as it has never been properly placed on record.
To’otalau added that should this be done it would be history and a treasure for Kwara’ae’s future generation.
In the past the Kwara’ae society has always been a stable, orderly and holy (Abu) society until it began to decline just before the arrival of the ‘white man’.
The decline got worse with the arrival of the white man culture.
He said this decline is due to the changes over time of the Kwara’ae religious sacrifice and religion.
The association of Kwara’ae people is formed to counteract this decline and to retrieve, restore and preserve the customs and culture and to uphold the traditional rights and practices of the Kwara’ae people today.
It is to ensure that it is being taught and practiced now to mould and reshape Kwara’ae society.
The association is an agent of change for holistic development of life in Kwara’ae society, spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, economically and politically, To’otalau revealed.
The Taik Abu I Kwara’ae called TAIK association is a body organised and established by a group of founders consisting of church leaders, chiefs, and business men who have strong concern for the moral decline and break down of order in Kwara’ae region in Malaita province.
The TAIK association is the highest traditional, customs and culture, moral, economic and political organization of Kwara’ae society.
The meeting was conducted at the Anglican diocese of Malaita (DOM) conference room.
31 participants attending the Workshop on Developing local food and water microbiological testing capacity held on April 17
BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
31 participants attending the Workshop on Developing local food and water microbiological testing capacity held on April 17
THIRTY-ONE officers from Government ministries and private sectors completed a one-day technical workshop on developing local food and water microbiological testing capacity held at the Environmental Health Division Conference Centre, Ministry of Health headquarters in Honiara.
The workshop was organised by the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) of the Ministry of Health & Medical Services (MHMS), Cawthron Institute of New Zealand and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).
The purpose of the workshop is to address gaps and update key government officials and stakeholders on the progress of two concurrent projects.
The projects are; Strengthening the capacity of the National Public Health Laboratory to provide services in support of market access for Solomon Island fish exporters and Strengthening the sustainability of Solomon Islands National Public Health Laboratory to obtain and maintain international accreditation.
FAO-UN is the main funding agency and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), and ratified by the MHMS.
The Solomon Islands fishing industry is one of country’s major industry sectors employing more than 2000 people and also contributing substantially to government revenues and the national economy.
Processed fish (mainly canned tuna and cooked tuna loins) are among the top three commodities with the highest revenues from international trade.
The Solomon Islands has been approved to export fish to the European Union (EU). Maintaining access to the EU (largest destination market) and other international markets is a national priority.
Substantial support has already been provided by Australia and the EU to establish the competent authority for food safety and the infrastructure for diagnostic testing.
However, additional assistance is needed to enable the national laboratory to carry out microbiological testing in line with international standards to maintain access to overseas markets.
This support is expected to protect jobs in the fishing industry and sustain commercial fish exports which are worth approximately US$45million.
Upon completion, the project will enable the NPHL to comply with international microbiological food testing standards.
Laboratory staff will be trained and essential quality systems put in place to comply with international standards and good practice techniques.
By the end of the project in 2020 the laboratory will be assessed as ready for ISO 17025 certification for microbiological testing by a relevant international accreditation body for example, International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ).
Increased access to clean water and safe food are priority development goals for public health in the Solomon Islands.
By strengthening the laboratory’s capacity to monitor and evaluate contamination risks associated with water and food, the project will support efforts to protect domestic public health.
The laboratory will also be in a position to provide testing support to government agencies and international organizations involved in the delivery of local water projects and water management interventions.
The key government agency for implementing such interventions is the Environment Health Division health inspectors including the Honiara City Council health inspectors who are legally mandated to carry out water and food sampling routines and inspections and respond to public health issues.
The public is therefore advised to address their public health concerns and samples through our local health inspectors who will bring samples to the NPHL for analysis.
The technical workshop concluded with a visit to the National Public Health Laboratory facility located at the Solomon Islands National University, Kukum Campus.
A total of 21 participants were given the opportunity to observe the types of microbiological tests and instruments used to determine water and food quality.
It was a new and rewarding experience for the participants which helped them appreciate the importance of developing local laboratory testing capacity.
There are 31 attendees for the workshop includes key representatives from the MHMS such as Environmental Health Division, Competent Authority and Food Safety, Nutrition and Food Security Unit, NPHL.
Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ministry of Commerce Industries Labour and Immigration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination (MDPAC) and Honiara City Council Environmental Health Officers.
Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Programme (PHAMA), FAO, Cawthron Institute, local food and water industries such as Soltuna, and Solomon Water.
Temotu Fish Limited, Sasha Water, Southern Seas Investment, Commodity Export Marketing Limited (CEMA), Kokonut Pacific Solomon Islands (KPSI), Sol Fish Ltd and Szetu Breweries Ltd.
CENTRAL Islands Province (CIP) Deputy Premier and Minister of Education Selwyn Luga urges teachers of McMahon Community High School (CHS) to avoid unnecessary class absenteeism.
He said this after unnecessary class absenteeism too was one of the concerns raised by parents and students over teachers this week during the open forum that was held on Monday to address lack of students discipline occurring in McMahon.
“When teachers are absent from classes unnecessarily then it also contributes to student’s behaviours and attitudes,” said Luga.
However, he said the blame cannot be on teachers alone too as parents are also responsible for their children’s behaviour.
The open forum was the provincial authority’s response to the report that a student of McMahon was arrested on April 13 for being in possession of marijuana.
The student’s arrest was deemed as the last straw to the growing issue of discipline in the school, hence the open forum to find resolutions.
“This issue of arrest has become a national report and it is not heartening to hear that the incident has occurred in our province,” said Luga.
He said the open forum was a success on the understanding that they will be addressing the issue of lack of discipline.
POPULAR Papua New Guinea-based Solomon Islands singer Samson Saeni, best known as Sharzy, will travel to Australia in June to promote his new album.
Sharzy plans to travel to Cains on June 16 to launch his album.
He plans to travel to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
With about seven week before making a debut of his new album in Australia, Noro and Gizo in the Western province will have a taste of the new album this weekend.
“I will perform a couple of my new songs during the Noro and Gizo show,” Sharzy said.
Sharzy will perform in Noro tomorrow and in Gizo this Saturday.
The new album called “One Summer” has different style of music when compared to his first albums.
Most of the songs in the album are about love and happiness. They are all written by Sharzy.
“The songs in the album are love and happy songs. The songs are all positive vibes,” the three-time award winning singer said.
Sharzy’s new album is recorded in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea under the Big Time production owned by a local.
He will perform two days before appearing in the Gizo magistrate court over his recent entry into the country crossing the border from PNG.
