GIZO police has been cautioned to keep an eye out for black markets in the province.
A Mr Andrew Koke said police must continue to monitor black markets within surrounding islands and urban centres like Gizo, Ringi, Noro, Munda and Seghe.
Koke said that black markets and selling of drugs (marijuana) still poses as the main causes behind disturbances at night.
“Police must quickly locate illegal liquor outlets with the support of local communities to raid and decrease the number of selling in urban centers and rural communities.
“Illegal black markets without license are illegal and police must monitor this issue quickly together with the community support.
“I would like advise officers in charge to be transparent when invasion illegal black markets.”
Provincial Police Commander, Western Province, Chief Superintendent, Mathias Lenialu said communities must working close with the work of Police to eradicate and control the rise of illegal black markets.
Lenialu encourages the general public to come forward and report any suspects.
He said Police at Munda in the Western Province have arrested two suspects following a raid on black market outlets on Friday February 9, 2018 after allegations of illegal selling of alcohol at several locations in the township.
Lenialu said Police confiscated a total of 30 cartons of alcohol which included a variety of beers and whiskey and cola.
He said the two suspects including a female have been charged with illegal sale of alcohol and released awaiting a date for their appearance in court.
WORKERS of the government-funded oil palm project in Wairokai have questioned the delay to their payment.
The workers, who are yet to receive their payment since last year, ask ofr clarification from the contractor and the national government on the matter.
A labourer, who wishes anonymity, told this paper that the delay of their payment has now caused frustration to the workers.
“It was since December last year we yet to receive our pay until today (yesterday).
“And to be honest, it was indeed very disappointing us to continue face with such situation,” the labourer said.
The labourer said similar situation as such happened earlier, but not to this extent.
“Sometimes our pay can delay for week or even fortnight before receiving payments.
“But this is the worst situation ever encountered where our pay now held up to almost four months,” the labourer said.
The labourer said the contractor had assured them that their payments were being processed.
But to date, nothing has been forthcoming.
“Our disappointment is worsening and we want to receive our payments before continuing with the work,” the labourer said.
The labourer also said that about half of almost 70 labourers engaged under the project are students.
“And they are in desperate need for the money to facilitate their studies this year.”
The labourer said the matter is very serious to them and they appeal upon responsible authorities to address the matter.
CUSTOMERS of the Bank South Pacific (BSP) have raised complaints on deductions made to their loans.
This follows last week’s confusion which was caused by no payments entering the accounts of customers who had loans with the bank.
They said, “Deductions should be made every fortnight with the required amount signed in our agreements.
“For the past fortnights we have received our full salary payments with no deductions made.
“But what happens to us last week is a big hiccup to us when our full salary has been deducted.
“At the moment we faces more needs especially in paying up school fees and other basic needs for families usages.
“We agreed upon only with one agreement that for loan repayments will be made all fortnights for the period of time required.
“We were surprise to see other fees were included into our bank statements such as late fees, centralisation and access fee charges.
“We need the BSP bank to clarify these fee charges that affected and our salaries are already committed as arrears to our loan repayments.”
All fee charges cost around $50 plus the total deduction fee.
This paper understands that some BSP customers that have loans with the bank last week only received only $500 to meet their school fees, food, bills, rental and transportations.
Picture capture the admission and observation room of the Togamae Emergency Private Clinic at the Capital Park set
with new beddings and machine to read heart and blood pressure
BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
Picture capture the admission and observation room of the Togamae Emergency Private Clinic at the Capital Park set with new beddings and machine to read heart and blood pressure
LOCALLY owned Togamae Private Emergency Clinic is set to be launched this week.
This new clinic is said to boost access to emergency services and medical care.
It is located at the Capital Park, eastern part of the Honiara City.
The clinic has an admission and observing room, reception room, laboratory, procedure room which includes ECG and ultra-sound, pharmacy and doctor’s consultation room.
The initial plans to have the clinic launched today has been postponed for a later date this week.
Dr Pedical Togamae owner of the new clinic says services are ready to be rolled out once all the furniture have been fitted in.
Togamae shares with Island Sun that his observations while working at the national referral hospital have prompted him to open his own clinic.
He adds that there are a whole lot more that medical emergency services can offer for the people – and he is set on doing just that.
The clinic will begin with one accountant, two secretaries and one full time nurse.
It will also have proper medical equipment different from the country’s other private clinics and patients’ medical reports are recorded online.
“This help patients or clients can track their report in e-copy online anywhere accessing internet,” Togamae said.
The Togamae Private Emergency Clinic is owned by two brothers from Isabel province, Drs Pedical Togamae and Ismael Togamae.
Services offered is centred around, general out patients and emergency cases, lab services including malaria test, full blood counts and biochemistry test.
Their services also duty around dispensing medicines, keeping patients overnight while treatment, doing patients referral or overseas and further service consist of escorting patients from any destination and home visits.
Dr Ishmael Togamae and Dr Pedical Togamae during the commemorating of their late Dad’s tomb stone at Tirotona village.
BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
AN additional Area Health Centre (AHC) for Isabel province is being planned by the Togamae Private Emergency Clinic.
Dr Pedical Togamae, owner of the Togamae Private Emergency Clinic, said, “After launching this Emergency clinic, by end of this year we should open another AHC at our rural community near Buala in Isabel province.
“Aim is to open this new clinic here to generate finance to facilitate the construction and building materials while community’s support will come in a form building.”
He said the clinic will be registered under AHC of Buala because it will cover villages on the highlands and seaside residents.
“Main supplies of medicine will be from the National Referral Hospital, and this is free services, and only Registered Nurse employed there will be paid by us,” Togamae said.
Togamae said this will not cost the Isabel AHC and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS).
He said the clinic will be managed by the Togamae Private Emergency Clinic, and government will supply drugs and provide other medical equipment.
Togamae said dialogue is currently being sought with the provincial authorities of Isabel.
MEMBER of Provincial Assembly (MPA) for Varisi Lavata at Ward 12 Northwest Choiseul Hon Gideon Panisaga rebuff using alcohol to bribe voters at a recent hearing at Taro Station.
Speaking earlier to Island Sun, the media coordinator for Christ the King Parish at Voruvoru Mr Nerio Ulemiki reported that the MPA used four cartons of beer to lure voters during a Timber Rights Hearing.
According to Mr Ulemiki, the action had caused disagreement from citizens of Ward 12 in which they described it as a sign of corruption that needs to be stopped.
However, Hon Panisaga when contacted yesterday said that what he did is not bribery at all.
“During such meetings is the only time I have meeting up with most of my Ward people especially the young youths who normally want to enjoy alcohol,” said Hon Panisaga.
“I know my boundaries as a leader and to do such bad practise to my own people will be wrong.
“Whatever done during that time I am accused off was only for that time with no motive behind it.”
Launching of Tuvaruhu Community clean-up campaign 2017.
BY GEORGINA KEKEA
Launching of Tuvaruhu Community clean-up campaign 2017.
FUTURE generations in Honiara City will not be able to enjoy a walk along the city’s Mataniko river banks nor enjoy a stroll along the coastline of Honiara if nothing is done about the way we dispose our rubbish and look after our environment.
For a long time, the Mataniko River had been a dumping site for the general public at large. Collection of waste over the years has made the once pristine river now a sight for sore eyes as well as destroying most life under it. How much worst would it be for our children and grandchildren?
Given the close inter-connections between land, water and coastal systems, it is considered very important how we look after, plan and manage our land, water and coast.
In the Pacific, integrated approaches to how we look after our freshwater and coastal area management have been termed ‘Ridge to Reef’ (R2R). The goal of the R2R program is to maintain and enhance Pacific Island countries’ ecosystem goods and services through integrated approaches to land, water, forest, biodiversity and coastal resource management that contribute to poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and climate resilience.
In Honiara, the Mataniko river catchment is a project site of the R2R program in the Solomon Islands.
The GEF/SPC International Waters R2R Solomon Islands project has started in January 2017 and will be implemented along a four year period meaning it will end in 2020.
IWR2R & CEFAS Team- Water quality monitoring using YSI Meter
Speaking to Island Sun, R2R National Project Manager, Sammy Airahui says for 2018, for the first quarter they are set to roll the Mataniko river water quality monitoring which includes collecting of water quality samples and sediments (looking at solid wastes also) along the Mataniko river from Tuvaruhu upstream down to estuary.
“The monitoring will be done on quarterly basis”, Mr. Airahui said.
“We are putting much effort in trying to educate our communities as much as possible to look at ways to manage our Mataniko river”, he said.
“The river is heavily polluted from solid and liquid waste from human settlement, residential areas and shops operating and living adjacent to the river”, he said.
“Currently the project also works with SPREP in carrying out the Honiara coastal survey as well as collecting samples for micro-plastics and results are yet to be presented to the Ministry of Environment Climate Change Disaster Risk Management (MECDRM) for launching”.
Mr. Airuahui said currently the project is reviewing existing literatures for Honiara coast. Later they will be carrying out a baseline study on the coastal environment of Honiara.
“The baseline study will look at pollution and nutrient loads entering the coastal environment. The project is currently designing a Term of Reference (TOR) for the baseline study’, Mr. Airahui revealed.
Meanwhile, also speaking to Island Sun a community elder from Tuvaruhu, Kalisto Kwaru said since last year he had been participating in a number of workshops organized to make awareness on the R2R concept. Appointed as team leader in Tuvaruhu on the ‘clean up’ of Mataniko river, Kalisto Kwaru says he had tried his best in raising awareness on the importance of keeping the river clean but it is quite difficult.
“Especially for the youths, all they need is incentives to keep them happy. We have a lot of youths, almost 150 and they can be able to assist in the campaign to keep Mataniko River clean but you know how it is with youths, they need incentives to drive them forward”, Mr. Kwaru said.
Mr. Kwaru said they understand the need to keep the river clean and in the past they had participated in activities on the Mataniko cleanup campaign as well.
“If we keep our river clean, people wouldn’t have to come upstream for recreational purposes but this looks like it will be a long term project”, Mr. Kwaru said.
He said their community is very keen to be divided into zones so that delegation of work and activities will be done in a timely and orderly way.
“Our second step, we will divide our community into zones so that we will participate in cleaning the river but we really need to strategize in order for us to achieve this goal and it shall all depend on funding as well”, he said.
Apart from the attitude of crude dumping of rubbish and wastes in to the river, R2R is also looking at other alternatives that will enable communities and commercial houses that live along the river help to minimize waste and also to look after the river.
A part of the R2R project was the distribution of rubbish bins amongst other tools to assist communities’ dispose of their rubbish properly.
For Tuvaruhu, Mr. Kwaru said they had also benefitted from rubbish bins including other work tools.
“However, for the bins, slow collection of rubbish from the Honiara City Council (HCC) had caused the bins to ‘slipshod’ into a bad state thus we need new bins”, Mr. Kwaru said.
However Mr. Kwaru said his community is very willing to work with the project and the MECDM. He said these are long term goals for the government more-so for the Tuvaruhu community as well.
The Mataniko Project is an initiative undertaken by different stakeholders to showcase the importance of maintaining a clean river ecosystem through proper waste management practices that includes cleaning the river ecosystem and cleaning the river as practical approach of awareness to the general public on the importance of our environment.
Data used from the river baseline study in 2015 will support the implementation of mitigation measures to reduce pollution levels as well as support implementation of recommendations identified under the Mataniko baseline study.
Western Provincial Peace and Reconciliation Deputy Director Mr Wilson Liligeto (filephoto).
BY ALFRED PAGEPITU
GIZO
Western Provincial Peace and Reconciliation Deputy Director Mr Wilson Liligeto (filephoto).
THE Western and Choiseul provinces have openly welcomed the formal signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Autonomous Region of Bougainville council of chiefs (AROB) in Gizo, Western province.
The parties witnessed the signing ceremony during the border dialogue on November 29, 2017, held at the Wesley United church hall.
Western Provincial Peace and Reconciliation Deputy Director Mr Wilson Liligeto told Island Sun Gizo yesterday that the MOU is between AROB and Lauru Pade Vatovato, Lanlala’aha of Famoa and Western Region Vetu Bangara.
Liligeto said the AROB chiefs and traditional representatives of Lauru Pade Vatovato Lanlala’aha of Famoa and Western Region Vetu Bangara met on November 29, 2017 to revisit and finalise discussions of the Bougainville crisis spill-over effects in the Solomon Islands.
He said the Dialogue noted the discussion by the parties to this MOU and acknowledged this process as a follow up from the 2014 Buka meeting.
Liligeto said the parties are committed to carry out traditional or customary reconciliation by way of Bel’Kol (AROB), Bauru (Lauru), Baulu (Shortlands and Inira/Ronu/Here/Tonu of Western Region.
The parties agree to inform and update their respective government at each stage of the process towards the reconciliation, and the parties agree to be represented by focal-points for purposes of information sharing towards the reconciliation process.
“We also allocate four members under the focal-points working groups from Autonomous Region of Bougainville Council of Chiefs (AROB), Lauru Pade Vatovato Lanlala’aha of famoa and Western Region Vetu Bangara.
“Those parties agree in principle that the reconciliation ceremonies between all parties concerned at the traditional and community level will take place before the Solomon Islands National Healing Program this year,” said Liligeto.
Signing for AROB was paramount chief of Lavelai Mr Isaac Laiben; Lauru Pade Vatovato was signed by Vice President Mr James Alepio; Lanlala’aha of Famoa was signed by Chief Mr Benjamine Bising and Western Region Vetu Bangara was signed by President/ Kulugha Council of Chiefs Mr Amon Redley.
Those who witnessed the MOU are Supervising Premier, Minister of Health, Western Province Hon Jane Tozaka, Bougainville Affairs/Veterans Core Group for Unification Mr John Duni Deputy Director Western Peace and Reconciliation Office Mr Wilson Liligeto and Deputy Director Choiseul Peace and Reconciliation Office Mr William Kutini.
THE Ministry of National Unity Peace and Reconciliation is planning a customary reconciliation between the chiefs and traditional leaders of Choiseul province and Shortland Islands.
The planning process will collaborate with the Autonomous Region of Bougainville’s council of chiefs (AROB) under the framework of the 2014 MOU signed in Buka between leader representatives of Choiseul, Shortlands and Autonomous Regions of Bougainville Council of Chiefs (AROB).
Western Provincial Peace and Reconciliation Deputy Director Mr Wilson Liligeto told Island Sun Gizo yesterday the representatives of the MOU are prepared to advance further negotiations with respective government agencies to achieve lasting peace.
Liligeto explained that on the margins of the border dialogue, the representatives of Choiseul province, Shortland Islands and Western region hereby demand the national government – “To assist financing the National Healing and Forgiveness Program as agreed in the NMOU signed by Chiefs, Traditional Leaders and Representatives of the Government Agencies on 29th November 2017 at Gizo, Western Province.
“To settle the compensation claims by Choiseul Province, Shortland Islands and the Western Region of Western Province prior to the National Healing and Forgiveness Programme in 2018 in line with the customary reconciliation together with AROB.
“Failure by the National Government to settle the claims by the Parties, the Parties shall boycott the National healing and Forgiveness Programme in 2018,” said Liligeto.
CONCERNED parents of Malaita province are calling on the government to consider introducing more early childhood education (ECE) schools across the country.
They stress the importance of ECE in the development of the minds of children as they grow up, adding that early nurturing will allow children to perform better in later stages of education.
“The early stage is the most important stage that our children must involve and go through ECE education.
“To bring our children into better education the government should improve our ECE schools throughout the country, the concern parents stated.”
This call was also made during registrations last week in Auki and around Malaita province, where it was found out that the existing number of ECE institutions is not enough for the growing population of Malaita.
“As the nursery of education in the country we also want to have better and qualified ECE teachers to take up responsibilities in our ECE schools.”
