Hi and welcome to the Masalai blog. A blog by someone from the country of Papua New Guinea (or PNG for short).
First a little about us. Masalai Communications was started in 2001 by Emmanuel Narokobi, Amaechi Nwokolo and Olerawanju (Brown) Omotosho. Amaechi and Brown have since gone their own ways. Amaechi is based in london as a lawyer now, but Brown is still in PNG running his network cabling and electrical company Nichtosh. Emmanuel and Brown still work jointly on projects from time to time and still keep in touch with each other. A big thanks however must go to Amaechi for introducing Brown to Emmanuel and kick starting Masalai Communications.
Masalai with Brown’s experience and skills started off as a network cabling company, however after Brown’s departure Masalai has become primarily a website development company. This multiskilled exposure from Masalai’s beginning has allowed Masalai as a company to keep an open door to potential opportunities in related IT areas. So although Masalai’s bread and butter is website development, we have dabbled in other services such as network cabling, software development, sms services and our Digital Posters service.
We’re always on the look out for new technologies and business opportunities that will be applicable to PNG and although some never gained traction like our Email to SMS service, we still love to experiment. Lately with the huge growth in social media, we have also been running some experiments with Facebook groups for both Music (RokRok Music) and the Arts (Gallery-PNG).
All in all though this blog gives us the additional benefit of seeing how the PNG market interacts with PNG content on the web in it’s various forms be it sound, text or video. It’s been interesting to see what topics people respond too and how. Best of all its been great just seeing what else is being done on the web by both PNG’eans and South Pacific islanders.
So this blog is basically a place where we can share our ideas, our thoughts and comments on what is going on around us and where we can meet people like yourself to make PNG and the South Pacific a more innovative place.
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
Find out more about what we’ve been up to at the following links:
23 comments
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June 21, 2007 at 4:11 am
Sam H
Love your work. I’m working with some crew in Melbourne putting on a gig in Septeeber focussing on PNG. Contact me : sam.hoffmann@gmail.com
June 21, 2007 at 5:12 am
Emmanuel
Thanks Sam, will send you an email.
August 7, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Nini Costigan
Hey Emmanuel, how’s it going!!! First time on this site actually, anyways just wanted to say well done, looks awesome!!!
August 7, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Emmanuel
Thanks Nini!!
November 3, 2007 at 8:15 am
The Fact
Oh…Papua New Guinea, a wonderful place, visited with my family two years ago. I don’t know about the other tourists (didn’t really see many of them) but me and my family enjoyed the trip very much!
November 4, 2007 at 1:21 am
Emmanuel
Why thank you ‘The Fact’, nice to hear you had a good time while here.
March 5, 2008 at 12:26 am
bibomedia
June 28, 2008 at 7:58 am
Gavin Atkin
I’ve noticed that you’ve scraped some content from my weblog http://intheboatshed.net. I really don’t mind in this case, but please tell the world where you got it from – a little credit is always nice!
Thanks,
Gav
June 29, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Emmanuel
Hi Gav, I actually left the link there so people could go to your site and your name is there also. Did you want me to put your blog address as well? I shall do that anyway and thanks for the information.
August 21, 2008 at 4:29 am
Teresa Lyons-Litz
Hi Emmanuel,
Pacific Islands Publishing are launching a new publication in November – in-flight magazine – and I’m looking for writers. Paying rates. Contact me via http://www.niuginiblue.com I lost your email somewhere in my move from Pom to Madang.
Cheers,
Teresa
September 3, 2008 at 4:07 am
kakaruk
None of your masalai.net links work – are you off air intentionally or have you been shot down?
September 3, 2008 at 4:54 am
Emmanuel
hey Kakaruk, is someone out to get me???
yeah having some issues with my domain name today. Not sure what’s going on??? Will hopefully have it resolved by tonight. Hope it’s not sabotage???!!!
September 29, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Otto
Hi Emmanuel,
I have come across your blog searching for information on ICT policy in PNG etc. – some very interesting thoughts on this site – keep up the good work.
We are thinking of starting a not for profit community wireless network. I have just spent a couple of hours reading the PNG Telecommunications act and ammendments etc. – sounds very restrictive.
But in reality everyone is using wifi commercialy in POM even though they do not have a carrier license.
Your thoughts in the idea of CWN’s in PNG?
Cheers
Otto
September 30, 2008 at 1:12 am
Emmanuel
Otto have a look at http://meraki.com/
April 28, 2009 at 6:14 am
Thomas Treves
I got this from an email and have found it quite exciting Papua New Guinea has a new Credit and Payment Service called Kowrie Credit and Payment Service, it has something about e-Commerce and judging by it e-Commerce in this country is already here.
for more information visit http://www.kowrie.com/
Kind Regards
Thomas Treves
April 30, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Gids Mahn
What is the latest in Telikom ADSL in PNG..The prices and the maximum MB
April 30, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Emmanuel
Good question Gids Mahn…will check and do a post on it soon…
June 17, 2009 at 4:27 am
Peter
PNG listed as one of the worst in the world for human trafficking (sex slavery and forced labour) by US State Department.
This is shameful! Mi sori tru long PNG.
Trafficking in Persons Report 2009
Date: 06/16/2009 Description: Trafficking In Persons Report 2009 cover. © State Dept Image
“The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report sheds light on the faces
of modern-day slavery and on new facets of this global problem. The human
trafficking phenomenon affects virtually every country, including the United States. In acknowledging Americas own struggle with modern-day slavery and slavery-related practices, we offer partnership. We call on every government to join us in working to build consensus and leverage resources to eliminate all forms of human trafficking.”
–Secretary Hilary Clinton, June 16, 2009
Note – Governments that do not
fully comply with the minimum standards
and are not making significant efforts to do so
are placed on Tier 3.
Papua New Guinea is placed in Tier 3.
Source -
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm
PAPUA NEW GUINEA (Tier 3)
Papua New Guinea is a source, destination, and transit
country for men, women, and children trafficked for
the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and
forced labor. Women and children are trafficked within
the country for the purposes of commercial sexual
exploitation and domestic servitude; men are trafficked
to logging and mining camps for the purpose of forced
labor. Women and children from Malaysia, Thailand, the
Peoples Republic of China (PRC), and the Philippines are
trafficked to Papua New Guinea for forced prostitution
and PRC men are trafficked to the country for forced
labor.
Chinese organized crime groups still may traffic
some Asian women and girls through Papua New
Guinea to Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and other
countries for forced prostitution and forced labor, though
less frequently than in the past. Unique and enduring
cultural practices in Papua New Guinea reinforce the
perception of females and children as commodities -
families often sell minor girls into marriages to settle
their debts; tribes trade females for guns and political
advantage; men compensate the relatives of a girl they
have raped with a payment of pigs. Young girls sold into
marriage are often also forced into domestic servitude for
the husbands extended family. The majority of foreign
victims voluntarily migrate to Papua New Guinea with
valid passports and visas, lured by Chinese organized
crime units, foreign logging companies, and Papuan
businessmen with false offers to work as engineers,
secretaries, cooks, and guards. After arrival in Papua
New Guinea, most of the female victims are coerced
into prostitution and domestic servitude at logging and
mining camps. Foreign and Papuan men are more often
exploited for labor at the camps. They work excessive
hours in dangerous conditions, frequently with little or
no safety gear. Many of these men are also compelled to
continue working for the company indefinitely through
induced debt bondage. Employers escalate the victims
indebtedness to the company by cutting workers agreedupon
wages, taking unjustifiable payroll deductions, and
artificially inflating prices at the only place in the region
employees can buy food, the company store.
Government officials facilitate trafficking by accepting bribes to allow
illegal migrants to enter the country or to ignore victims
forced into prostitution or labor, by receiving female
trafficking victims in return for political favors, and by
providing female victims in return for votes.
The Government of Papua New Guinea does not fully
comply with the minimum standards for the elimination
of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do
so. The government acknowledges the existence of forced
labor in Papua New Guinea, but denies the widespread
sex trafficking of women and children. Some corrupt
government and law enforcement officials accept bribes
to ignore trafficking-related activity. Despite evidence of
a trafficking problem, to date no suspected trafficking
offender has been arrested, prosecuted, or convicted of
a human trafficking offense. The government lacks a
systematic procedure to identify victims of trafficking
in vulnerable populations, such as foreign women or
children in prostitution, and has done little to prevent
trafficking in Papua New Guinea.
Recommendations for Papua New Guinea:
Continue the process of drafting and enacting legislation that
prohibits and punishes all forms of trafficking; increase
collaboration with civil society, religious, and tribal
leaders to raise awareness about trafficking, including the
need to reduce demand for forced labor and commercial
sex acts; investigate, prosecute and punish officials who
facilitate or benefit from trafficking; develop and institute
a formal procedure to identify victims of trafficking
among vulnerable groups; ensure victims of trafficking
are not arrested, deported, or otherwise punished for acts
committed as a direct result of being trafficked; and train
law enforcement officers on victim identification and
protection.
Prosecution
The Government of Papua New Guinea reported minimal
progress in law enforcement efforts against trafficking
offenders over the last year. The penal code of Papua
New Guinea does not prohibit all forms of trafficking. Its
criminal code, which does not prohibit the trafficking of
adults, prohibits the trafficking of children for commercial
sexual exploitation, slavery, and abduction. Labor laws
prohibit fraudulent recruiting and employment practices,
and prescribe weak penalties for offenders. Prostitution
is prohibited in Papua New Guinea, but the relevant laws
are either selectively or rarely enforced even in cases
involving of children. In August 2008, the Transnational
Crime Unit rescued a group of about 20 women forced to
work in prostitution at a Chinese restaurant; no charges
were filed against their alleged trafficker as none of
the women would cooperate with police investigators.
Trafficking-related crimes in rural areas were referred to
village courts which administered customary law, rather
than criminal law, and resolved cases through restitution
paid to the victim, rather than through criminal penalties
assigned to the trafficking offender. Wealthy business
people, politicians, and police officials who benefit
financially from the operation of establishments profiting
from sex trafficking were not investigated or prosecuted.
Most government offices and law enforcement agencies
remained weak as the result of corruption, cronyism, a
lack of accountability, and a promotion system based on
patronage. In 2008, the government arranged for expert
assistance with the drafting of a comprehensive antitrafficking
law, and began coordinating multi-agency
preparations and contributions to the process.
Protection
The Government of Papua New Guinea demonstrated
increasing efforts to protect and assist victims of
trafficking. Due to severe resource constraints, the
government continued to rely on international
organizations or NGOs to provide victim services. The
government contributed funds to a shelter for victims
of domestic violence in Port Moresby run by an NGO,
which could provide shelter and some legal aid to
trafficking victims, although it did not do so during the
year. Womens shelters in Port Moresby and Lae could
also house foreign and local victims. The Department
of Health, with NGO assistance, set up support centers
in hospitals throughout the country for victims of
domestic violence which could provide trafficking
victims with direct counseling and outpatient services,
although not long-term care. The government did not
proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable
populations. When potential victims of trafficking
sought assistance from the government, they were
often jailed, and some were sexually abused by police
officers. Immigration inspectors routinely refused entry
to potential trafficking victims identified at the borders.
Other government officials, however, would more
likely refer identified victims to social groups, churches,
or NGOs for assistance. Rescued victims of internal
trafficking often received compensation payments of cash
or pigs from the offender, which is culturally acceptable
in Papua New Guinea, and were reluctant to then notify
police and bring additional criminal charges against their
traffickers.
Prevention
The government continued to rely on international
organizations and NGOs for the bulk of its trafficking
prevention activities, such as efforts to raise public
awareness about trafficking combined with education
campaigns on child prostitution, HIV/AIDS, and domestic
violence. The government increased cooperation with
Australian and New Zealand Federal Police, as well
as other international law enforcement and customs
agencies, to draft laws, and investigate and prevent
transnational crimes including human trafficking. The
government made some effort to reduce the demand for
commercial sex acts as a way to halt the spread of HIV/
AIDS. The government acknowledged that prostitution
and child pornography are problems that need to be
addressed. Papua New Guinea has not ratified the 2000
UN TIP Protocol.
October 11, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Paul Oates
Hi Emmanuel,
ref the ‘constitution of PNG’
Would anyone you know have any comment on the article on the blogsite below?
http://asopa.typepad.com/files/report-card-on-png-constitution.pdf
Cheers,
Paul
October 11, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Emmanuel
HI Paul, thanks will have a look…
October 18, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Joys Eggins
Been reading, interesting.
November 19, 2009 at 10:21 am
YNO
Great work on covering news and happenings around PNG. It’s been awhile being away from home and sites like yours bring the out the PNG in me.
Keep on writing about PNG and keep up the great work of promoting PNG on the Internet.
Cheers,
YNO (West Coast)
November 20, 2009 at 1:58 am
Emmanuel
Thanks YNO