MONTEVIDEO MARU

Most of you will know the story about the Montevideo Maru – if you don’t, it’s well worth knowing!

PNGAA Media Release: Montevideo Search

Those with family involved in the tragedy can empathize with the families of those men lost on HMAS Sydney. The story of the Montevideo Maru should also have a significant place in our Australian history. Australia lost 1053 men who were said to be on board Montevideo Maru when it was torpedoed by ‘friendly fire’ off the coast of the Philippines on 01 July 1942. We don’t know, for sure, that all the men were on board. There are several lists with people’s names on them but these lists are inconsistent and names were included of people later found to have been executed.

Just as for the Sydney it is important to locate the Montevideo Maru. With enough interest perhaps this can now happen. We can build on the momentum generated by today’s news item on the following ninemsn website indicating potential support from Kevin Rudd.

The ninemsn team, with Max Uechtritz, have put together an amazing coverage in a very brief time.
There are several links – please read through them and encourage your families and friends to sign the petition to the government to fund a search.
The petition is at: http://news.ninemsn.com/article.aspx?id=451908

The new homepage with everything on it (for the moment) is http://news.ninemsn.com.au/

 These are direct links to articles:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=452388
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=452396
http://news.ninemsn.com/article.aspx?id=451908
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=452430
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=452388
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=452396
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=452386
Video
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/soundslide.aspx?sectionid=8767&sectionname=soundslide&subsectionid=80000&subsectionname=montevideo
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=451783
Song
 

APPOINTMENT OF PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR THE PACIFIC

An article by Fergus Hansen (Pat Hopper’s grandson) last October 19, in the Canberra Times, discusses the need for ‘a Minister for Pacific Cooperation.’ An excerpt from this article follows:

‘The minister would have the opportunity to cultivate genuine personal relationships with all the key players that should improve our capacity to extract concessions in critical areas such as reform and accountability. He or she would have the time to master the politics of each country and understand the culture, and could then frame our policies in a way that maximised the receptivity of our Pacific neighbours to them.
‘Intimately familiar with the region and its politics and unencumbered by the demands of broader foreign policy, the minister would also have the potential to develop long-term strategic approaches to individual countries and the whole region. ...
‘Australia has little choice but to act. We are, when it comes down to it, the only sizeable state that cares what happens across the Pacific. That makes us the critical player in its future.
‘Having a capable individual as Minister for Pacific Cooperation would be a significant step towards giving the Pacific the attention needed to develop long-term policies that could put it on a path to lasting stability.’

The Hon Duncan Kerr SC MP has since been appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

‘Mr Kerr has a long history with the Pacific region. His late mother led a medical reconstruction team in Japan following WWII. Mr Kerr was Dean of Law at the University of Papua New Guinea before his election to parliament in 1987. He lectured in constitutional and administrative law at UPNG. He also had a right of private practice. In that capacity he advised private and government clients and appeared as counsel in the National and Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea in electoral, constitutional, tort and contract cases. A number are reported in the PNGLR series. ‘He was co-author of The Annotated Constitution of Papua New Guinea (1985) and a co-editor and contributing author of Essays on the Constitution of Papua New Guinea (1985).

After his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific Mr Kerr stated:
‘Australia has a vital role to play in improving the Pacific region and Labor has made commitments about climate change initiatives, health, education
and humanitarian aid that I look forward to helping implement.’

Information about the Hon Duncan Kerr was obtained from these websites:
http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/parlsec/parlsec_bio.html
http://www.duncankerr.com/media_releases/291107Portfolio.pdf

The Patti Hopper Memorial Fund - Lukautim Picaninni Project (Update)

There is activity on the development of the Aids project in ENB province and the following letter was received from Paul Marshall (who received the funds form us in 2007) providing an update on the current situation. Some of you may have also seen the recent 4 corners program on Aids in PNG and it seems there is greater awareness and an urgency building as to the seriousness of the crisis already existing in the communities .

"Plans for the hospice have accelerated over the past few months. . We are well advanced in our interactions with the National Aids Council, the Health Department, and certain medical specialists who are advising the PNG government. It is now officially recognised that the epidemic is shifting towards the rural areas (where 85% of the population lives). Potentially, we could be looking at a volcano ready to explode in ENB, but we don't really know.

We are waiting on a Dr. Kavan from Nonga hospital (the officially appointed specialist advising HIV-AIDS strategy) for an answer to our question: "Is it strategic to establish a dedicated HIV-AIDS facility near Rabaul at this time?" This is to develop as a hospice, training base for medical staff from the New Guinea Islands, and a refuge for those who are exiled from their villages because of the stigma of having the disease. I am expecting something from Dr. Kavan very soon.

The Attorney General of PNG, and the Health/HIV-AIDS minister are writing letters of endorsement for our project. One of our greatest strengths is the grassroots network of village based churches we have access to for the purposes of education and family support. What I am hearing is that millions of dollars are being poured into PNG for HIV-AIDS work, but it is both not getting to areas of real need, and not achieving grassroots education/understanding about the disease. Much work remains to be done, we just want to make sure that whatever we do is really strategic, and doesn't come out of sentimentality. Thanks for your on-going interest and support. "