The Island Press

Reports from the papers, compiled by John Carter

THE FAMILY of Huon Gulf MP Ben

Garry yesterday strongly demanded

he return to the Government benches

immediately.

They also want him to fly home to his Gabsongkeg village near Nadzab airport this weekend for an urgent

meeting.

Mr Garry’s younger brother Ankog and cousins Solomon and Giling Ferea warned that he would face the full consequences of his decision to defect to the Paias Wingti-led Opposition.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby HUON GULF MP Ben Garry is back in the Government less than a week after defecting to the Opposition.

His decision to return follows strong objections from his family and close supporters who did not want him to associate with an Opposition that in cluded Morobe MP, Utula Samana.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby “WHY MAKE Jesus look like a sandy haired Englishman or a weepy Ita lian?” People ask the question about

pictures in publications or hanging in

homes.

In a new book, made in Fiji, Robert Park, an American church volunteer, with Father Winston Halapua of the

Anglican St John’s Training Centre in

Suva, has portrayed in bola black and white a Christ who belongs in Fiji and

Tonga. The full-page pictures face a

text in five languages, including Hindi.

From The Fiji Times, Suva A SURVEY was conducted last year on the lime (kambang) preferences of betelnut chewers . . .

The aim of the survey based on a statistically sound sample was to de termine the kambang preference of experienced chewers (ie kids and adults with at least two years’ mastica tion experience). The results will be used to establish the priority ratings of the kambangs in the subsequent inves tigation into their heavy metal content.

From The Reporter, PNG University of Technology, Lae FOUR PARTIALLY blind Papua New

Guineans yesterday regained full sight

when they had their corneas replaced with ones from dead Americans thanks to Project Orbis.

This is history for PNG as it is the first time that such an operation has been done in the country, and moreover, done on board a DCS jet, converted into a state-of-the-art eye

hospital at Port Moresby’s Jackson’s

International Airport.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby FIJI NOW has one of the highest drowning ratios in the world, says the

Fiji Red Cross Society.

A record number of 36 people drowned last year, resulting in a drowning ratio of 5.0 (five drownings per 100,000 population) rated among the five highest in the world.

From The Fiji Times, Suva SOME 40 tons of copra are on the wharf reportedly because the Bank Line vessel that was supposed to take it was required to leave early to allow a cement ship to come in.

Informed sources told the Samoa Times the copra vessel left three hours early on instructions from the

Ministry of Transport and Shipping.

The same sources said that the ce ment ship is handled by a stevedoring company for which the Minister of Shipping, Jack Netzler, worked some years back.

From The Samoa Times, Apia THE CHANCES of very ill patients

leaving Lae’s Angau Memorial Hospit

al alive are “minimal”, Health Minister

Robert Suckling heard yesterday.

During a visit to the hospital he was told that people who suffer heart attacks cannot he saved because equip ment in the casualty department’s re suscitation unit is outdated.

He heard also that basic medical equipment in almost all of the hospit al s major clinical departments was broken down, posing a serious threat to patients’ lives.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby STUDENTS ARE now allowed to bor row video tapes from the library . . . but some popular titles, like Rocky I and Rambo, are to be withdrawn.

There are 38 withdrawn tapes, mainly feature films, which Ms Mar garet Gault, the audiovisual librarian, says have nothing to do with the courses offered at the University.

From the Uni Tavur, University of Papua New Guinea