The Bishop of Aitape comments on the progress of the District since its first establishment of administrative services in 1906.

Bishop Austen Crapp ofm, of the Diocese of Aitape conveyed his congratulations to the people of the Aitape-Lumi District, especially with the recent administration reform setup, and also the province on its 100th anniversary.

He added that since then a lot of changes have taken place, although at a gradual pace but still brought some form of development and progression.

Bishop Austen welcomed the current installation of the new mobile phone communication program CSO (Community Service Obligation) which was a good initiative of the local MP for Aitape-Lumi, Patrick Pruaitch.

He added too that it was a great honour for the district to be the first in the country to receive such a network, which would be a very important tool in terms of communication advancement, especially linking some of the outer-lying areas that don't have access to telephones.

"The church here in Aitape will be very much making good use of this facility, as it will assist us in communicating with our workers and missionaries in the outer-lying areas," said Bishop Austen.