SPECIAL REPORT: By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent

The nauseating stench of dried blood hung in the air as we arrived in Karida village, a few kilometers outside of Tari in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province.

Through the landcruiser window, I could see two men carrying a corpse wrapped in blue cloth and a tarpaulin. They were walking towards the hastily dug graveyard.

This was July 2019.

• READ MORE: Five arrested in connection with deadly Papua New Guinea massacre
• Other PNG tribal warfare reports

A longstanding tribal fight by various factions in the Tagali area of the Hela province had triggered this attack. Several armed men came at dawn. The residents, mostly women and children, bore the brunt of the brutality.

The then Provincial Administrator, William Bando, advised us against travelling alone when we arrived in Tari. He requested a section of the PNG Defence Force to take us to Karida where the killings had happened less than 24 hours before.

Two men carrying the corpse, hesitated as we arrived with the soldiers. One of the soldiers ordered the men to disarm. The others who carried weapons fled into the nearby bush.

On the side of the road, the bodies of 15 women and one man lay tightly wrapped in cloth. The older men and women came out to meet the soldiers.

The village chief, Hokoko Minape, distraught by the unimaginable loss, wept beside the vehicle as he tried to explain what had happened.

“This, I have never seen in my life. This is new,” he said in Tok Pisin.

Complexity of tribal conflicts and media attention
For an outsider, the roots of tribal conflicts in Papua New Guinea are difficult to understand. There are myriad factors at play, including the province, district, tribe, clan and customs.

But what’s visible is the violence.

The conflicts are usually reported on when large numbers of people are killed. The intense media focus lasts for days . . . maybe a month . . . and then, news priorities shift in the daily grind of local and international coverage.

Some conflicts rage for years and sporadic payback killings continue. It is subtle as it doesn’t attract national attention. It is insidious and cancerous — slowly destroying families and communities. In many instances, police record the one off murders as the result of alcohol related brawls or some other cause.

The tensions simmer just below boiling point. But it affects the education of children and dictates where people congregate and who they associate with.

Although, the villagers at Karida were not directly involved in the fighting, they were accused of providing refuge to people who fled from neighboring villagers. The attackers came looking for the refugees and found women and children instead.

The ‘hire man’ and small arms
Over the next few weeks, local community leaders drew attention to the use of “hire men” in the conflicts. They are mercenaries who are paid by warring tribes to fight on their behalf. Their most valued possessions are either assault rifles or shotguns paid for by political and non-political sponsors.

The Deputy Commissioner for Police responsible for specialist operations, Donald Yamasombi, who has personally investigated instances of arms smuggling, said the traditional trade of drugs for guns along the eastern and southern borders of Papua New Guinea is largely a thing of the past.

“People are paying cash for guns. They are bringing in the weapons and then legitimising them through licensing,” Yamasombi said. “The businessmen who fund them actually run legitimate businesses.”

The involvement of political players is a subject many will state only behind closed doors.

In the highlands, the hire men are a recent addition to the complex socio-political ecosystem of tribal and national politics. Political power and money have come to determine how hire men are used during elections. They are tools of intimidation and coercion. The occupation is a lucrative means of money making during what is supposed to be a “free and fair” electoral process.

“Money drives people to fight,” Yamasombi said. “Without the source of money, there would be no incentive. There is incentive to fight.”

Rules of war
At the end of elections, the hire men usually end up back in the communities and continue the cycle of violence.

In February, Papua New Guineans on social media watched in horror as the death toll from a tribal clash in Enga province rose from a few dozen to 70 in a space of a few hours as police retrieved bodies from nearby bushes.

The majority of the men killed were members of a tribe who had been ambushed as they staged an attack.

Traditional Engan society is highly structured. The Enga cultural center in the center of Wabag town, the Take Anda, documents the rules of war that dictated the conduct of warriors.

Traditionally, mass killings or killings in general were avoided. The economic cost of reparations were too high, the ongoing conflicts were always hard to manage and were, obviously, detrimental to both parties in the long run.

Engans, who I spoke to on the condition of anonymity, said high powered guns had changed the traditional dynamics.

Chiefs and elders who once commanded power and status were now replaced by younger men with money and the means to buy and own weapons. This has had a direct influence on provincial and national politics as well as traditional governance structures.

Tribal conflicts, not restricted to the Highlands
In 2022, a land dispute between two clans on Kiriwina Island, Milne Bay province, escalated into a full on battle in which 30 people were killed.

The unusual level of violence and the use of guns left many Papua New Guineans confused. Milne Bay province, widely known as a peaceful tourism hub, suffered a massive PR hit with embassies issuing travel warnings to their citizens.

In Pindiu, Morobe province, the widespread use of homemade weapons resulted in the deaths of a local peace officer and women and children in a long running conflict in 2015.

The Morobe Provincial Government sent mediators to Pindiu to facilitate peace negotiations. Provincial and national government are usually hesitant to intervene directly in tribal conflicts by arresting the perpetrators of violence.

This is largely due to the government’s inability to maintain security presence in tribal fighting areas for long periods.

Angoram killings
Two weeks ago, 26 women and children were killed in yet another attack in Angoram, East Sepik.

Five people have been arrested over the killings. But locals who did not wish to be named said the ring leaders of the gang of 30 are still at large.

Angoram is a classic example of a district that is difficult to police.

The villages are spread out over the vast wetlands of the Sepik River. While additional police from Wewak have been deployed, there is no real guarantee that the men and women who witnessed the violence will be protected if they choose to testify in court.

Will new legislations and policy help?
The Enga massacre dominated the February sitting of Parliament. Recent changes were made to gun laws and stricter penalties prescribed. But while legislators have responded, enforcement remains weak.

The killers of the 16 people at Karida remain at large. Many of those responsible for the massacre in Enga have not been arrested even with widely circulated video footage available on social media.

In April, the EU, UN and the PNG government hosted a seminar aimed at formulating a national gun control policy.

The seminar revisited recommendations made by former PNG Defence Force Commander, retired Major-General Jerry Singirok.

One of the recommendations was for the licensing powers of the Police Commissioner as Registrar of Firearms to be taken away and for a mechanism to buy back firearms in the community.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

A kidnapped Australian pilot of a Hevilift helicopter and two Papua New Guinean subcontractors have been released without harm following a rapid deployment of security forces.

Security forces were mobilised and deployed in the Mt Sisa, a remote area near the border of Hela and Southern Highlands, in large numbers this afternoon in response to the hostage-for-ransom attack.

The kidnappers were warned through local leaders that the security forces would use lethal force to free the captives.

• READ MORE: Other PNG kidnapping reports

This latest daring attack for ransom took place a year on from the infamous kidnap and ransom demand at Mt Bosavi.

Tribal warriors from Mt Sisa, just north of Mt Bosavi, took control of a Hevilift helicopter and its expatriate crew at 9am yesterday morning.

The kidnappers demanded a substantial amount of money for the release of the Australian pilot and his crew.

In a statement tonight, Police Commissioner David Manning said the helicopter had been flown to Hides in the Southern Highlands with the pilot and sub-contractors onboard.

Security forces tracking kidnappers
Security forces were now tracking the kidnappers so they would face justice.

“If these criminals resist or show any hostility towards police, other security personnel or any member of the public, their fates will be sealed,” he said.

“Our country has had enough of these domestic terrorists who are undermining the safety and security of our communities, and they have no place walking free.

“These criminals will be caught, or they will be killed in the process.

The pilot and technicians had been taken captive at a remote site in the vicinity of Mt Sisa, Tari.

It was understood the issue motivating the group was over a compensation claim, and demands were being communicated by the group.

Released safely
The pilot with the two workers and the helicopter were released safely after the kidnappers heard that members of the PNG Defence Force and men from Mobile Squad 07,SMG HQ, and Mobile Squad 20 had been deployed in the Mt Sisa area.

“We have learned a lot from previous situations of a similar nature in this area, and landowners, leaders and village auxiliary police from the local area worked together with police command to resolve the situation,” Commissioner Manning said.

“I congratulate security forces personnel who worked together with local leaders and auxillary police to bring this situation to a successful and swift conclusion.

“As information comes to hand on the hunt for the abductors this will be released for public distribution,” the commissioner’s statement added.

Republished from the PNG Post-Courier with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s opposition has called on Prime Minister James Marape to immediately recall Parliament to address the escalating killings in the upper Highlands provinces.

The opposition also wants the debate to include other law and order issues that have spiralled out of control in other parts of the country.

The call was made by Deputy Opposition leader Douglas Tomuriesa following images of victims lined up along the highway in the Enga Province.

• READ MORE: Other PNG crime reports

“I strongly urge the Prime Minister to recall Parliament for us leaders to come together as one and discuss the possibility of passing an Emergency Act as allowed for by the Constitution to address this serious issue,” he said.

“These gruesome images of human beings been murdered, stripped naked and lined up next to the highway by their enemies or criminal elements, especially in the upper Highlands provinces of Enga, Hela and Southern Highlands, is becoming a regular activity and the government and elected leaders must not take this lightly, its human lives we are talking about.

“It’s a national emergency and I call on the Prime Minister to immediately recall Parliament for a bipartisan committee to be formed to address this issue,” Tomuriesa said.

He said parliamentarians were elected to lead and address such serious issues affecting citizens and the country as a whole.

‘Killings too frequent’
“We as elected leaders shouldn’t be taking long breaks — these killings are becoming too frequent and we should be addressing them head on during Parliament sessions.

“We just cannot ignore it as fake social media posts,” he said.

Tomuriesa said he was making this call as a concerned citizen, a Papuan leader and deputy opposition leader.

“The spillover effects of what is happening up in the upper Highlands region will be felt everywhere — in Mamose, New Guinea Islands and the Southern Region. So as mandated leaders we must do something.”

Republished from PNG Post-Courier with permission.

Papua New Guinea police have arrested three men and seized a stockpile of unlicensed firearms, ammunition, explosives and other illegal items in a raid in Western Highlands province last week.

The arrests identified a further seven men who were alleged to be part of a blackmarket network who move the illegal items from Western Highlands into the upper Highlands provinces. They were also arrested.

About 800 rounds of ammunition, firearms, explosives and other illegal items were  confiscated from the trio, including a Winchester shotgun, shotgun belts, sniper scopes, a Glock pistol and a hand grenade.

• READ MORE: Other PNG crime reports

Deputy Commissioner of Police-Operations Dr Philip Mitna confirmed that a security operation had been carried out.

“Illegal firearms and drug trade is an ongoing issue in the highlands,” he said.

Firearms and live ammunition are smuggled into many border provinces linked by the Okuk Highway.

“A security team in Hela had made surveillance on firearms and ammunition. They visited Hagen (travelling in from Tari) and engaged with Hagen police, who organised raids and executed two search warrants on July 30, 2023, and effected several arrests,” Deputy Commissioner Mitna said.

Regular arms supply
According to information received by the Post-Courier newspaper, there is a regular ammunition and firearms supply arriving from illegal dealers in the Highlands eastern end and this is supplied to the western end, which includes Hela, Enga and Southern Highlands.

“With the continued tribal fights in Hela and Enga provinces and other criminal activities involving firearms, the intelligence had confirmed most of the ammunition was being bought from Jiwaka and Mt Hagen dealers,” Deputy Commissioner Mitna said.

“So far, the number of people being detained has increased to 10, and we anticipate more arrests. Among those arrested included a prominent businessman and security firm owner in Mt Hagen.”

According to the findings and assessment by security personnel, the Western Highlands share has built up to 80 percent of illegal ammunition and has been supplying other provinces.

The team tracked persons of interest from Tari to Mt Hagen and sought assistance, leading to several search warrants being executed by police with support from the PNG Defence Force Reconnaissance Unit.

The arrests of the 10 men came as the operations were executed in two-week intervals and continued last month.

The arrest of a local man in Hides started an investigation into the proliferation and movement of firearms and ammunition within the Highlands region.

Allegedly involved in kidnappings
The man who was picked up in Hides was allegedly involved in the recent series of kidnappings and ransom and incidents in Mt Bosavi, Southern Highlands, and parts of Western Province.

The arrest of the man in Hides and nine more in Mt Hagen led to the uncovering of a large stash of unlicensed firearms and varieties of live ammunition, including a hand grenade as well as several other illegal items at a home in Newtown, Mt Hagen.

According to reports, the intelligence gathered led to the arrest of the main suspect  who was apprehended in Mt Hagen. He is alleged to be the main supplier and distributor of unlicensed weapons and ammunition in the tribal fighting zones in the Highlands region as well as other parts of PNG.

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023, the main suspect was formally cautioned and formally charged with 10 counts under the newly Amended Firearms Act 2022 and two counts under the Explosive Act (chapter 308) respectively.

The charges are:

• Two counts of unlawfully in possession of unlicensed Firearms under section 65 (c)(ii) of the Amendment Firearms Act, 2022;
• Eight counts of unlawfully in possession of unlicensed live ammunitions under the section 65A (a) of the Amendment Firearms Act, 2022; and
• Two counts of unlawfully in possession of unlicensed explosive under the section 14(1) of the Explosive Act, Chapter 308.

The other nine men were still being interviewed and were being processed.

Police investigations were continuing.

Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s police commissioner David Manning says a man allegedly involved in the kidnapping of 17 girls earlier this year has been arrested.

Commissioner Manning said the man was wanted in connection with a series of criminal activities within the Mt Bosavi area bordering Hela, Southern Highlands, and Western provinces.

“Among the alleged crimes committed by the individual are the armed robbery of K100,000 [NZ$46,000] in cash, the killing of a Chinese national, and multiple cases of rape at the Kamusi logging camp and surrounding villages in the Delta Fly region since 2019,” the commissioner said.

• READ MORE: ‘We chose death over being raped’ – PNG kidnap survivor speaks out
• Other PNG crime reports

“Recently, the arrested man was also allegedly involved in the kidnapping of 17 girls in the Mt Bosavi area.”

Manning said the police and PNG Defence Force officers, acting on intelligence reports from the community, tracked down the man at the Komon Market in Tari, Hela province.

“He was arrested, and a homemade pistol and 5.56 ammunition confiscated,” he said

The commissioner said the arrest would bring a sense of relief to the affected communities, as the investigation continues.

“At the same time, we are sending a strong message to the criminals and those who aid, abet and benefit from them, that they will be caught and dealt with, sooner or later by whatever force is deemed necessary.”

Breakthrough in election incident
Police have also arrested the main suspect in the shooting of a helicopter hired by police during the 2022 National General Election.

This man is the main suspect in the killings and the burning of Kompiam Station and has been charged with five counts of wilful murder and one count of arson.

Manning said the investigation into the various crimes carried out in Kompiam during the 2022 National General Election continues.

“New evidence has come to light of the involvement of senior provincial and national leaders in Kompiam during the election in 2022,” he said.

“Our investigation continues, but the information we have uncovered thus far is concerning.

“It is a sorry state of affairs when the government is working to end violence and we find that leaders are encouraging these crimes to be committed.”

The police chief said following the recent killings in Wapenamanda, two additional mobile squads had been deployed into the area to assist the Enga Provincial Police Command to restore law and order.

“A fight in the Kandep has already left 22 killed, and other fighting in Laiagam has resulted in the killing of six people and 20 in Wapenamanda.

“We are facing serious law and order situation in the province and engaging security personnel and applying strategies to stop those fights from escalating.

“This includes active involvement of provincial and national leaders from the province to engage and take responsibility.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Seventeen Papua New Guinean schoolgirls who were kidnapped, raped and held hostage by armed men in Bosavi, Hela, last Wednesday were released yesterday.

The National’s source said they were released following a payment of 3300 kina (NZ$1500) and nine pigs as ransom to the gunmen.

“The females were released but they are traumatised. Some of them are just girls. It is the first time for them to be exposed to this kind of violence,” said the source.

• READ MORE: Armed gunmen kidnap 17 girls from remote PNG village – freed for ransom
• Two countries, two kidnappings – Port Moresby shows Jakarta how it’s done with 3 PNG hostages freed
• Marape clarifies kidnappers were paid K100,000 for freeing PNG hostages
• Other PNG kidnapping reports

“Meanwhile, the teachers of Walagu Primary School are still on the run, with the school closed since then.

“A female teacher who was seven months pregnant was airlifted by police to Komo in a chopper yesterday.”

Another government worker said: “Last week 40 armed men from Komo to Bosavi had accused the villagers for reporting them to police in the last kidnap incident [in February].

“They went to Komo passing through Walagu village near Mt Sisa.

‘Kidnapped at gunpoint’
“At Walagu, they kidnapped the females at gunpoint saying the villagers had assisted security forces and reported them to have involved in the kidnap of the New Zealand research scientist a few months back.

“They were held hostage at Mt Sisa for three days until their release yesterday.

“We are appealing to the Hela government to stop the smuggling of guns in the province.

“We also appeal to the authorities to arrest the 40 men from Bosavi, as they have raped our children who are between the ages of 13 to 15 and yet they demand a ransom.

“People in authority should meet with all its 24 council wards in Komo-Hulia electorate and arrest youths who have homemade guns in their possessions.”

Police sources also confirmed that the group seemed to be the same one that was involved in the earlier kidnap and ransom in February when the captives included an Australian-based New Zealand academic.

Lack of action ‘serious error’
The lack of follow up action by police and the military was a “serious error of judgement and appears to have emboldened them to continue with this kind of activities an easy money making venture”,  a police source said.

Meanwhile, condemnation of the action and calls for serious government action came from the Member for Koroba-Lake Kopiage, William Bando; the Vanimo Green MP and Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Belden Namah; and the Lutheran Church Head, Dr Jack Urame.

Namah said last night that he was alarmed that the police hierarchy and the ministry had gone silent on a serious issue involving the lives of children.

Majeleen Yanei is a reporter with The National newspaper in Port Moresby. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr says the Royal PNG Constabulary is “stretched” with only 5000 men and women serving the country of more than 9 million people.

“Now more than ever we need leadership, we are stretched as a force, we all know that — we only have 5000 men,” he said.

“We are making recruitments happen.

• READ MORE:  Two countries, two kidnappings – Port Moresby shows Jakarta how it’s done with 3 PNG hostages freed
• Photo of naked girl with captors causes furore in Papua New Guinea
• Other PNG crime reports

“Issues in Hela — we are making every effort to manage this.

“That is happening in Hela, and it’s across the country. I am asking for help. This issue did not happen overnight, this is a culmination of the neglect our force has faced in the last 10 to 15 years.

“I am having sleepless nights, ensuring we work with the operational side of police. We are looking at stronger laws to deter citizens of such criminal acts.”

The minister — who is in charge of both the police and correctional services — was speaking during Parliament when he was asked by Mul-Baiyer MP Jacob Maki and a supplementary question from Abau MP Sir Puka Temu.

They questioned the minister on law and order issues over the latest crimes committed — in particular the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl in Hela and the kidnapping of researchers in Southern Highlands.

Suspects on social media
Sir Puka said the rise in the use of social media had enabled many to see pictures of the suspects posted on media platforms.

“We have seen the faces of criminals being posted and what is police doing about it?” Sir Puka asked.

“Citizens are using the platform of social media to put out those criminal behaviours.”

The minister said police were working on the issue.

“In terms of the prosecution of those exposed, we have a cybercrime office and team, working on prosecution, there are processes in place,” he said.

“Police have taken action and it is a process that will take place.”

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has sent his condolences to the family of the policeman killed in Hela province.

He called on the suspects to surrender and for witnesses to assist police with their investigation into the killing of Senior Constable Nelson Kalimda.

“I call upon all persons with information to come out. Arrests must be made to the criminals and the full story behind the officer going missing and [being] killed be established,” Marape said.

• READ MORE: Missing PNG cop found dead, police chief vows ‘swift justice’
• Other PNG police and violence reports

“My sympathies to the wife, children, relatives and rest of the members of the Royal PNG Constabulary.

“We will assist police to bring the criminals to justice. Going forward we will amend laws to bring higher penalties to those who offend [against] police personnel.”

Marape condemned the actions of the criminals.

“If police personnel are not respected, this is not good and police personnel must be given full respect and appreciation by the community.

Drove out by himself
For Hela’s case where the officer drove out by himself without letting his colleagues know and to be found dead a few days later, this demanded a full investigation from police, Marape said.

“I appreciate the Hela provincial government led by Governor Undialu who assisted police with the investigation and location of vehicle and now the body .”

Hela Governor Philip Undialu and Koroba-Kopiago MP William Bando also expressed their sympathies to the family of the dead policeman.

Undialu said:“Hela people and the Hela provincial government are also in grief and share our deepest condolences for this gruesome killing.

“We condemn this animalistic behaviour in the strongest terms possible and appeal to police to come hard on those responsible.

“We have assisted so far and are committed to support the repatriation of the body back to the family and fulfill customary obligation.

‘State of shock’
“We are also committed to ensure that those responsible are captured and face the law.

“The Police Commissioner [David Manning] in his press statement acknowledged our support so far and I assure the family and police force that we are with you in this time of sorrow, grief and state of shock.

“The police located the vehicle but communities identified the culprits and retrieved the body. Hela people will hold a haus krai in Tari and will hand over the body to the family.”

Bando strongly condemned the act and called for an investigation to be carried out to establish the cause and reason for the murder.

He said it was sad losing a life but not all Hela was “at war”, nor were they all responsible for the killing.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Fresh fighting among candidates’ supporters has left another two dead in Hela’s Margarima in Papua New Guinea’s general election.

This takes the death toll to nine in the province since fighting broke out on July 4 – and nationwide election-related deaths have topped 45.

Cars and trucks were set ablaze and houses razed in Lower Wage on Sunday.

• READ MORE: Pangu Pati draws first blood in PNG election with 5 seats declared so far
• Other PNG election reports

Papua New Guinea Defence Force liaison officer Major Joshua Dorpar said fighting erupted again following the counting of election ballots for Margarima.

According to military sources in Margarima, the situation was still tense.

“Since the last fight two weeks ago, when the death toll was at seven, two more people have been killed, raising the death toll to nine. A couple of people are in hospital.

“Homes have been burnt down, vehicles destroyed, and we are working on restoring peace again, by talking to the of two groups that are fighting,” the sources said.

Lack of forces
Police commander Robin Bore said the fight started during polling on July 4 between incumbent Komo-Margarima MP Mannaseh Makiba’s (Pangu Pati) supporters and Independent Dr Benson Wakinda’s supporters at the Yambraka polling centre.

Bore said he did not have enough security forces to deal with the situation.

“We don’t have enough police manpower on the ground, especially armed/response units to attend to other law and order issues in the province, including the fighting in Margarima,” he said.

“We have one platoon of soldiers and Mobile Squad 12 but they will be concentrating on the counting and providing security for ballot boxes.

“Moreover, 40 regular members of Hela are on the roll over team led by Tari police station commander to provide polling security in nearby Highlands provinces.

“So, after completion of elections in Hela, we will look into those areas that require police help,” he added.

While election-related deaths reached 45 — as compiled by the media — many others went unreported or were unaccounted for.

Rebecca Kuku is a National reporter. Republished with permission.

• The National’s election InfoGraphics.

The ruling Pangu Pati has drawn first blood in the Papua New Guinea national general elections with its leader and deputy leader retaining their seats on first count alone.

Of the five seats declared as of yesterday, Pangu has a head start with four MPs, James Marape (Tari-Pori); John Rosso (Lae), Philip Undialu (Hela Regional), Manasseh Makiba (Magarima) and the lone People’s National Congress (PNC) winner to date Elias Kapavore (Pomio).

While it is early days in an election marred by violence and alleged fraud, Pangu’s early gain, is a tiny foothold in a process that is expected to be completed by the return of writs on July 29.

• READ MORE: Other PNG general election reports

At the time of going to press, three more declarations were expected last night or early today.

Marape remains caretaker Prime Minister with his deputy John Rosso also as caretaker deputy PM.

Marape picked up 40,913 votes to retain his seat by a landslide in the first count.

This was 12,000 more votes than the number he picked up in 2017.

Undialu wins big
Undialu picked up a staggering 118,131 votes to come home, which was 79,910 votes more than the number he scored in 2017 elections.

Meanwhile, in Lae, Morobe Province, incumbent John Rosso scored a convicing 26,818 of the primary votes to emerge winner from the total allowable ballots of 57,144.

“Lae Open seat deserves a transparent leader and its needs good precise leadership,” Rosso said soon after his declaration by the returning officer.

“For my people of Lae to give me the mandate on absolute majority of 26,818 on first count is humbling.

“I am going to perform to the best of my ability as the Lae MP and a national leader.”

In Hela Province, Manasseh Makiba picked up 10,481 votes to run out winner, beating the mark he set in 2017 national election by 2500 more votes, while Pomio MP Elias Kapavore was declared winner by Returning Officer John Liskia at Palmalmal.

Pomio had a total allowable 23,355 ballots and Kapavore was re-elected with an absolute majority vote of 11,949 votes from the primary count.

Three other electorates
Meanwhile, three other electorates expected to be declared last night or early today were the New Ireland Regional, Namatanai and Kavieng Open seats.

People’s Progress Party leader Sir Julius Chan had taken a comfortable lead with 25,101 votes.

Treasurer and Pangu Party candidate Ian Ling-Stuckey was leading with 6898 votes and National Alliance candidate and Civil Aviation Minister Walter Schnaubelt was expected to retain his Kavieng Open seat.

Counting in the rest of the provinces are continuing and the Post-Courier online news is bringing the latest updates for readers across the country.

Counting for National Capital District, Jiwaka, Western Highlands and Chimbu has not started.

Western Highlands, Jiwaka went to the polls on Friday while Chimbu polled yesterday.

Peter Korugl is a PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.

Caretaker prime minister James Marape has retained his Tari-Pori seat as the first politician to be declared for Papua New Guinea’s 11th National Parliament with a landslide victory after the first count ended in Hela province.

Quality checks confirmed Marape scoring an absolute majority of 40,913 votes from the five local level governments in Tari-Pori.

Runner-up Justin Aluja Haiara polled 7226 votes and Benson Angore was third with 6477 votes.

• READ MORE: Other PNG election reports

Marape was declared member re-elect at 4.49pm Sunday in Tari by Tari-Pori Returning Officer Willie Kara.

Shedding a tear, Marape’s voice broke as he thanked the people of Tari-Pori for returning him for a fourth term in the Eleventh parliament.

“Thank you to my people of Tari-Pori, I want to thank my family for standing by me, especially my wife Rachael and my children,” he said.

Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai, when asked why counting was allowed in Tari-Pori ahead of other Highlands centres, said: “It was allowed as gazetted.”

Gazetted and approved
He said the decision to have Hela Province go to the polls and declare first was gazetted and approved.

But he did not answer questions on why the province started counting first while the other provinces were yet to poll, especially in the Highlands region.

Sinai gave a rundown of the schedule to date of what is happening around the country starting with the declaration of Hela and polling for Southern Highlands.

“In most parts of the country, polling was held according to the polling schedule,” he said.

“However, as has been the case in previous elections, and as is provided for by law, slight variations were necessary to enable polling teams to address local issues and ensure that polling takes place under the best conditions possible.”

Counting began for Hela Regional seat and Tari-Pori Open electorate on Friday and by Sunday afternoon, Marape was declared.

Declaring “I love Tari-Pori”, he wasted no time in promising his people that for the next five years, he wants unity and peace for Hela and he wants education to become the key focus of the district and province.

‘Lay down your arms’
Marape said he wanted more Hela people to become businessmen and women.

“Lay down your arms, work together for unity and peace, bring your children to school and become business oriented people to be financially independent,” he said.

“I will try my best not to let you down in the next five years.

“I want to work with whoever wins the Hela Regional person seat to deliver Hela into a new age of change.”

The counting for Tari-Pori was completed with quality checks done in Tari before noon.

Election manager John Tipa said once quality checks were completed, a formal announcement would be done.

He said the absolute majority for Tari-Pori was 30,635 plus one with Marape receiving 40,913 votes.

Meanwhile, Hela provincial police commander Superintendent Robin Bore said three Papua New Guinea Defence Force platoons with police mobile squad and local police officers were manning the counting venues in Tari-Pori.

Miriam Zarriga and Gorethy Kenneth are PNG Post-Courier reporters. Republished with permission.

Six suspects, including a woman, have been charged in connection with more than K1 million in cash seized at Komo airport in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province last weekend.

The six were charged on Monday with two counts each of money laundering and being in possession of state properties and were released on K2000 police bail each from the Tari police station on Monday evening, police said.

Hela provincial police commander Senior Inspector Robin Bore told the PNG Post-Courier yesterday that five men in their late 20s and 30s, from Papiali village outside Tari, were allegedly involved in the movement of K1.3 million (NZ$590,000 ) in cash and four single PNG Defence Force uniforms from Port Moresby to Tari on a chartered plane.

• READ MORE: PNG leader Marape confirms son arrested over money in suitcase
• PNG security detain man with K1.56m in suitcase as elections begin
• ‘Nothing to do with me’: PNG leader distances himself from suitcase of cash
• Other PNG elections reports

“A woman on the same flight was also charged with being in possession of a firearm,” Senior Inspector Bore said.

“The suspects were supposed to appear before court on Monday but because of the [PNG general election] polling scheduled for Monday, the courthouse was closed. They will appear for mention once the courthouse is open.”

He said all the cash and other seized properties were now locked away at the police station as exhibits for further investigation, as the police were still investigating.

On July 2, police in Hela, acting on intelligence reports, seized the cash and other property from the suspects when the plane touched down at Komo from Port Moresby.

‘No evidence’ for poll allegations
Police Commissioner David Manning told the Post-Courier in Hela that he was aware of allegations [related to the election] about how the money was to be used, but police had not found any evidence to support the allegations.

Police Commissioner Manning said the cash was still in police custody.

“It is a very serious allegation that we are putting to the five suspects we have in our custody and the onus is on us to ascertain those facts that will lead to further action to be taken,” he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister James Marape had denied any links with the cash, even though his eldest son Mospal was one of those arrested on that day.

“People are saying the money was meant to assist me, I can confirm that it is not my money, I do not need that money and I did not charter that flight,” he said.

“It is a company charter and for safety reasons they run checks at the airport, because my son was in the vicinity, police rounded up all of them.

“My son was part of a security detail that was providing security to reporters who had travelled to Komo and the Hides gas site.”

Marjorie Finkeo and Miriam Zarriga are PNG Post-Courier reporters. Republished with permission.

Angry voters in East Sepik and Hela have destroyed ballot boxes and set fire to ballot papers after finding that their names were not on the common roll in Papua New Guinea’s general election.

No reports were received of people or election officials being hurt in the violence.

Polling started on Monday and will run through to Friday in all 22 provinces.

• READ MORE: Six charged with money laundering over K1.3 million in suitcase as PNG votes
• PNG leader Marape confirms son arrested over money in suitcase
• PNG security detain man with K1.56m in suitcase as elections begin
• ‘Nothing to do with me’: PNG leader distances himself from suitcase of cash
• Other PNG elections reports

Despite an assurance by the Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai that more than five million eligible voters would cast the ballots, many voters have been turned away because their names are not on the common roll, while in other locations there are not enough ballot papers for the number of eligible voters.

In Hela, nine ballot boxes were destroyed in various polling stations by angry voters while in Morobe, 300 ballot papers went up in flames by disappointed eligible voters who could not cast their votes because they were not registered on the common roll.

When responding to rumours of hijacking of ballot boxes, Hela provincial police commander Senior Inspector Robin Bore confirmed that ballot boxes were burnt and destroyed by voters on Monday morning.

He said the boxes destroyed were in Komo (4), North Koroba (2), South Koroba (1), Hulia (1) and Tari Pori local level government (1) while polling continued in the other parts of the province.

Polling boycotted
In Morobe, frustrated voters from Wampar urban local level government in Huon Gulf district boycotted polling on Monday and ordered the burning of about 300 ballot papers in the presence of police and Electoral Commission officials.

Huon Gulf returning officer Daniel Wasinak said eligible voters were frustrated that they were not registered on the common roll and they could not cast their votes.

He said about 700 ballot papers were designated for the ward, with two polling places identified.

First polling place is the Igam market just outside the PNG Defence Force Igam Barracks gate while another polling place was inside the army barracks for soldiers and their families.

In Wewak, East Sepik, polling at ward 12 Wewak Urban was suspended, again when names of eligible voters. This time PNG Defence Force soldiers from Moem Barracks could not find their names on the electoral roll.

Polling in Moem Barracks started at 11am with officers opening up the boxes but polling was halted for over two hours and cancelled at 2pm when soldiers argued that if their names were not on the roll, no one would vote, including their wives and children who were registered on the roll.

Polling was suspended indefinitely.

Voters devastated
At another polling station, also in Wewak, hundreds of voters who turned up at the polling booths yesterday were left devastated that they could not vote because they were not registered on the electoral roll.

Many of these voters were not first-time voters as they had voted in previous elections.

Long time families and residents of Makun and Malasi, including the Sauns, Koskys, Bangus and Silings are among those who have not found their names on the electoral roll.

In Aitape-Lumi, West Sepik Province, polling will commence when fuel and candidate lists are made available to the election officials on the ground.

Aitape-Lumi returning officer John Awas said polling has been deferred to whenever polling materials and fuel were made available.

He further confirmed that polling teams were yet to be deployed to their respective polling areas in the district.

Polling deferred
“Aitape-Lumi has deferred polling because payment for fuel to the local suppliers were not received and the suppliers would not give us fuel on credit either to enable us to move around and insert polling teams to their assigned location,” Awas said.

Meanwhile, candidates for several seats in Hela have warned that counting would not be allowed until they sorted out the disputed ballot boxes on record.

Candidate Francis Potape said there were two deaths from fighting at polling stations and six ballot boxes were allegedly hijacked at Takali.

He said yesterday that helicopters were still picking up people who were still polling in places only accessible by air.

Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has confirmed reports his eldest son is one of two men arrested in relation to a suitcase found with US$440,000 at a domestic airport in the Highlands province of Hela last weekend.

The arrests occurred after police became suspicious of the suitcase amid heightened security in preparation for the general election which began on Monday.

One of the men arrested is Mospal Marape.

• READ MORE: PNG security detain man with K1.56m in suitcase as elections begin
• ‘Nothing to do with me’: PNG leader distances himself from suitcase of cash
• Other PNG elections reports

James Marape told media as he cast his first vote on Monday that his son had no association with the luggage.

“The person who was transporting the money is the director of a construction company in Hela Province. Knowing there are checks at the airport, he brought the money, for him he felt the money was legal,” Marape said.

“He was transporting money for his company. He was being picked up and police felt the money was suspicious on the eve of an election.”

Marape dismissed rumours the money was linked to his campaign.

“I don’t need the fund for the elections. Police have kept the fund.

‘Voting here without fund’
“I’m voting here without the help of the fund. Some think that it’s a link and influenced by me, far from it.

“That fund is not needed. We’re running elections on Friday.

In an interview from Tari with the Post-Courier’s Miriam Zarriga, Marape said that rumours going around were “false” and that he “does not need the money”.

“People are saying the money was meant to assist me. I can confirm that it is not my money, I do not need that money and I did not charter that flight,” Marape said.

“It is a company charter and for safety reasons they run checks at the airport, because my son was in the vicinity, police rounded up all of them.

“My son was part of a security detail that was providing security to reporters who had travelled to Komo and the Hides Gas site.

‘Two nights in the cell’
“Just like any citizen, if police feel you are a suspect, they will lock you up and the process will follow.

“Just because he is my son, I have never gone to the police and demanded his release, just like everyone else he stayed two nights in the cell, initiated bail and now the due process is being followed.

“It is not illegal money but money for the company [which] uses the money to pay their workers. Most people don’t prefer banks because of fees.

They would rather receive cash.

“I have gone to polling without the use of that money as I have no use for it.”

Police confirmed that the main suspect in the incident had been allegedly released without any charges laid.

However, the money was still being held by police as an exhibit.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has confirmed reports his eldest son is one of two men arrested in relation to a suitcase found with $US440,000 at a domestic airport in the highlands province of Hela last week.https://t.co/wtJvjP4gjE

— RNZ Pacific (@RNZPacific) July 5, 2022

Papua New Guinean security forces have intercepted and stopped seven trucks carrying seven containers containing sensitive election material in the Southern Highlands after it was found that the containers had been allegedly tampered with.

“Manager Alwyn Jimmy called police in SHP to stop the trucks,” Southern Highlands commander Chief Inspector Daniel Yangen said.

“Seven trucks were stopped and taken to Mendi police station where the seven drivers were interviewed.

• READ MORE: Other PNG election reports

“The EC officer from POM was found in Mt Hagen and was taken to the Mt Hagen police station where I arrived at 11pm on Saturday night and took him back to Mendi at 10am on Sunday.”

Papua New Guinea goes to the polls next month between July 2 and July 22.

Upon initial interviews it was found that the man allegedly admitted to tampering with the containers by removing serial numbers and EC stickers on the containers, Chief Inspector Yangen said.

“The officer is expected to be arrested and charged.”

Stopped the trucks
Jimmy said in an interview: “The trucks were sent to Hela, Southern Highlands and Enga province.”

The container containing materials for Southern Highlands was sent to Hela, I asked the security personnel who went after the trucks, stopped the trucks and told the trucks to return to Mendi, he added.

He said that the containers were removed and were now in custody of the police.

In Wabag, another container is now being kept by police after it was found that the container was supposed to go to Mendi.

Enga Police commander Acting Superintendent George Kakas said: “When we were informed of the incident in Southern Highlands, I ordered that the containers not be opened.

“We will await the arrival of the SHP Election team to come to Wabag and check the containers.”

Investigations by the Post-Courier have pointed out that no election materials have been shipped. All materials have been flown into the provinces in one day.

Sensitive election materials
All sensitive election materials are not supposed to go on transport that is more than a day:

• Ballot papers and indelible ink are not supposed to be shipped as they are sensitive materials;
• Ballot papers are supposed to be airlifted to all destinations and provided security; and
• Police are supposed to accompany sensitive materials like ballot papers and ink anywhere.

Pictures obtained by the Post-Courier show that containers have been kept by security forces at Mendi and Wabag police station.

The Post-Courier understands that the officer who allegedly tempered with the containers has been questioned by police and allegedly admitted to the diversion of the trucks.

Police continue their investigations.

Republished with permission.

An illegal army in full military gear and arms is being raised in Hela — one of Papua New Guinea’s most troublesome provinces as the country faces a general election next month.

Reports from Hela indicate the illegal force will allegedly take charge of polling which is expected to start on July 4.

PNG security forces in Hela — made up of army, police and correctional services — are on high alert after uncovering military fatigues brought in on a chartered plane, and are monitoring the situation.

• READ MORE: Other PNG election reports

The PNG Defence Force issue uniforms were airlifted on a chartered flight to Hela from Port Moresby.

The uniforms, packed in boxes, were impounded by soldiers on election duty in Hela.

“I am calling on the police, the leaders and the PNGDF hierarchy to come out and tell us why these people who are close to the leaders of the day are in army uniforms, all of them,” said Hela regional candidate Francis Potape, referring to a picture of several men in army fatigues.

“This picture was taken on the morning of June 18 and in the afternoon the chartered flight was confiscated with army uniforms among others.”

PNGDF-issued uniforms
Potape said the uniforms confiscated were not Lot 60 bought uniforms, but were PNGDF-issued uniforms.

“We know the PNGDF soldiers at Angore intercepted the charter and confiscated the uniforms, we also know the officer in charge in Para was interviewed and could not tell the truth.

“PNGDF, how can we allow police or PNGDF-issued uniforms to be in the hands of criminals?

“These uniforms are clothes worn by those who sign and swore an oath to protect every citizen of this country, of the nation and our leaders. Ordinary citizens cannot wear those uniforms.

“What is happening?” Potape asked.

The Peoples United Assembly (PUA) — a group formed by the late Anderson Agiru, called on police to carry out a thorough investigation into several charters paid in cash, one of which was caught with the army uniforms on June 18.

“Paul Mulapigo put out a statement saying he chartered that plane, Paul Mulapigo did not charter the flight– that is not what we know. Police and the leaders of Hela must come out and tell the truth as we know three charters for security gear, election run and kits were in Hela,” PUA president Raymond Kuai said.

“If the PNG Electoral Commission doesn’t know about this, who does?”

Flight charter, but ‘no uniforms’
The Post-Courier reported on June 20 that a Paul Malapi confirmed chartering the flight but he had never moved any police or army uniforms.

“I am a supporter of Pangu Pati and I never moved any police uniforms of PNGDF uniforms into Komo on any flights I have chartered,” Malapi said.

Assistant Police Commissioner Samson Kua said at the time that police had confiscated one blue field uniform, three police number one long pants with boots as well as one set of PNGDF camouflage uniform, one shirt and one pair of shorts.

Police and PNGDF sources in Hela confirmed the incident and that investigations were continuing.

Potape, who is contesting under the People’s National Congress party ticket, claimed that fake ballot boxes and papers had been also smuggled into the province and all the candidates were looking out for this.

“I heard someone had already brought in extra ballot boxes and papers to the province,” he said.

“As I speak the papers and boxes are already in Hela — such practice was done in the 2017 elections.”

Ready for lawful election
Raymond Kuai, a lawyer, said: “That picture was taken Saturday morning and in the afternoon the chartered plane cargo was impounded.

“Hela is ready to go to the polls to elect their leaders in a lawful manner, why are we engaged in such activities? That is why I am calling for police to step in and investigate or we will have a failed or no election in Hela.”

The development in Hela comes as the PNGEC released dates for polling which commence on July 4, with Hela joining Mamose, Islands and Southern regions’ followed by the other Highlands provinces a few days later.

This scenario is likely to add to destabilising the already fragile region.

Hela has been a trouble spot with a proliferation of high-powered firearms in the past two decades, which have been used in tribal fights and in confrontations with security forces.

Republished with permission by the PNG Post-Courier.

The Post-Courier newspaper today compared Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape to the infamous emperor Nero who fiddled while Rome burned over his controversial Indonesian visit this week while facing an election in June.

“And [he] was clearly despised by his people,” the paper said in a scathing editorial headlined “Tari burns while Marape fiddles”.

“The frivolities of life abounded in his rule and perhaps, in his greatest haste, when his Rome roared into flames, the adage, ‘Nero fiddles while Rome burns’ has stuck to this day to depict his indifference to the suffering of his people.”

• READ MORE: K5m for PM Marape’s one-day state visit to Jakarta
• Police ambushed in Tari – one reservist dead, barracks burned

Often used in a critical way, the paper said, the phrase had been applied colloquially to a leader who was “simply irresponsible in the face of responsibility”.

The Post-Courier said there were many examples of this in Papua New Guinea, “none more morbid and clarified as the disappearing act of our Prime Minister James Marape yesterday”.

The newspaper was criticising Marape for taking an entourage of 71 musicians on a sightseeing tour of Jakarta across the border while his “restive electorate of Tari, significant to Papua New Guinea for its oil and gas fields, sparked and is still burning today”.

Pai police barracks torched, 1 dead
One police reservist was reported dead and three houses were torched in an attack by gunmen on the Pai Police Barracks in Tari.

“How irresponsible is that? How can a Prime Minister ignore his own scorching electorate and simply fiddle his way on an overseas trip in the face of a tough upcoming national election?” the Post-Courier asked.

“His political opponents must be fiddling in glee at the very thought of political suicide.

“But the notion of our PM ignoring a serious matter such as Tuesday’s killings and injuring of policemen in his home town of Tari by angry armed locals, and the torching of a police barracks and a settlement, is tantamount to sacrilege of the code of leadership.

“Electing instead to go on a trip is akin to the ancient testament of Nero.

“Simply foolish pride and deserting one’s responsibilities in a time of grave danger is unforgivable.”

The problem with PNG leaders was that only a handful knew and practised their responsibilities with “faithful commitment”.

Marape criticises Post-Courier
Marape retorted with a statement carried by the Sunday Bulletin Facebook page denying that he had “run away from electoral duties”. He criticised the paper for stooping “low” and comparing the “once respected” Post-Courier unflatteringly with past versions.

COMMENTARY: By Scott Waide in Lae

Just into the fourth month of 2019, and resource projects in Papua New Guinea have come under scrutiny.

Early last month, senior ministers of government, including Petroleum Minister Fabian Pok, traveled to Komo in Hela for meetings with landowners of the gas project.

After 15 years, there is some progress. Or at least that’s the positive spin to it.

READ MORE: O’Neill loses in high stakes battle for control of US$1.4b PNGSDP

There appears to be some indication that royalties locked away due to legal battles and tangled by bureaucratic red tape were going to be paid – but only after landowner identification processes.

Finance Minister James Marape told the media three months ago, that K300 million (NZ$132 million) is parked at the Central Bank ready to be released. But landowners or people claiming to be landowners had to follow a process of “landowner identification” in order to be paid the money.

There is some hope of an end to disputes. However, the final settlement is still a long way off. That’s the reality. Many of the elders died waiting for the royalty payments they were promised.

Since becoming a new province, there is still a lot that needs to be ironed out. The Hela provincial government still has to work its way through layers of bureaucratic processes that continue to favour the Southern Highlands in terms of royalty payments from the gas project.

It’s all that and a lot more.

Background to complexities
Understanding the background to the complexities of the resource project in Hela means going back some 20 years when oil extraction ended and the promise of Papua New Guinea becoming the Saudi Arabia and Dubai of the Pacific faded as the crude oil taps shut off.

It is against that backdrop that the neighbouring Enga province is now looking at the Porgera mine’s renegotiation through a wardens’ hearing. This is a process that is reopened after the end of a mining lease.

Landowners and the Enga provincial government are looking at a bigger slice of revenues and benefits.

What did they get over the last 30 years? That’s a point of contention for pro-mining and anti-mining proponents.

What is visible to the international community is the campaigns against alleged atrocities committed against local people in Porgera and the desperate push by locals to get what little crumbs they can from a mine that has existed for 30 years on their land.

For the first time in more than three decades, it appears the national government is speaking a different language: One that calls for greater benefits into government coffers and landowner pockets.

This rhetoric has come after 30 years of gold extraction, 500 shipments of liquefied natural gas and billions of dollars worth of round log exports.

Production-based tax
In Lae, during the opening of the Central Bank’s Currency Processing Facility, Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel talked about a production-based tax. Instead of a profit-based tax for resource projects which will be signed from 2019 onwards.

The general thinking from the national government is that a profits based tax can be deceptive leaving the government with very little to collect if a mining company declares losses or breaks even.

While Porgera discusses mine benefits, a similar process is happening in Madang. Triggered by an agreement between the Chinese and the PNG Governments, Ramu Nickel’s expansion is in discussions ongoing between the government and the developer.

The processes are long and drawn out. The risk is that without proper representation, landowners could be left with another raw deal for several more decades before another opportunity for renegotiation presents itself.

Scott Waide’s blog columns are frequently published by Asia Pacific Report with permission. He is also EMTV deputy news editor based in Lae.

• More Scott Waide articles
• Papua New Guinea resource extraction development
• Mining minister explains process

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Komo International Airfield landowners in Hela have given the Papua New Guinea government a last warning, EMTV News reports.

Spokesperson John Pipija said the government must stop making excuses and compensate the 16 clans who had been left out from benefits.

Chairman Pipija said that for eight years no development forum was held, three memorandum of understanding (MOA) agreements had been signed but the landowners had not been recognised.

LoopPNG’s Freddy Mou reported last month that landowners had closed the Komo airfield in Hela on June 19 after the government had failed to respond to their petition. He wrote:

The landowners gave their petition on May 10, 2018, calling on the government and the developer, ExxonMobil, to review the UBSA agreement and make Komo Airfield Facility a standalone project.

Talking to this newsroom from the Komo airfield [today], chairman of the Komo landowners, Michael Tiki, is urging the government to respond to their petition or the closure of the airfield will be definite.

“We have given the government ample time but they haven’t responded to our petition,” he reiterated.

Standalone project
“Our position still stands and that is we want Komo airfield to be a standalone project.”

Chairman of Undupi Telia clan, Paranda Uripako, has also shared similar sentiments, calling on the government to at least listen to the landowners.

“We want the government to respond to our petition quickly and don’t want to be deceived again.”

Asia Pacific Report has permission from EMTV News through the Pacific Media Centre to republish this news item.

This week turned out to be one of those only too frequent turbulent periods in Papua New Guinea when you never know what’s going to happen and, for long periods, who might be in charge.

And the week ended with the deployment of half of the PNG Defence Force’s ground troops to the region as the government has clearly decided to crush for once and for all a well armed, if disorganised, blend of angry landowner, disaffected tribal and criminal elements.

First angry supporters of losing candidates in last year’s contentious national elections set alight an Air Niugini aircraft and burned down court buildings and the governor’s residence in the Southern Highlands capital of Mendi.

READ MORE: ‘Those of you who condemned the actions of the people of Southern Highlands in Mendi should have been more scared about the judiciary being compromised’

The entire nation watched attentively as for some days Prime Minister Peter O’Neill seemed to be reluctant to visit his troubled home area and use his authority to placate people whose aggression had reached boilover point.

Fortunately, in this incident there were no deaths recorded and just a few injuries.

O’Neill eventually flew to Mendi, touching fingers with some of his people through the mesh of a safety fence before flying out to Beijing where the action was more benign but could ultimately turn out to be just as precarious for a stable South Pacific.

Then more violence erupted in neighbouring Hela province where landowners protesting about the non-payment of gas royalties by the PNG government set fire to equipment and blockading and airstrip and roads leading to the major resource project operated by ExxonMobil.

Pipeline project damaged
ExxonMobil said heavy equipment had been damaged at its Angore gas pipeline construction project and the impact of the equipment damage on the project’s schedule of work was being assessed.

As the noted commentator Martyn Namorong put it: “While PNG’s prime minister is wined and dined in Beijing, landowners destroy ExxonMobil’s PNG LNG assets in Hela Province. Shows how out of touch the ruling class are.”

By now the PNG government had declared a state of emergency and begun to deploy the first of 440 Papua New Guinea Defence Force troops to the distressed region.

This is a huge number of troops for a PNG operation and is reminiscent of the then government’s response to the Bougainville crisis of the 1990s when PNG soldiers were overcome by guerrilla and irregular forces of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and forced into a humiliating and costly retreat.

Their commander, Brigadier-General Gilbert Toropo, was confident his soldiers would restore the rule of law.

“We will only use minimum force to contain the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel tried to reassure landowners saying the government was working to release royalties from the LNG project but court disputes were holding up the release of funds.

Too many excuses
But landowners have heard too many excuses in the past and this one was unlikely to provide much comfort.

By yesterday, Mendi police commander Chief Inspector Gideon Kauke was able to say the town was operating normally with a 6am-6pm curfew in place.

“Police are working around the clock to collect the names of criminals who were involved in burning down of Link PNG DHC-8 plane and the buildings,” Kauke said.

In Tari, tribal hostilities were also reported to have quietened down. Tari had been the focal point for deadly tribal fighting with about 20 people reported killed since March in and around the town.

But the police commander there, Thomas Levongo, said there was no guarantee fighting would not break out again.

“You know Tari, expect the unexpected. So now at the moment it’s quiet but I don’t know, anything could happen any time.”

Chris Overland comments:
The 440 PNGDF members deployed to Mendi represent a full battalion of troops or about 50 percent of all PNGDF land forces.

This is, on the face of it, an extraordinary response by the government. Presumably, there is little confidence that the RPNGC (police) can handle the situation, possibly because it is out gunned in this case.

Moving such a large number of troops into the area is fraught with risk. While their rules of engagement aim to minimise the risk of conflict, it will only take one idiot on either side to open fire to ignite a conflagration.

Let us hope that the leadership on each side is wise enough and strong enough to prevent this.

Keith Jackson is the editor and publisher of the independent Noosa-based PNG Attitude website.

• More PNG stories

Video footage of Southern Highlands landowners protesting over the suspension of the provincial government by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s government. Video: Tonny Maben/Cafe Pacific

In a show of frustration over the nonpayment of a business development grant, Angore landowners in Hela province have set fire to the massive Hides development LNG machinery on PDL 8 site as unrest continues in Papua New Guinea’s rugged Highlands region.

The destruction includes an excavator and a drilling machine while sections of a highway leading to PDL 8 have been dug up, reports the PNG Post-Courier.

In other developments:

• Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Members of Parliament, including ministers, will travel to Mendi today to reinforce the work of the state of emergency team.
• Local community leaders involved in the failed election petition which triggered the unrest travelled to Mendi yesterday.
• Police have 15 names to kickstart their investigations into last week’s Mendi rioting, says
  Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Operations David Manning.
• O’Neill condemned calls for his resignation, saying the country needed strong leadership.

READ MORE: ‘Pushing for civil war’ – fears riots could turn into widespread conflict in PNG

According to the Post-Courier’s Kevin Teme, local sources revealed that the Angore landowners – particularly from the PDL 8 site – are angry over their outstanding business development grant (BDG) which is kept in the trust and is not being released.

While the government has recently released K35 million as project security fees to Hides landowners of PDL 1 and PDL 4, the Angore landowners are frustrated over how Exxon Mobil and the state has dealt with this issue.

‘Rubbish’ claims
Spokesman Max Ekeya said various claims on social media about asking the Prime Minister to step down and others were rubbish as this was not the true information that caused the riot and burning down of the machinery at the PDL 8 site.

“The Angore landowners are showing their frustration because they have not got their BDG while other landowners from Hides PDL 1 and 4 just got K35 million as project security fees in which K20 million went to PDL 1 and K15million to PDL 4,” Ekeya said.

“The landowners are not asking the Prime Minister to step down, but are asking the government to release their business development grants,” Ekeya said.

In a telephone interview with Tom Homake, a civil engineer with Hides Gas Development Company, he confirmed that all machines, including an excavator at the PDL 8 site, were burnt early yesterday.

“Information on setting alight the Eneria pipeline is not true and that’s just hear say. But I cannot confirm that,” Homake said when asked if the pipelines had also been set on fire.

“Other Hides areas, including the PDL 1 and PDL 4 up to PDL 7 area, are okay as I speak. We are on site doing a road projects from Takali to Komo and I can confirm that on ground,” Homake said.

Homake said this could change.

He said the Angore PDL 8 landowners were now asking the national government and Exxon Mobile to come and make their payment.

Plea for intervention
Meanwhile, spokesman Ekeya has called on the government to quickly intervene as he believes opportunists might take the law into their own hands and this may cause another destruction altogether.

Prime Minister O’Neill and MP planned to leave for Mendi today.

The Prime Minister expressed disappointment that the Southern Highlands provincial police commander had made statements outside his responsibility.

He urged police to carry out their duty in maintaining the rule of law and investigating offences without interference from politics.

“I am surprised that the PPC appears out of touch as reports are that he was not present in Mendi when the burning of state assets took place,” the Prime Minister said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Operations David Manning told the Post-Courier that at least 15 suspects in the rioting had already been identified to police and would be the subject of further investigation.

Manning said all suspects would be investigated indiscriminately and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“In the course of our investigation, we will be looking at all angles, because we need to ensure that anyone who had even the remotest involvement in the incident is investigated,” he said.

• More Mendi riot stories

An ongoing security crisis in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province is preventing many earthquake-affected communities receiving relief.

February’s magnitude 7.5 quake caused widespread devastation and about 150 deaths in Hela, Southern Highlands and Western provinces.

Hela was the worst-affected but its long-running problem of tribal violence, which has surged since last year’s election period, has now caused international humanitarian agencies to pull out of the province.

Hela’s provincial capital Tari is the focal point of some of the worst tribal fighting, exacerbated by mass displacement of Hela communities caused by the quake.

With more than a dozen tribal killings reported in and around Tari since February, Hela police have recently received reinforcements from other provinces but have often been outnumbered and outgunned by the fighting tribes.

Not even the presence of extra Defence Force personnel in Hela has been able to “We leaders are trying to resolve the problem. But some of the men… it’s too hard for the leaders to control their men.”bring the tribal fighting under control.

The sergeant in charge of Tari police station, Thomas Levongo, said five people were killed in the area last week, scuppering an attempt at peace talks.

‘It’s too hard’
“We leaders are trying to resolve the problem,” he explained. “But some of the men… it’s too hard for the leaders to control their men.”

The head of PNG’s Emergency Disaster Restoration Team said the overall response to the disaster had been successful, in that disease outbreaks and starvation had been prevented so far.

But according to Bill Hamblin, there were areas that Papua New Guinea can improve on in responses to future disasters. Meanwhile, he said there were parts of Hela that his team cannot reach, due to civil unrest.

“Although the UN tried to go into Komo the other day; we’ve had the United Church people who went in there attacked; we’ve had the UN turned back by the security forces because of the helicopters being stoned,” he said.

“So that security situation has to be addressed before you can bring in relief. No organisation’s going to send in people who look like they’re going to get killed.”

UNICEF in Papua New Guinea said humanitarian operations had been suspended in an area where more than 40,000 earthquake affected people were in need.

The agency has called for more global attention, from the UN in New York and Geneva, on the plight of the quake-affected people of Hela.

Too unsafe
Monjur Hossain, the Acting Country Director for PNG, said UNICEF had delivered aid supplies to Tari the capital of Hela after the quakes but could no longer access the province as it was considered too unsafe.

He said the situation was extremely complex, there was very little communication with province due to ongoing unrest, leaving the health and welfare of the people seriously threatened.

“The situation is really grave in terms of the deprivation in terms of the services and the lives of the people,” Hossain said.

“So we’ve been actually working at the regional and global level to raise this issue. We have recently had a global press conference organised in Geneva to raise the issue that we need to talk about Papua New Guinea.”

Despite the suspension of humanitarian services in the area, UNICEF said it had been able to launch a measles and tetanus vaccination campaign in other quake-affected districts of neighbouring Southern Highlands (Mendi-Munihu and Nipa Kutube).

Water and sanitation are among the most pressing needs in Hela and Southern Highlands. UNICEF’s latest situational report on the quake response said it had reached 10,000 people with water purification tablets and was also providing ‘psychosocial’ support.

The UN agency also said 55,000 people were estimated to be displaced and 65 percent of health facilities in Hela and Southern Highlands were severely damaged.

Aftershocks, landslides
The PNG government estimates more than half a million people in total were affected by the quake, its aftershocks and landslides; and 270,000 people – nearly half of whom are children – need urgent assistance.

Many schools are closed, having sustained extensive damages in the quake, although education in the region had already been badly disrupted since last year when the election-related violence spiralled out of control in pockets of both of the Highlands provinces.

Unicef said its funding requirement for the response was US$13 million, but it had a  shortfall of nearly 80 percent.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Disaster Restoration Team is clamping down on misuse of helicopter charters for medevacs.

The team is taking over the management of helicopters in relief operations from the Department of Defence.

Dr Hamblin said unnecessary charter of helicopters, at around US$7000 an hour, had been fast draining emergency funding.

He said opportunists using the choppers to reach health services for medical needs unrelated to the quake needed to be kept in check.

Tasking the helicopters
“We’ve got to control the tasking of those helicopters, so that’s now coming in to my office,” he explained.

“That’s been happening, when a helicopter sees you and someone says ‘oh we’ve got to get our three people out to Dodomona, away we go’, and I’m saying ‘well no way, you don’t go’. We’ve got to look at the priority and see what should be done.”

As the unrest and opportunism complicate the disaster response, the Tari MP James Marape appealed for calm among people in his electorate.

Having this week seen a court petition against his 2017 election win dismissed in PNG’s capital Port Moresby, Marape said he would now turn his efforts to forging peace in Hela and focussing on helping with relief efforts in the province.

He claimed he had been prevented from doing this in the past month due to the court petition, which was based on allegations that the MP had bribed voters during 2017’s troubled and violent election.

This article has been republished as part of the content sharing agreement between Radio New Zealand and the AUT Pacific Media Centre.

• More Papua New Guinea stories

Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has dismissed as “fake news” a report that claims a partially-Australian funded liquefied natural gas project is failing to deliver a promised economic boom to his people.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, in Brisbane for the Australian-PNG business forum, hit out at a damning report by social justice non-government organisation Jubilee Australia which questioned whether projected economic benefits were flowing from the ExxonMobil-led project.

“It’s quite disappointing to note that some of our experts who align themselves with political opponents are continuing to talk down our economy and continuing to release fake news,” O’Neill said in his address to the forum.

READ MORE: Failed predictions and the PNG resource curse

The project supplies eight million tonnes of gas a year to Japan, South Korea and China, with the flow starting in 2014.

Australia’s export credit agency Efic made its largest-ever loan of $500 million to ExxonMobil, OilSearch, Santos and the PNG government in 2009.

Questions are now being asked why the project was backed by the Australian government.

“The people of PNG would have been better off had the project not happened at all,” report co-author Paul Flanagan, a former Australian Treasury official, said.

Report defended
Flanagan also defended the report: “I feel at this stage very, very confident in the numbers we had in that report. The report indicated that welfare in PNG has decreased because of the PNG LNG project.”

But O’Neill characterised the report as “utter nonsense” in his keynote address.

“It’s quite disappointing to note that some experts, who align themselves with political groupings, continue to talk down the (PNG) economy and continue to release fake news,” O’Neill said.

“It’s quite unrealistic to suggest the LNG project is not contributing to the economy of the country.”

ExxonMobil has defended the project saying it had contributed $5.69 billion to local businesses and the government through employment tax and royalties.

“Good governance, accountability and revenue transparency are critical to ensuring that the value unlocked from gas resources in PNG results in economic growth, increased opportunities and a better standard of living for Papua New Guineans,” a spokeswoman said.

A failure to identify landowners who would get hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties has triggered violence in PNG’S Highlands, raising fears of a resources civil war like the 1990s Bougainville crisis.

Australian backing questioned
Australian Australia’s backing of the project before the landowners’ issue was resolved is now being questioned. The report’s co-author, Paul Flanagan, says stakeholders need to be careful.

“It would seem sensible to ensure that local laws are followed before those funds are released,” he said.

Australia’s overseas-finance agency Efic backed the project with a $500 million loan. Australia’s Assistant Trade Minister, Mark Coulston, says there will be an investigation, but he says he cannot comment further at this stage.

“Obviously, there will be an investigation into the mechanism of how that works,” he said.

Coulton focused on the “game changer” upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit in Port Moresby.

“It is an opportunity to showcase the business potential of PNG to the world – a stable, reliable democracy and an attractive commercial environment,” Coulton said.

“It is incumbent on us, during tough times, to keep making the case about the growth and competitiveness that comes from opening markets to trade and investment.”

Free trade stand
He praised PNG’s decision to reconsider joining up to the Pacific Pacer Plus free trade agreement.

Australian companies have $18 billion invested in PNG and more than 4600 Australian businesses are exporting goods into PNG.

A Exxon natural gas project site in Papua New Guinea.

Santos says liquefied natural gas production in PNG will return to full capacity next month.

Stefan Armbruster is Pacific correspondent of SBS News. Additional reporting by AAP, Amanda Copp. This article is republished with permission.

“On almost every measure of economic welfare, the PNG economy would have been better off without the PNG LNG project.”

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Papua New Guinea’s massive PNG LNG project is one of “broken promises” that has largely failed the country, according to a major study released yesterday by social justice non-government organisation Jubilee Australia.

Entitled Double or Nothing: The Broken Economic Promises of PNG LNG, this report, co-authored by Paul Flanagan and Dr Luke Fletcher, compares the projected economic benefits of the PNG LNG project with actual outcomes.

The new study uses PNG government data to examine the predictions of the 2008 project report commissioned by ExxonMobil and promoted by Oil Search.

This examination finds that the positive predictions for the PNG economy were largely incorrect.

Key findings:

• Despite predictions of a doubling in the size of the economy, the outcome was a gain of only 10 percent and all of this focused on the largely foreign-owned resource sector itself;
• Despite predictions of an 84 percent increase in household incomes, the outcome was a fall of 6 percent;
• ●Despite predictions of a 42 percent increase in employment, the outcome was a fall of 27 percent;
• ●Despite predictions of an 85 percent increase in government expenditure to support better education, health, law and order, and infrastructure, the outcome was a fall of 32 percent; and
• ●Despite predictions of a 58 percent increase in imports, the outcome was a fall of 73 percent.

30-year span
PNG LNG is an Exxon-led project which supplies about 8 million tonnes of LNG a year to Japan, South Korea and China.

It is projected to run for 30 years. In 2009, Australia’s Export Credit Agency, Efic lent A$500 million to Exxon, OilSearch, Santos and the government of PNG.

Efic’s decision was based on advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) provided to the then-Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, on advice from DFAT. This is the largest loan ever made by Efic.

Paul Flanagan writes in PNG Economics:

Specifically, growth in the resource sector has matched the confident predictions even with the fall in oil prices in 2014.

However, all other parts of the PNG economy have not done as well as predicted.

This is a major “broken promises” gap. This is the basis for the title of the latest report – the PNG LNG project promised to double GDP, but the outcome of 10 percent is close to nothing (especially when the size of PNG’s GDP is facing a major downgrade in the latest NSO 2015 update).

Revenues to the budget are only one-third of expected levels, and after allowing for project costs, will continue having a net negative impact on the budget (so below nothing) until around 2024.

Economy gone backwards
Of even greater concern, the examination finds that the PNG economy, apart from the resource sector, has actually gone backwards relative to its underlying growth path.

The most likely explanation for this sad outcome is PNG has slipped again into poor policies associated with the resource curse. The temptations of the rosy PNG LNG promises were too strong for politicians despite warnings from PNG Treasury, BPNG and outside academics.

During the O’Neill/Dion government, PNG descended into very damaging economic policies of a bloated budget and PNG’s largest deficits ever, fixing the exchange rate at an over-valued level, making foolish investments in areas such as Oil Search and harming the independence of PNG’s economic institutions.

With the focus being so strongly on getting the PNG LNG project operational, there was a lack of policy emphasis on other parts of the economy.

This is the “resource curse” gap.

Third time
PNG needs to learn the lessons from this experience. This is the third time that PNG has suffered from the resource curse:

• the first was with Bougainville Copper and the experience of the late 1980s;
• the second was the Kutubu/Porgera expectations that crashed so badly in the mid-90s;
• and the PNG LNG period is the third resource crisis.

The benefits of PNG’s resource wealth could in theory be tapped without damaging the rest of the economy.

But it would require very different choices by PNG’s politicians. PNG probably lacks the strong governance and institutions required to deal with the powerful resource sector lobby.

Even in Australia, the power of vested interests around the resource sector is blocking sensible options for sharing resource benefits more equitably and efficiently.

• Full Jubilee Australia report

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Australian medical doctors will be at earthquake-affected areas soon to give medical aid and complement the local medical efforts to people who need medical help, the Post-Courier reports.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill made the announcement yesterday, saying that paperwork was underway currently to fly them in.

Health Minister Sir Puka Temu said the government had asked Canberra for its doctors who were well organised in emergency situations.

“As soon as a clearance from the Medical Board is finalised, these doctors will be brought into the country,” he added.

Parliament is expected to sit this month to pass emergency legislation that allows for the establishment of a restoration authority for the earthquake affected areas, reports EMTV News.

The restoration authority will also govern the spending of funds allocated for the immediate and long-term rebuilding of the Hela, Southern Highlands and Western provinces.

The government may also consider a short-term budget strategy to deal with revenue shortfalls caused by the quake.

According to a United Nations report published on Reliefweb, 544,000 people have been affected in the PNG earthquake and 270,000 are still in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.

There is an urgent need for medicine, shelter, food and water. People are terrified, sleeping in the open.

Also, 26,000 people have been displaced in Western Province.

• More PNG earthquake stories

Papua New Guinea’s Highlands earthquake disaster has brought to light some of the many things that need to be considered in assisting those affected by disaster and restoring vital infrastructures and communication links between relief agencies and the people.

The response to the 7.5 magnitude earthquake on February 26 took almost a week for the National Disaster Centre to find out statistics of people who were affected, casualties, homes and food gardens destroyed and how to deliver relief supplies to those affected.

While a small team of medical officers in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces have been hard at work trying to reach and assist the affected communities, more deaths and injuries were reported from areas unreachable by road and telecommunications.

READ MORE: PNG quake – an invisible disaster which could change life forever

These are some of the impediments to getting accurate statistic:

• Most communities do not have schools, clinics and ward offices that will keep the records of people in their wards or communities.
• No road links to almost all the areas affected. The rugged terrain also makes it difficult for roads to be constructed and maintained.
• No telecommunication reception, or television and radio signals by which the people can be advised and educated on the disasters and how to avoid destruction.

At Timu village in Komo-Magarima, Hela province, 11 people were were killed by landslips caused by the earthquake.

Four out of the 11 bodies were recovered while the other seven bodies are still buried under the debris.

Timu village is just a few tens of kilometres away from the provincial capital Tari but it is way back in terms of basic services available for the people.

No benefits from gas pipeline
The people knew that there is a gas pipeline running through their neighbouring villages from Hides to the Papuan coastline but they have not seen the benefits from the gas and petroleum extraction in the province.

Teams of researchers and volunteers from relief agencies were tasked to collect data, informations and statistics of people who have been affected, but they can only be flown by helicopter into the affected areas.

There are no medivac helicopters to transport relief supplies and doctors into the affected communities.

The PNG Defence Force, Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and Adventist Aviation Services were kind enough to do trips into these remote communities.

The cost of hiring a helicopter in PNG is quite expensive. Helicopter companies are charging around K5000 (about NZ2200) an hour. With most communities being isolated in the remote areas, it is costly and ineffective to attend to more than five villages in a day.

The Australian Defence Force Hercules aircraft transporting relief supplies from Port Moresby, Lae and Mt Hagen has been landing at Moro airport, then smaller aircraft bring the supplies back to Tari and offload onto helicopters to distribute.

Disaster response in PNG has been very slow and hasn’t improved from previous experiences.

Volcano displaced islanders
In February 2018, I was in Wewak when a volcanic island began releasing smoke after being dormant for more than two centuries. The Kadovar Island volcano has displaced more than 600 islanders who are now seeking refuge at a temporary care centre supported by aid agencies.

Again the experiences from the Manam volcano in Madang hasn’t helped the authorities to sort out a permanent resettlement area for the displaced islanders. Slow response from the National Disaster Centre has caused greater loss for the people in the last three years.

They’ve lost their culture and they have lost their way of life on Manam island while living at the care centre at Bogia.

The National Disaster team should be the first people on ground after the disaster strikes.

They must be the first to make contact with the affected people, not turning up a week later only to find out that people died while waiting to receive treatment.

I hope the present disaster will provide an insight into issues that need to be addressed by the Papua New Guinea government to ensure the National Disaster Centre is adequately and constantly funded to serve its purpose.

Sylvester Gawi is a National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) journalist who blogs independently at Graun Blong Mi – My Land.

• More PNG earthquake stories

Thousands of people have been displaced and are still waiting for relief assistance in disaster affected areas in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces a week after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake destroyed their homes and food gardens in Papua New Guinea.

Aftershocks below 5 magnitude have been experienced in the last 7 days with locals on high alert and awaiting relief supplies and assistance in evacuations to safer grounds.

Hela Provincial Hospital in Tari confirmed a total of 38 deaths and 8 unconfirmed deaths yesterday afternoon. A medical team was deployed into Limu and Homapawa villages in the Benere ward area where a a total of 21 deaths were confirmed.

Homapawa village confirmed 10 deaths and Timu 11. Of the 11 in Timu, 4 have been retrieved and given proper burial while another 7 (a family of six and another teenage girl) are still buried under the debris along with their house.

Efforts by locals to retrieve their bodies are slowly progressing at this stage.

Timu villagers who have lost all their houses and food gardens are now taking refuge at their local EBC Church building in the village.

Another 12 confirmed deaths have been reported at the Mt Bosavi area in the Komo-Magarima district of Hela. Nearby Mananda village also reported 5 confirmed deaths and houses and food gardens destroyed by the disaster.

More deaths reported
Health officials are yet to verify uncomfirmed reports of some more deaths in Magarima and Pandoka.

So far Hela province has reported a total of 38 confirmed deaths while Southern Highlands has reported 37 deaths so far. This now brings the death toll to 75 as at yesterday afternoon.

Affected communities are facing severe food, clothing and fresh water shortages as relief efforts are slowly progressing at this stage. Most of these villages in Hela are situated along the pipelines areas of the oil and gas plants in Southern Highlands and Hela provinces.

Humanitarian relief agencies are also doing their best to get into affected communities which most communities are inaccessible by road or the road links cut off by the disaster.

Oil Search Limited has committed K6 million in cash and kind towards the disaster while EXXON Mobil has committed K3 million towards relief assistance.

Oil Search has already began distributing relief supplies to parts of Southern Highlands while relief supplies were also delivered by the Australian Defence Force Hercules aircraft to Moro in Hela.

The National Disaster Centre in a statement released yesterday said it was still waiting for accurate data to reach it so that it could act.

However, people from the affected communities have pleaded for the government to fast track relief assistance and also address resettlement issues as they were still in fear following aftershocks over the past week.

Journalist Sylvester Gari blogs at Graun Blong Mi-My Land where this article was first published.

• More PNG earthquake stories

Local community leaders have taken charge of care centres in the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea as they await food, clothing and other relief supplies to be delivered.

Acting Southern Highlands Provincial Administrator Thomas Eluh said six care centres had been set up around SHP by locals.

The death toll yesterday stood at 37 while there have been 25 unconfirmed deaths reported. Sixteen deaths have been reported in Hela.

Road links into most of the affected villages have been blocked by debris from landslips piling up. Some sections of the roads were badly damaged by the movement from the earthquake.

Police from the Mobile Squad based in Mendi have been grounded in the last 24hours after their fuel supply tanks were also damaged by the earthquake.

Most shops and fuel stations have been reportedly closed following damages from Monday’s earthquake and the aftershocks that are constant in the province.

The Agiru Centre which houses the provincial administration has also reported damages to its offices and equipment and has been condemned by authorities. The provincial administrator and the disaster team are now operating out of the provincial police command in Mendi.

Nursing school destroyed
The Mendi School of Nursing was one of the institutions I have visited that has most of its buildings destroyed by the earthquake.

There is now a greater need for funding to be made available through the National Disaster Office so that logistical support can be provided to distribute relief supplies.

In Hela, a total of 16 deaths have been confirmed by the Hela Provincial Hospital in Tari. More causalties are expected to be reported in the coming days as volunteers are dispatched to gather reports.

Tari-Pori MP and Finance Minister James Marape said about 40 percent of Papua New Guinea’s revenue would be affected if the Hides operations was shut down.

Minister Marape said the government is confident that this would not really affect the budgetary allocation for 2018.

Hela’s political leaders also joined Minister Marape and Governor Philip Undialu to show solidarity and support towards addressing the plight of their people affected.

The provincial disaster response team in Hela is also working together to address the situation.

Funding allocations
The National Government has committed K450 million towards the disaster. The disaster committee has made allocations for the initial K100:

• K40 million will be spent to fix the road infrastructures damaged by the earthquake so that affected areas are accessible for relief supplies to be delivered.
• K10 million to assist schools and education institutions buildings damaged by the disaster and another K10 million for health services.
• K23 million has been set aside for transport, logistical support and other areas to provide relief assistance.

The remaining K350 million will also be spent on the same purposes once assessment reports of the extent of the damages are confirmed and brought to the disaster team’s attention.

In a statement released yesterday, Oil Search has committed K6 million in donations in cash and kind in disaster relief efforts to both Hela and SHP.

The Australian government has begun to fly its supplies to Moro on its Australian Defence Force Hercules plane loaded with relief supplies.

New Zealand’s donations will arrive today.

Sylvester Gawi is a Papua New Guinea journalist who blogs at Graun Blong Mi- My Land where this article was first published. It has been republished by Asia Pacific Report with permission.

• Other PNG earthquake reports

By Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby

The Papua New Guinea government has declared an immediate state-of-emergency for the earthquake-devastated provinces of Hela, Southern Highlands, Western and Enga provinces.

Cabinet met yesterday and also set aside K450 million for relief and service restoration operations.

Prime Minister O’Neill also announced yesterday that cabinet had approved the establishment of a restoration authority that would manage long-term reconstruction efforts during a four-year period to fully restore normalcy.

O’Neill said that an emergency session of Parliament would be called soon to approve the legislation setting up the restoration authority.

He said K100 million would be released immediately and the remaining K300 million spread over a long term arrangement.

A committee assisted by the Works Department under an emergency disaster restoration team, led by Dr William Hamlin, as the emergency controller would be announced today.

Dr Hamlin and team would manage and co-ordinate all restoration activities working with provincial authorities.

Unprecedented disaster
O’Neill said that this was an unprecedented disaster in the Highlands region with an appropriate response underway by the National Government.

He said while all these decisions were being made, relief efforts were already underway, and further assessments provided to focus operations to areas in need.

“A state-of-emergency has been declared to expedite the restoration of essential public services including healthcare services, schools, road access, airports, power and communications facilities,” O’Neill said.

“An emergency session of Parliament will be convened for the presentation of legislation that will establish the restoration authority, with the date of the session to be announced by the Speaker of Parliament.

“Members of the PNG Defence Force and disaster officers were dispatched to the affected areas immediately following the earthquake, and are working with provincial authorities, particularly with the governors of Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.

“Essential government departments are already delivering relief, and we are further working with partners in the international community to utilise specialist relief capabilities to reach our people and communities affected by the earthquake.”

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist.

• More PNG earthquake stories

As hundreds of police and soldiers begin their work in Papua New Guinea’s Hela Province this week, there have been comparisons made with the civil war in Bougainville in the 1990s.

The defence forces are in Hela as part of a government security call-out with concerns warring clans are using high-powered guns, while landowners are also disgruntled as they have not received royalty payments from the PNG LNG project.

While there was no once single cause for the Bougainville war, the Panguna mine played a central role; with the mine’s operations and sharing of its revenue a major sticking point between Bougainville and the PNG government.

Jerry Singirok was commander of the PNG Defence Force during the Bougainville crisis, which lasted for a decade and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

He said it was not fair to compare Hela with what happened in Bougainville and said the situation in Hela should be easy for security forces to contain.

PNG Mine Watch reports that in December 2012, the anti-poverty advocacy group Jubilee Australia published a report warning that the Hela development would lead to increased violence in Papua New Guinea, PIPE DREAMS: The PNG LNG Project and the Future Hopes of a Nation.

The report examined in detail the potential costs and benefits of the Exxon-Mobil LNG project and concluded “it is very likely the project will exacerbate poverty, increase corruption and lead to more violence in the country.”

In one part of the report, the authors, Luke Fletcher and Adele Webb, canvased the serious possibility the LNG project would likely fuel clan violence or, even more seriously, conflict between local people in the Hela Province and security forces representing the Government in defending the project.

“With these scenario’s now being played out on the ground and army and police units being deployed to Hela Province it is poignant to revisit the report and two pages in particular,” PNG Mine Watch reports.

The deployment of military troops to Hela province is reminiscent of tragic events that unfolded about 28 years ago that sparked off a crisis and left more then 20,000 Papua New Guineans dead.

When Bougainvilleans decried the unfair treatment of landowners, pollution and lack of the government’s care for fairness and future, the government reacted by sending Mobile Force troops. Their brutal effort at reprisal triggered off one of the bloodiest moments in Papua New Guinea’s short history as an independent nation.