![]() The Member for Manus is calling on Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister, Rimbink Pato, to push for the return of two expatriates to face questioning and possible prosecution in relation to the murder of an asylum seeker, two years ago. Ronny Knight, says evidence in court says the two guards, an Australian and a New Zealander from contractor G4S Security, were the last seen kicking Iranian Reza Berati prior to his death, following a riot at the asylum center in February 2014. The pair had been suspects but fled the country, while police were investigating the murder. Mr. Knight says, justice has been served on convicts Joshua Kaluvia and Louie Efi, and the two expatriates must also return to face the law. Ronny Knight says, the Government's ignorance in pushing to bring back the two expatriates, will show that there are two sets of laws, one for Papua New Guineans and another for foreigners. NBC
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![]() A slip rule application to re-open a Supreme Court case which had allowed the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Director, Matthew Damaru to carry out his duties, will continue next month. Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is attempting to re-open the case, alleging that the Supreme Court might have made a mistake when it made its decision early this month. A Slip Rule Application is the only way to re-open a Supreme Court case, if a person or persons, believe there was a mistake in a decision of the court. The case relates to the recently-dismissed Supreme Court appeal by Finance Minister James Marape on Taxation matters of the Paul Paraka legal bill payout. The Prime Minister and Justice Minister had supported Marape's appeal, which was however, dismissed early this month. A date was set today for the matter to be heard. Lawyer representing the Prime Minister, Tiffany Twivey, however made an application for adjournment based on timing factors and the circumstances in the past two weeks. She was granted the adjournment. A three-men bench made orders that parties return to court on the 5th of May for the application to be heard. NBC/ PNGfacts ![]() Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has ruled that the Regional Asylum Processing and Detention Center on Manus Island, is against the Constitution of Papua New Guinea, and must be shut down immediately. Five judges of the Supreme Court made the ruling this afternoon. The center was established in 2012, following an agreement between the Australian and PNG Governments. The facility currently house close to 1000 asylum seekers. Former Opposition Leader, Belden Namah, challenged the establishment of the Detention Center, asking the court to rule that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by PNG and Australia is un-Constitutional and should be scrapped. The Supreme Court ruled that the center is un-Constitutional, ordering that its operations be stopped right away. Meantime, Constitutional Lawyer, Loani Henao has described the set up of the asylum seeker Processing centre as "disgraceful." Mr. Henao says the agreement to establish the center was not for the benefit of Papua New Guinea and its people but for Australia. He says PNG's Constitution must be respected at all times and not amended to benefit others. "The Constitution of this country belongs to this country. "It does not belong to the government of Australia or any foreign countries. "The government of this country must always respect the Constitution of this country. "It is the people's document. "It is the people's law, that the government of this country, whether it is the government of today or government of tomorrow or the government of future years," Mr. Heano said. NBC/ PNG Today ![]() The Governor for Morobe has joined a band wagon of leaders, calling on Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to act responsibly. Kelly Naru was commenting on recent events involving investigations into the prime minister, the sidelining of the Detective Chief Superintendent, Matthew Damaru and the shutting down of the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate. Mr. Naru says, the current crises shows how people are manipulating the country's laws to their own advantage. Kelly Naru also warned that the situation can lead people to disregard the rule of law, and worst still, lead to social unrest. NBC/ PNG Today ![]() The Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says detainees at its offshore detention facility on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea will not be brought back to Australia. PNG's highest court ruled on Tuesday the detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island is illegal. A five judge bench of the Supreme Court ordered the PNG and Australian governments to immediately take steps to end the detention of 850 asylum seekers in the centre. But Mr Dutton said it was not Australia's responsibility and his government had contingency planning in place for all sorts of eventualities. Hundreds of asylum seekers are held on Manus under Australia's offshore processing regime. Then-leader of the opposition Belden Namah brought the challenge to the agreement between PNG and Australia, which saw the detention centre reopened in 2012. Mr Namah argued a constitutional amendment allowing asylum seekers to be transferred to PNG was invalid. A long-time human rights activist, Julian Burnside QC, said the decision meant the people detained on Manus must be released. "And if they're released, the question is whether they're released into the PNG community or whether they are returned to Australia where they first arrived, where they were sent from and where they have a claim for asylum. "Personally I would think they should be sent to Australia. I think on any view they're our responsibility and we ought to look after them." Held against their will It remains to be seen whether the PNG government will appeal the decision. "But in a country where there is a constitutional guarantee of liberty, it would be a little bit surprising if any court said that people who have committed no offence, who have been taken there against their will by virtue of an agreement between Australia and PNG, can nevertheless be held captive in a detention centre." said Julian Burnside. This month, PNG Immigration said 481 people on Manus had been found to be refugees and were eligible for settlement in PNG. Another 465 asylum seekers were still having their claims assessed. The authorities said 68 people had left the centre to prepare for life in PNG, and seven of them had already started life elsewhere in the country Canberra rules out Australia for asylum seekers The Australian government says detainees on Manus Island will not be brought to Australia despite the court ruling. In a statement the Australian government says it was not a party to the legal proceedings and the decision does not alter Australia's border protection policies. Canberra says those found to be refugees are able to resettle in PNG and those found not to be refugees should return to their country of origin. This is despite PNG still lacking a clear resettlement programme for the asylum seekers, and warnings from local MPs about potential unrest over refugees being integrated into PNG grassroots communities. However, Canberra says it will not allow a return to the chaos of the years of the Rudd-Gillard Labor Governments when regional processing was initiated to deal with the overwhelming illegal arrivals of more than 50,000 people. Human cost Australia's government has however been urged to use this opportunity to change tack in its approach to asylum seekers. Two people held on Manus had died, Julian Burnside explained, as a result of their detention on Manus. One of them was murdered during a riot at one of the Manus compounds by at least one employee of the Australian contractor running the centre. The other man died as a result of a medical condition which was not treated properly but left to fester. Meanwhile, the Australian Greens called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to do the right thing by the Manus detainees. "The game is up. The government has got to shut the Manus Island detention camp and bring these people here," the Greens' immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said. "Malcolm Turnbull has to act. He needs to allow the people there to be brought to Australia so that they can have their claims assessed and, if they are in need of protection, be integrated into the community." Source: RNZI PAPUA New Guinea does not recognise the appointment of the new director-general of the Melanesian Spearhead Group secretariat, Ambassador Amena Yauvoli, according to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
He has written Solomon Islands PM Manasse Sogavare, the current MSG chairman, to inform him that PNG did not recognise the appointment. O’Neill said PNG strong view that the established protocols were not observed when recent media announcements were made of the appointment of Yauvoli from Fiji. “While we recognise the credentials of Ambassador Yauvoli, such important decisions concerning the organisation requires a meeting of the leaders to consider short-listed candidates presented through the established process - in this case, the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs,” O’Neill said. “After a collective decision, the leaders then announce the appointment of the successful candidate.” He said while PNG respected the prerogative of the chairman, “we are urging the chair to allow the leaders to discuss the matter at the forthcoming Special MSG Leaders Summit in Vanuatu”. “The process of consensus through the MSG Leaders’ Summit by all members must be completed before such appointments can be announced,” he said. Vanuatu too has voiced its opposition to the appointment of Yauvoli. The special MSG leaders’ summit will be convened in Vanuatu next month. ![]() A JUDGE has instructed a lawyer representing Police Commissioner Gari Baki to appear in court to explain why Baki had ordered an inquiry into the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate. Justice Colin Makail told lawyer Nicholas Tame to appear in court on Wednesday to explain why the inquiry was established. Makail told Tame that the terms of reference in the commissioner’s inquiry related to matters already before the court. Makail said the last thing he wanted was for different authorities to resolve the same issues. Baki ordered the inquiry into the affairs of the directorate after he had considered a Supreme Court decision in 2014 relating to the powers, functions, duties and responsibilities of the police commissioner to establish the inquiry. Assistant Commissioner for Police (Operations) David Manning will conduct the inquiry, which includes the Special Police Investigations Team. The Internal Investigations Unit of the Internal Affairs Directorate will help in the inquiry. The inquiry will ascertain:
![]() Former PNG Prime Minister and the chairman of PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd, Sir Mekere Morauta, has brushed aside claims made by the Prime Minister Peter O'Neill about the PNGSDP funds. Mr Mekere said PNGSDP does not have any consultants, does not pay any consultants exorbitant fees and does not pay for consultants to fly first-class around the world. “Mr O’Neill should stop demeaning the Office of the Prime Minister by using it to spread falsehoods about PNGSDP,” Sir Mekere said. “Having a Prime Minister who cannot distinguish between fact and fiction also reflects badly on the nation. “I suggest that the Prime Minister confine himself in the future to the truth, and verify his facts, especially concerning PNGSDP. “I reiterate that PNGSDP does not employ consultants, so the company cannot be paying them exorbitant fees or flying them around the world on first-class tickets. “It is the Prime Minister who employs an army of consultants at huge public expense to defend allegations made against himself personally. He should pay that money back,” Sir Mekere said. Sir Mekere said the Prime Minister had also made false claims about PNGSDP’s Long term Fund. The money in the Long Term Fund is invested overseas, by law, he said. It cannot be accessed until after mine closure, by law. ![]() An advocacy group in Papua New Guinea says a proposed leasing system could leave customary owners landless.Act Now's programme manager Effrey Dademo said the government was planning to convert illegal Special Agricultural Business Leases into registered land which it could sublease. A 2012 Commission of Inquiry found the majority of the leases, mainly used for logging, were obtained illegally. But Ms Dademo said the government's plan would deny customary landowners their constitutional right to decide what happens. "The land is under customary tenure. This is what people depend on. You're converting land, you're registering it which means there are questionable leaseholders having access to these lands and then you are registering it in their name, it becomes a perfect title for them and these landowners are not going to get their land back. That's our concern." More than five million hectares of land is estimated to have been affected. Source: RNZ ![]() The video footage showing a suspects being brutally beaten up by police has n gone viral on the social media and many citizens are now many calling on police to investigate this attack. PNG Police Media Unit Inspectoer David Terry the media that "this is just like any other case where it is vital that the suspect must make it his/her business to come forward to the police station and lay a complaint" . Inspector Terry said that investigations into similar incidents in the past have not been very effective because the public are not aware of the proper processes that are involved. He said if the complaints are put through and investigations confirm that officers were guilty of committing such actions then they will be dealt with accordingly. Meanwhile, when asked to comment on an incident last Friday when a Journalist from one of the daily papers was threatened and called in for questioning, Senior Inspector, Terry described it as a clash of Ethics and Law However he said the media plays a very important role in reaching out to the people and giving them information that they need to know but when the media starts to assist affections of others than it becomes a problem. He said the force is all about ethics and the media has to go through the chain of command to get proper information but if the actions of the officers are not in line with their ethics then it has to be addressed. |
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