Page 11 - IB September 2018 Edition

Political Brief - PNG

Police intercept booby-trapped cocaine boat

A booby-trapped boat linked to $50 million worth of cocaine
that had gone missing in Papua New Guinea could pose
a major environmental hazard and had likely been fitted
with armour for use by insurgents or as a defence against
rival criminals.
The Australian newspaper has obtained the first pictures
of the modified, unregistered vessel being intercepted by
armed Papua New Guinean sailors during the hunt for the
stash of cocaine, which had been unearthed on a remote
Pacific island earlier this year.
Villagers on tiny Budibudi Island, about 400km east off
PNG’s mainland, found the drugs buried in 11 duffel bags to another vessel or on another island before they were
on the beach in May. Soon after they discovered the sub- intercepted.
stance, the mystery boat arrived at the island and the crew, Pictures of the boat show it to have been significantly
a group of tattooed Asian men, confronted the villagers and modified, with the sides of the deck built up with steel or
took back the drugs. wood in what PNG police believe is a form of armour. A
Alerted by a radio call from the villagers, a PNG navy patrol reinforced sliding door into the hold appeared to have been
boat with police on board then managed to run the vessel installed towards the front of boat.
down about 200km to the northwest of Budibudi Island. Experts who viewed the photos said they had never seen
The crew, six Hong Kong nationals and one Montenegrin, anything like it before. “It looks so suspicious,’’ said Uni-
were taken into custody but police were unable to search the versity of Queensland associate professor Sara Percy, who
boat below decks as it appeared to have been deliberately specialises in maritime security and piracy.
left with fuel and oil filling the hold with dangerous fumes. She said it was unusual no effort appeared to have been
The boat, which had no identifying registration or marks, made to make the boat look normal. “Mostly when you
was too heavy to tow; it was allowed to drift and has since want to smuggle stuff, you do it in a fishing boat and are
run aground in the Siassi Islands in the Vitiaz Strait about low-profile, but in this situation (the crew is) not trying to
400km north of where it was intercepted. disguise it. I can only (conject) they did it to change the
Police say the cocaine could still be in the hold of the shape of the hull and disguise what may have been a stolen
unguarded boat or it may have been offloaded by the crew vessel.” (Pacnews)

200 homes destroyed in Lae squatter blitz back to Indonesia to serve their terms in Indonesian prison.”
POLICE burnt down more than 200 homes at a squatter Steven clarified that after PNG prisoners serving time in Doyo
settlement in Lae in a move to rid the city of illegal settlers. Narcotic Prison in the Papua Province of Indonesia appealed
Acting Metropolitan Superintendent Fred Kaiwa said police to the PNG Government to help extradite them to serve their
acted on an eviction order from the court passed on to them by terms in PNG. They said they were being treated unfairly by
the Morobe government. “It is an eviction order. Police acted the Indonesian courts and prison officials.
after it was clarified through our lawyer that the stay order
taken by the settlers (on the eviction) had been thrown out Pruaitch case waits for court decision
by the court,” Kaiwa said. He said it is part of the exercise to A leadership tribunal dealing with alleged misuse of public
get rid of illegal settlements in the city. Notices will be served grants filed by the Ombudsman Commission against Aitape-
on those living in other squatter settlements. Police burnt Lumi MP Patrick Pruaitch, has been adjourned indefinitely.
down the homes and properties at the Papuan Compound The three-man bench consisting of Deputy Chief Judge Sir
Tais settlement. Community leader Michael Bunan told The Gibbs Salika and magistrates Regina Sagu and Benjamin
National newspaper that families lost almost everything in the Tanewan considered the matter following a decision for an
fire. “Police came in around 10am and took us by surprise. appeal filed by Pruaitch that concerned similar offences pend-
They started going from house to house and set them on fire. ing in the Supreme Court. The tribunal upheld that the issue
We do not have much time to save some of our belongings,” of whether it should proceed or not would be determined by
Bunan said. “Some school children were affected. Others were the Supreme Court.
traumatised.”
Treaty for PNG in Indonesian jails Bougainville go for independence
THERE is an extradition treaty between Papua New Guinea THE people of Bougainville will only accept Independence from
and Indonesia to allow citizens serving prison terms in either Papua New Guinea and nothing else and no amount of greater
country to return home, Minister for Justice and Attorney- powers or autonomy will appease the people especially after
General Davis Steven says. “The treaty is good for our relation- the loss of over 15,000 lives during the 10-year Bougainville
ship. If PNG citizens are penalised in Indonesia for breaching Crisis. A concerned Bougainvillean and independence hard-
Indonesian laws and are serving terms in Indonesian prison, liner, Gabriel Moses said this in reaction to comments made
they can be extradited back to PNG and serve their terms in by Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill who reportedly said that the
PNG prison. Likewise, for Indonesian citizens, who are in PNG Constitution did not permit the granting of independence
PNG prisons for breaching PNG laws, they can be extradited to any province or region in the country.

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