PNG demands Indonesian apology over alleged border raid
Updated
Nearly 200 Papua New Guinea villagers have been left homeless after Indonesian soldiers allegedly burnt their homes.
Presenter: Firmin Nanol
Speakers: PNG Police Commander, Peter Philip; State Enterprises Minister, Authur Somare; PNG's Deputy Prime Minister Doctor, Puka Temu.
NANOL: PNG government officials claim it's the second recent incident of Indonesian soldiers allegedly violating the border agreement between the two countries.
Western Province police say a platoon of 25 men burnt around 40 to 50 houses belonging to villagers.
Police Commander Peter Philip says more than 200 people are homeless and living in bushes.
He says the incident was sparked by a PNG official who angered Indonesian soldiers, while under the influence of alcohol on the Indonesian side of the border.
PHILIP: The government officer with another officer who went over and they got themselves drunk and what they did the other side is not known, but they were locked and then were released by the Indonesian police. But when the army commander, Ed Soto, was informed the next day, he sent a platoon to come into PNG side of the border and they torched (the) village. The houses all burnt down and all about 200 people are now in the bush left homeless.
NANOL: The officer is based at PNG's Weam border station in the province.
The PNG Government says it is very concerned over the continuous border violations by Indonesian soldiers.
State Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare claims the border incursions are an act of aggression towards PNG. He wants an apology from Indonesia.
SOMARE: I think it's absolutely critical that the PNG Government to request an explanation why there has been frequent incursions onto the PNG side of the border. Now I think it's totally inappropriate that a press release went out without an official communique coming from the Indonesian side to the Papua New Guinea Government in the first instant.
NANOL: An attempt to get comments from the Indonesian government on the claims has been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the PNG's State Enterprises Minister, Arthur Somare again has blamed PNG intelligence officials of not being aware of the border incursions by Indonesian soldiers.
SOMARE: I'm a little bit disappointed both with our military and our military intelligence, and also at the bureaucracy how the government systems and processes did not click into place quickly enough to inform us that there were incursions at the border, and perhaps the safety of Papua New Guineans at the border are were protected.
NANOL: PNG's Western Province Police Chief Peter Philip says they have notified PNG government officials, but have not taken any action.
PHILIP: This has been going on for a long time, and the responsible out of this has not taken any note of it, may be it's fallen on deaf ears or I don't know. But this is the latest. I have only one lone policeman manning the Weam border post.
NANOL: PNG's deputy prime minister, Dr Pookot Music, says the government has appointed a border development task force to improve its land and sea border surveillance.
MUSIC: We have overlooked this important issue for quite a long time, not only the Indonesia border, but we have also raised the issue of PNG-Australia and more recently PNG-Solomon Islands. So the government is now looking at improving surveillance.
NANOL: The burning down of the PNG villagers homes follows a similar incident last month, in which 10 soldiers defaced a PNG border monument and intimidated locals along the border.
Indonesian officials apologised over that incident but not this time. Firmin Nanol-Port Moresby.
