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Australia is to bolster Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) struggling police force by financing reinforcements from Commonwealth countries, the Pacific island nation’s police chief said yesterday.
An initial contingent of 20 police will be flown into the country this quarter, PNG Police Commissioner David Manning said.
Photo: AFP
Papua New Guinea will pay “absolutely nothing” under the Australian-funded initiative, Manning said, without providing financial details.
TWO-YEAR PLAN
About 50 officers from the Commonwealth — a club of more than 50 nations that are almost all former territories of the British Empire — were expected to arrive this year, the police chief said.
The scheme, which could encompass as many as 100 reinforcements, is set to run for two years, Manning said.
An official announcement on deployments would be made after contracts had been completed, he said.
PNG Minister for Internal Security Peter Tsiamalili this week said that the reinforcements would wear the nation’s police uniforms, operate under the country’s laws and report to Manning.
Australia’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been asked to comment.
CHINESE APPROACH
News of the Australian scheme comes a week after it emerged that China had last year offered to train and equip PNG’s police.
Beijing’s proposal raised the prospect of Chinese security personnel deploying to a country a short distance from Australia’s northern coast.
PNG’s foreign minister last week said that “it would not be the end of the world” if the Chinese overture was rejected.
The South Pacific nation’s police force numbers just a few thousand officers for a population of almost 10 million people. Security is precarious in much of the country.
A police strike over unexplained deductions from officers’ pay was blamed for stoking riots last month in which at least 25 people were killed.
PNG struck separate security agreements with the US and Australia last year.
Concerned by China’s growing influence in the South Pacific, Australia is seeking to strengthen ties with traditional allies, including Papua New Guinea.
Australia has also agreed to spend about US$25 million renovating and expanding PNG police barracks and housing, Manning said previously.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape is due to visit Australia this week, with an address to parliament scheduled for tomorrow.
While Australia is by far its largest donor, Chinese firms have made inroads into the impoverished, but resource-rich island nation’s markets.
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