Relatives: Probe jail killings

By JAMES APA GUMUNO

RELATIVES of the six prisoners from Baisu jail in Western Highlands shot dead by Correctional Services officers last Friday have demanded an immediate investigation into the killings, The National reports.

Relatives of three prisoners from Enga allegedly killed by warders during a breakout told The National yesterday that they wanted nothing less.

They said the escapees, who dashed for freedom, were not armed and did not attack the guards or Correctional Services officers at that time.

They said the prisoners escaped in fear of their lives because the management of the jail had failed to address a deteriorating health situation at the jail, where three prisoners from Enga had died of an illness not yet identified.

Many others have become seriously ill with this illness.

Saku Luke, an elder brother of Larson Kandaki, one of the prisoners from Laiagam district who was shot dead, said he was not happy to see a bullet smash his brother’s head.

He said his brother was only 24 years old, not married and was remanded at Baisu jail for three months and two weeks over a suspected murder case.

He said his brother was not a convicted prisoner, or a criminal, and did not deserve to die in such a manner.

“We are not happy about this and we will not forget,” Saku said.

He questioned why they shot him in the head, when the correction officers should have tried to shoot him and the others in their legs or arms.

The prisoners, from Enga who died from the unidentified illnesses and those shot dead, would not have met their fate had the Mukurumanda prison in their own province was up and running.

Early this year, Justice Graham Ellis told the provincial government and the Department of Correctional Services to build the jail at Mukurumanda and keep all Enga prisoners there so they would not be taken to Baisu.

The judge’s advice fell on deaf ears.

Zurenuoc calms tension in force

CHIEF secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc yesterday went to Konedobu to meet the top echelon of the police force for a crisis meeting after news broke that Police Commissioner Gari Baki would be sacked two months before his contract expires next January, The National reports.

Documents were leaked over the weekend to the media which showed that Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare had directed Public Service Minister Peter O’Neill to suspend Baki and replace him with Tony Wagambie.

The prime minister had accused Baki of misleading senior members of the cabinet over a submission for K10 million to deploy police in the LNG project area.

The move caused tension and uneasiness in the police force.

Divisions and rivalries in recent years within the force had left wounds, which have not completely healed, and news of the move to remove Baki immediately triggered mixed reactions.

The government dispatched Zurenuoc to speak to the top officers and calm them.

One officer who attended the meeting said the chief secretary assured them that no one would be sacked, and the government had no desire to create instability within the force.

Cabinet met yesterday, but it was understood a submission to suspend Baki was deferred.

It was unclear what had happened to the K10 million cheque that Baki and former police minister Sani Rambi were accused of receiving after allegedly misleading cabinet over law and order issues and police deployment in the LNG areas.

It was understood the K10 million cheque was passed to Rambi by Finance secretary Gabriel Yer on Oct 29 at about 5:30 in the afternoon at the Vulupindi House car park.

By the time the cheque was handed over, redeployment of police unit to the troubled areas in the Southern Highlands had already taken place.

5 prisoners killed, 7 seriously injured

By JAMES APA GUMUNO

FIVE prisoners were shot dead in Baisu jail outside Mt Hagen last Friday as warders resorted to the use of firearms to prevent a mass jailbreak, The National reports.
At least seven others received bullet wounds and had been rushed to hospital.
Those killed and injured were part of at least 55 prisoners who dashed for freedom at the jail last Friday afternoon.
Sources said 18 prisoners, including five killed, had been recaptured while 37 were still at large.
Correctional Services sources said the prisoners who broke out had earlier gathered with others and asked the guards to tell them if they would be transferred to other jails in the country.
The prisoners expressed concern about their health and safety following an outbreak of dysentery and suspected cholera.
A report published last week said three prisoners had died of dysentery.
It was understood that health authorities had inspected the jail and had declared the facility unsafe for human habitation. However, this could not be confirmed.
A correctional officer said the prisoners demanded a transfer, and escaped after seeing fellow prisoners die last week of dysentery-type illnesses, while many others fell seriously ill and were on medication.
He said the prisoners, who were outside the jail compound, demanded the two guards looking after the main jail compound to tell one of the senior officers to come and explain what was being done about the health condition at the jail.
They become angry when a senior correctional officer yelled out that “there is no money” to transfer them to other jails.
The senior officer then ordered the guards to round up the prisoners into their cells and lock them up, and this was when the prisoners reacted by overpowering the guards.
The officer said as the prisoners got over the last gates and headed out, they were shot at.
Many of those who were unaccounted for swam across the Waghi River.
On Saturday, 50 other prisoners from Baisu were transferred to Barawagi jail in Chimbu.
The plan was to transfer the remaining 183 to other jails in the Highlands region.
Mt Hagen metropolitan police commander Chief Insp John Kale confirmed the incident yesterday.
Kale said he would release a report on the breakout today.
The killing of the five prisoners was likely to raise human rights issues.
A senior correctional officer at Bomana said: “Warders have procedures to follow in the event of a breakout, and, when to use a firearm.
“I would expect that an inquiry will be held into these killings at the jail.”

1st batch of LNG pipes arrives

Somare: Gas project making steady progress

THE first shipment of the LNG pipes was offloaded recently at the Gulf of Papua without much drawing much attention, The National reports.
The 850km onshore and offshore pipeline will transport gas from Southern Highlands and Western provinces to the two LNG train facility near Port Moresby where it will be processed.
From there, it will be shipped to major customers in China, Japan and Taiwan.
Shipments are scheduled to begin in 2014.
State Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare said he was pleased that the landmark PNG LNG project had been making steady progress since the final investment decision was taken last December with substantial work being undertaken throughout the LNG project footprint area.
“Whilst there was no formal welcome, the arrival of the first shipment of pipe is nonetheless an important occasion in the development and progress of the project,” Esso Highlands Ltd managing director Peter Graham said.
He said the construction phase and ongoing operations would have a multiplier effect on the PNG economy.
“Even though we are in the early stages of project execution, the country is experiencing the benefit of our investment.
“Through our contractors, we are employing 3,000 PNG citizens in this early activity, which represents nearly 90% of our total current workforce,” he said.
Graham said the project was working closely with local landowner companies to promote direct involvement in project construction.
“In the second quarter of this year, the project invested more than US$170 million (K420 million) with local companies for construction goods and services.”
Graham said the co-operation of communities and the government is necessary for the project’s success.
“The project continues to work to enhance community engagement with the goal of fostering understanding and co-operation on key interests.”

Unknown future awaits

As Papua New Guinea’s schools put out more leavers, spaces at higher institutions will run short, prompting the need for more tertiary and skills training institutions. 

This was the message highlighted to Kilakila Secondary School Grade 12 students who graduated last Friday. 

While some will continue their education in the formal system, others will be left to make it out on their own through the vocational and other life-skills training institutions or through extended studies programmes. – Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

Prime Minister backs medium-term plan

THE prime minister said next year’s budget, to be brought down in parliament next week, will represent the start of the medium-term development plan for the first five years to 2015, The National reports.
He said under the MTDP, the government was targeting a development expenditure of K36 billion over five years to create an additional 315,200 jobs throughout Papua New Guinea by 2015.
Sir Michael said the MTDP was also the first five-year stage in the government’s broader strategy of the 20-year development strategy plan (PNGDSP) and the realisation of the Vision 2050 programmes, which would provide the overall direction of PNG’s development initiatives for the next 40 years.
“These programmes collectively form the building blocks for economic development and prosperity of our nation for future generations,” Sir Michael said in a statement yesterday.
The plan would aim to achieve an average economic growth of 8.5% a year which would result in a healthy rise in the average GDP per person from K3, 430 this year to K4, 638 by 2015, he added.
“The MTDP now becomes the cornerstone for all national, sectoral, provincial, district and local government plans.
“It provides cohesion, direction, rigour, deliverable targets, measurability and accountability for all sector development activities.
“Above all, it is a programme that enables the whole nation to pull together in a team effort to realise Vision 2050.”
The most significant aspects of the MTDP included:

Ø       The upgrading of 16 national priority roads, construction of 16 “missing link” roads and construction of four additional economic corridor national roads;

Ø       The construction of 315 new aid posts around the country in line with targets set for 2030 under the DSP. The plan required the Department of Health to hire 50 additional doctors and 787 nurses by 2015;

Ø       In the education sector, 1,678 new primary and secondary schools would be built across the nation in every province with more than 9,800 teachers to be recruited in the next five years;
. In higher education, about 21,500 university places would be created, 6,800 technical and business college places, 8,000 teacher places, 5,000 nursing places, 3,700 vocational training institution places and improved access to internet and communication technologies; and

Ø       K1.1 billion will be spent to improve the law and order situation.
Job creation within the MTDP was expected to be dramatic with 87,300 jobs created by the end of next year and 315,200 more Papua New Guineans to have jobs by 2015.
About 239,000 of these government and private sector jobs would be in the “urban formal” sector with most of the balance representing additional rural employment at the “informal level” in a village environment, Sir Michael said.

Baki faces sacking

POLICE Commissioner Gari Baki faces being sacked before his term expires next January, The National reports.
Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare issued instructions to replace Baki soon after he removed Police Minister Sani Rambi from the portfolio to Labour and Industrial Relations.
According to documents made available to The National, Baki faces the sack for “misleading” cabinet in requesting K10 million for police operations in the PNG LNG project areas.
The documents showed that Sir Michael had written a letter to Public Service Minister Peter O’Neill to begin the process of suspending and removing Baki, and appointing deputy police commissioner Tony Wagambie as acting commissioner and Supt Fred Yakasa as deputy commissioner.
The reasons cited in the letter accused Baki of allowing the police force to run down and “there is a general breakdown in law and order”.
A separate letter, purportedly from the prime minister to Baki last Thursday, asked the commissioner to respond to the allegation that he had misled the prime minister and other senior government ministers into thinking that K10 million was urgently needed to ensure continued police presence in Kopi and the LNG corridor and that he had already withdrawn officers from the area.
Sir Michael stated that the decision to withdraw officers was in direct conflict with the advice he had provided and called into question whether Baki had adequately performed his duties as commissioner.
He stated that this was against advice provided by Peter Graham of ExxonMobil that the developer was providing all necessary support to police in the area which included transport, communication, fuel and additional allowances for police.
ExxonMobil stated that the government only needed to provide base salary, uniforms, weapons and ammunition.
“At this stage, it appears as though you have deliberately misled the government and I believe that these serious allegations amount to misconduct and wish to advise you that you have three days to respond to the allegations.
“Failing this, I will institute necessary disciplinary action in accordance with your contract,” Sir Michael stated.
It was unclear if Baki had responded to the letter from the prime minister.
But, police sources said Baki was well within his rights to ask the government for urgent funding because the work of police was a state responsibility, to be funded by the government, and the constabulary cannot be getting paid by contractors and be seen as private security guards.
“If the government is serious about the security of the PNG LNG project, and wants the constabulary involved in security operations, it must find the money to fund it.
“Receiving K2 million funding from ExxonMobil every month will make police look like the company’s security guards,” the source said.