Mutineers to be pardoned

Just got news from my military contacts that PNG Defence Force soldiers who took part in the mutiny are granted amnesty and pardon.
Documents regarding this will be signed at 2pm today.
All arms have been handed in.
"Once it is signed everythng is put to rest once and for all," my source says.
"No arrest,no court case as assured by deputy prime minister and prime minister."

Amet says Somare faction will not support early elections

Sir Michael Somare's "Attorney General" Sir Arnold Amet says the Somare faction is unlikely to attend Parliament and vote for early elections, NBC news reports on its 12pm bulletin.

O'Neill seeks court order restraining army from making appointments

The Peter O'Neill faction is seeking a court order restraining the PNG Defence Force from making appointments, NBC reports on its 12pm bulletin.

Somare vows to continue fight

GRAND Chief Sir Michael Somare, who maintains he is the legitimate prime minister of Papua New Guinea, said yesterday he will continue to uphold the Constitution, The National reports.
Sir Michael, whose claim to lead the government is backed by a Supreme Court ruling delivered last December, said in a statement: “If this is to be my last and biggest battle, I will fight for the Constitution, the underlying law that holds the very fabric of our democracy and democratic institutions together.
“Yes, I could call it quits and allow elected leaders that continuously sidestep our laws to take us to the brink of our democracy.
“But I am still the representative of my people and will continue to stand for what I believe is in their best interest.
“Parliament does not have absolute power and yet we are allowing this dangerous trend of violations and breaches to be legitimised by the one argument of majority rule,” Sir Michael, who was ousted last August after Peter O’Neill and his deputy, Belden Namah, garnered superior numbers in parliament, said.
“All past prime ministers respected the orders of the courts; from Sir Julius Chan, Paias Wingti, Sir Rabbie Namaliu, the late Sir William Skate and even Sir Mekere Morauta.”
He said O’Neill, with the support of the Speaker of Parliament (Jeffrey Nape) was the only illegitimate self-proclaimed prime minister who considered himself above the law and would not comply with court orders.
“This impasse is not about Michael Somare or Peter O’Neill. If we continue to trample on our laws to stay in power we are condoning illegitimacy. What law will we turn to in order to argue our rights?” he said.
“I do not want a country that is under the barrel of arms. I do not want a country where our security forces will compromise on the laws of this land for personalities.
“I stress that this impasse is about the law. Therefore, to suggest that I encouraged a coup is shameful in its simplicity.
“I want to set the record straight by saying, my government appointed Fred Yakasa and the matter is before the court. We also appointed Gabriel Yer as treasury secretary and the matter is also before the court.
“In the same way, we last week dismissed Commander Francis Agwi and replaced him with Col Yaura Sasa.
“If O’Neill is aggrieved he must take the matter to the same courts. He must not manipulate agents of the law in the manner that we have seen since he inappropriately took office on 2 August 2011.
“I appeal to the people of Papua New Guinea to look at the law and not at personalities. This issue is bigger than me and O’Neill.”
Lae-based Sasa, who is 60, led a short-lived mutiny involving about 30 other soldiers last Thursday when he placed Agwi under house arrest at the defence headquarters at Murray barracks.
However, the mutiny folded after 12 hours for lack of support from senior officers around the country.

How PNG’s latest political crisis unfolded

From The National

• Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare appoints a 60-year-old retrenched army colonel, Yaura Sasa, as commander of the country’s Defence Force.
• In the early hours of last Thursday, Lae-based Sasa, a former military attaché to Indonesia, leads a small group of 30 soldiers to Taurama barracks in Port Moresby which houses the 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment where the mutineers detain their own commander, Lt-Col Francis Kari, under ``house arrest”. The group comprised members of the sea element, air transport squadron and recruits from the Goldie River training depot.
• The group heads to Murray Barracks, home to the Defence Force headquarters about 17km south-east in hired vehicles where they take PNGDF commander Brig-Gen Francis Agwi by surprise in his residence and also placed him under” house arrest”.
• Sasa installs himself in Agwi’s office and calls a media conference at Murray barracks at 11am where he announces he has been appointed by Sir Michael as head of the Defence Force.
• Sasa denies it is a military coup, that it is the ``normal process’’ of replacement of a commander by the government. He gives rival prime ministers Sir Michael and Peter O’Neill seven days to implement the Supreme Court’s orders re-instating Sir Michael as prime minister or he will be forced to take actions to uphold the Constitution.
• Air Niugini announces it has suspended flights to centres with military camps – Wewak in East Sepik, Lae (Morobe), Vanimo (West Sepik) and Kiunga (Western). Australian prime minister calls on the PNG military to stay out of politics. “Australia needed a politically stable and economically successful neighbour so it was critical the situation be resolved as soon as possible with the PNG Defence Force chain of command,” Julia Gillard said.
• Senior military commanders and officers snub a summons by Sasa to attend a briefing and their lack of support signals the end of Sasa’s grab for power.
• At about 2pm, shots are fired at military police personnel who retaliated and arrested 15 men belonging to Sasa’s group.
• After negotiations, PNG Defence Force chief of staff Col Tom Ur takes control of the barracks and disbands Sasa’s group allowing Agwi to resume command. The mutiny is over after about 12 hours.
• A small group of Sasa’s men remain at Taurama barracks where they have been demanding a full pardon for their actions.
• Sasa is arrested on Saturday and appeared in court yesterday on mutiny charges, police say. Sasa was spotted by chance at a lodge away from the Taurama barracks, where his supporters have been holed up with weapons since the failed mutiny. He will be held at Bomana prison outside Port Moresby pending his court appearance next month.

All quiet on army front

By JEFFREY ELAPA

ALL is quiet in the Papua New Guinea Defence Force throughout the country as the man who led the failed mutiny is held in custody, The National reports.
At around 2am last Thursday, Yaura Sasa, a retrenched colonel in his early 60s, led a group of 30 armed soldiers and placed the commanding officer of the Taurama Barracks, Lt-Col Francis Kari under house arrest.
At around 5am, the group drove to the Defence Force headquarters at Murray Barracks in hired vehicles and took control of the gates as Sasa claimed to have taken over as the commanding officer of the force.
The rebel soldiers placed the commander, Brig-Gen Francis Agwi, and other senior military officers under house arrest. Among them was Col Walter Enuma.
However, the situation was stabilised when the group was disbanded and Agwi resumed control and command.
It had been alleged that several members of parliament funded the operation while Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare has admitted appointing Sasa as commander of the Defence Force.
At around 6pm last Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and acting Defence Minister Belden Namah, accompanied by six ministers and politicians, visited the barracks and met with top military officials.
As soon as the mutiny was quashed, police started looking for Sasa.
Sasa was arrested at 8pm on Saturday and questioned yesterday Sunday morning. He was charged with one count of incitement to mutiny.
He appeared before a special court and had been remanded in custody at the Bomana jail.
Military establishments in the city, including Taurama and Murray barracks, were quiet while security was beefed up with armed guards at the gates to the barracks.
A visit to other establishments such as the Defence Force air wing and the maritime base also showed the situation was quiet and under control.
Reports received from other military barracks at Igam, Moem, Kiunga, Vanimo and Kerowil, in the Western
Highlands, indicated everything was under the control of Agwi, who resumed office 11 hours after the mutiny started.

O’Neill: Hunt on for plotters

THOSE who incited last Thursday’s mutiny at Port Moresby’s Murray barracks, or played a part in encouraging it, will face the full force of the law, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said last night, The National reports.
O’Neill’s warning came after police arrested retrenched army colonel Yaura Sasa in Port Moresby last Saturday night and charged him with inciting mutiny.
Sasa, who led a group of 40 soldiers, placed PNG Defence Force commander Brig-Gen Francis Agwi and other senior military officers under house arrest in an attempt to take control of the military.
The move was short-lived with Agwi restored to his position later that day.
So far, two members of parliament aligned to Sir Michael Somare – Andew Kumbakor and John Pundari – had admitted that their camp was responsible for getting Sasa to stage the mutinous act, O’Neill said.
He said Sir Michael issued a statement which suggested he had endorsed Sasa’s actions.
“Let me make this clear – no one is above the law,” O’Neill said.
“If there is evidence of politicians having a direct hand in this mutinous act, they will be subjected to the full force of the law,” O’Neill said.
“Retrenched colonel Sasa has been arrested, appeared in court and is in custody for his part in the drama last Thursday. He is being subjected to the law and others will follow as police gather more evidence in their investigations which are ongoing.”
O’Neill said it was “irresponsible and unbecoming for politicians to make public statements” urging the disciplined forces to break the law.
“It is shocking to see and hear politicians in the Somare camp make statements like this. It shows they have very little regard for the disciplined forces and the rule of law.”
He urged Sir Michael to stop holding himself out as an MP and prime minister.
“Sir Michael is not the prime minister and he is no longer a member of parliament and must move on in life,” he said.
O’Neill said since the Dec 12 ruling by the Supreme Court, a number of court proceedings had been in both the national and supreme courts which were yet to be determined.
“As law abiding citizens, we should wait for the courts to address these issues rather than get desperate and use the disciplined forces to break the law.
“It is becoming clear who is trampling on the law here. And I urge Somare to stop making public remarks aimed at inciting individuals and institutions to break the law.