Any prime minister of any sovereign state would have been immediately alarmed and gravely concerned with these revelations and taken immediate steps at diplomatic and other levels to seek an explanation, and put a stop to it, but not so O’Neill.

Recently Peter O’Neill reacted after over a month had passed, and only after the Indonesian President has taken a strong stand with Australia, has O’Neill come up with some lame statement on the subject.

What most Papua New Guineans want to understand and know is why Australians and Americans are spying on a small friendly country? We are supposed to be friendly nations and allies in the region.

Certainly during the last world war we fought alongside Australians and Americans. We hold no national grudge or offence against both Australia and America and these countries in turn play a major role as allies in economic and strategic interests in the region.

We have had a strong and abiding defence cooperation program that has continued since Independence.

In his first month, the prime minister, upon being granted political recognition by Julia Gillard, visited Canberra and signed a lot of agreements on behalf of PNG. There was no cabinet decision or consultation on those agreements.

Since then he has continued to sign many more agreements on bilateral matters with Australia, including the Manus asylum seeker processing centre agreement, without following normal government protocols and processes, which includes parliamentary and cabinet approval.

What has become self-evident from the revelations is that most of the bilateral agreements the prime minister signed have been observed by Australia’s spying activities in PNG.

The blunt question then is, why are they spying on us and for how long have they been doing this?

Specific questions need to be asked as to the level of Australian spying:

Who do they spy on and whose telephone conversations they listen to? From what has been revealed it is clear that Australia has access to our telephone system and listens in on our calls. In particular, Australia appears to have unfettered access to our mobile telephone conversations.

Does Australia spy on the Prime Minister and his wife, and their personal mobile phones?

Does Australia spy on Cabinet Ministers of PNG. If so why?

Does Australia Spy on the Opposition Leader, Hon Belden Namah?

Does Australia spy on Former Prime Minister Somare, and tap his telephone conversations?

Does Australia listen in on NEC Meetings at Morauta Haus with powerful listening devices?

Does Australia spy on certain individual businessmen?

Does Australia spy on certain key Departmental Heads and their cell phones?

Does Australia spy on other Embassies in PNG?

Does Australia spy on the Chinese Embassy, and its activities?

Does Australia spy on the cell phones of certain foreign businessmen in PNG?

Does Australia spy on certain foreign businessmen (and their wives) connected with the Prime Minister?

Does Australia spy on certain Eastern European Businessman connected with a certain senior Minister in government?

Does Australia spy on the RH Group?

Does Australia spy on the Ramu Nico company and operations?

Does Australia spy on certain senior Defence Force Officers, including the Commander?

Does Australia spy on certain Police Officers, including the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioners?

Does Australia spy on certain Israeli persons and their key supporters in PNG?

Does Australia spy on Dr Dan Weis?

Does Australia spy on all the Judges of the Courts of Papua New Guinea, including the conversations of the Chief Justice?

Does Australia spy on and listen into the conversations of certain Governors, and in particular, the Manus Governor?

Does Australia spy on Sir Julius Chan and monitor his telephone?

Does Australia spy on Bougainvillean Leaders; and especially on Sir John Momis?

Does Australia have an extensive spy network on Bougainville established since normalcy aimed at re-opening the Mine by CRA?

Does Australia have a spy working in MRA at present?

Does Australia have a file on Hon William Duma MP Minister for Petroleum and maintaining surveillance on his activities?

Does Australia have a listening and tracking device on Mr Sam Koim the operation Sweep team leader?

Does Australia listen in on conversations of former Morobe Governor Luther Wenge?

Does Australia monitor the activities and track the monetary transactions of Mr Augustine Mano the Managing Director of MRDC?

Does Australia spy on the movements and conversations of Mr Peter Yama of Madang Province?

Does Australia through human intelligence gathering and electronic means spy on political parties and party leaders in PNG?

Does Australia spy on activities of activists and certain NGO Groups and activists?

Does Australia monitor, listen in on conversations and track the Governor for Northern Province, Hon Garry Juffa?

Does Australia conduct high level surveillance on the social media networks including computer malware and cookies to trace and monitor individuals’ conversations, inputs and outputs?

Does Australia monitor the travel of certain individuals of interest in and out of Australia and other countries?

Does Australia keep track of financial transactions in PNG in PNG banks by citizens of PNG and PNG businesses?

Does Australia carry out surveillance on the business activities of the Prime Minsiter, his off-shore bank accounts, businesses carried out by him and held for him by certain affiliates?

Is the Prime Minister aware that Australia has details of his business activities held under other arrangements, arrangements that over the years haave not been declared to the Ombudsman?

If so, how long has Australia been spying on the Prime Minister?

Has Australia used, and continue to use information collated using such covert operations to “blackmail” Hon Peter O’Neill into sacrificing the interests of Papua New Guinea?

Who else does Australia spy on in PNG and for what purpose?

Is it true that Australia listens in on all telephone conversations going in and out of PNG using its Pine Gap facility in the middle of Australia, and the Darwin facility.

Is it true that PNG is used by Australia (at the Australia High Commission) to train its young spies of the two large spy agencies of ASIO and ONA? In this respect half of the former High Commissioners of Australia to PNG have ended up either in senior positions or heading ASIO or ONA.

Is it true that Australia has been dishonest in the job descriptions of its spies working out of the Australia High Commission normally describing them as diplomats, when in reality they are more spies than diplomats in diplomatic positions (as a cover)?

Is it true that PNG Foreign Affairs Department and the Minister do not know and are misled on the diplomatic positions, job descriptions, and in reality most accorded diplomatic status are spies, which is an abuse by Australia of the Governing International Conventions?

Is it true that the Defence Signals Directorate, Australia’s third Spy agency operates in the Australia High Commission in Godwit Road, for and on behalf of the Americans with high level sophisticated listening and code deciphering devices that can listen in on any person or embassy they choose in Port Moresby?

Is it true that foreign Central Bank Advisors and key economic advisors from World Bank and IMF regularly meet with Canberra to set the optimum currency exchange rate band width for PNG and its economy, and these are monitored in PNG through the High Commission?

Is it true that all AusAID consultants, ECP Officers, AFP Officers, in all PNG Government Departments have a reporting obligation back to Australian High Commission for intelligence purposes?

Is it true that Australia has an agenda to control PNG through spying and information management, for political and economic manipulation, to take advantage of PNG and its resources for its own economic gain and strategic purposes?

In the light of the revelations of Australia’s clandestine spying on PNG, why should the common Papua New Guinean trust a two faced person- who poses as a friend, but is really a deadly enemy?

It is now on record that Australia cannot be trusted ever again in PNG.

It is most disappointing and distressing to say this but that is the reality. Australia does not trust PNG. Australia has ulterior motives. Despite all the good work a lot of good Australians and Papua New Guineans do and have done to build relationships, the heart of Australian government is still dark, evil and cannot be trusted.

At the moment Australia is using what information it has on the PM and certain Ministers’ activities to effectively blackmail them to give into signing so called “bilateral” agreements, certain programs, like the Asylum Deal and the ECP Program that are not in PNG’s sovereign interests.

The Public Enterprises Minister, Foreign Minister and Attorney General give in to the Prime Minister’s antics because they are busy and happily chewing on the other side under various arrangements.

The prime minister has sold us out to protect his personal interests. He has amassed incredible wealth like no other Prime Minister ever done in such a short time.

That is precisely why, the prime minister has not taken a strong stand on this spying scandal that is breaking all over the world, including in Indonesia and Malaysia.

The citizens of this country should call the Australian High Commissioner and Mr Abbott to account!

This represents breach of trust by Australia at a deeper level. It puts to absolute shame all the aid programs dubbed as “partnership” or “helpim pren” or “mutual assistance” etc. The smaller Pacific countries like PNG look up to Australia as the older or bigger brother in the region.

To the US and Europe and Asia it poses as the baby sitter of the Pacific. But the revelations (with more to come) show Australia as a chronically and terminally dishonest, and cannot be trusted. It is running separate agenda in PNG that PNG is not aware of. This is breach of trust at a very deep level.

We should as a proper response freeze all military, police, aid and other forms of cooperation with Australia, suspend the visas of all their diplomatic staff (to a number proportionate to our staff numbers in Canberra in PNG High Commission there), suspend Manus processing centre, suspend Visa at airport for Australians, until we obtain:

Written published apology to the government and people of PNG from Mr Abbott

A written explanation from Mr Abbott

A written answer to the above questions

A written undertaking that Australia will not in future listen in on PNG Telephone, email, fax and other electronic communications in Australia or PNG, nor carry out spying without full disclosure to PNG government under a mutually acceptable agreement.

This is the least PNG should do to preserve its honour, dignity and sovereignty.

Will prime minister Peter O’Neill step up and put the national interest first, or will he allow this to blow over because he put his own private interests first.