Kerenga Kua concerned that APEC laws compromise sovereignty
24 October 2018
STAFF REPORTER | PNG Today
PORT MORESBY - Shadow justice minister Kerenga Kua has raised concerns over the APEC safety and security act passed in 2017 and amended this year.
Mr Kua, the member for Sinesine-Yongomugl, believes the act hands over Papua New Guinea’s sovereignty to foreign soldiers who will be coming to PNG to enhance APEC security.
He said the Act directs citizens to treat foreign security the same as members of the PNG Defence Force and Royal PNG Constabulary even though PNG was not involved in their screening and vetting.
“Our defence force is the only organisation in PNG that protects and defends our boundaries and our sovereignty,” Mr Kua stated.
“You can’t contract that away to somebody else. Somebody tried to do it before in the Sandline case and the people of PNG thrashed it. They openly came and protested and put an end to that.
“Well, it’s happening again this time around, under the guise of APEC.”
Mr Kua further said that, under the same legislation, foreign security forces have been granted immunity from criminal or civil prosecution. The act says:
“A member of the foreign safety and security personnel shall not be held civilly liable or criminally responsible for acts or omissions carried out in accordance with Section 43 and for the purposes of this Act.”
Furthermore the act, which will be in effect from November 9-19, allows foreign security forces to use lethal force if required.
“It says if you get shot, killed or injured during APEC by these foreign troops, it’s tough luck,” said Mr Kua. “That’s what the law says.
“So if they happen to be involved in a shootout, somebody gets killed or murdered or injured, you can’t prosecute them. The law absolves them of all responsibility.
“It’s got to be unconstitutional, because the onstitution has provisions which protect the interests of citizens.”
The RPNGC cannot keep its own citizens safe for half an hour.
Posted by: Will Self | 24 October 2018 at 06:34 PM
Great way to possibly stop APEC as most foreign leaders will not attend for security reasons. Are our security personnel and police so well disciplined and well resourced that we can protect all the dignitaries and visitors attending APEC?
Have they caught the people who burnt the Air Niugini plane? How are they going to deal with any potential terrorists?
Do you think the foreign armed agents and troops are so ill-disciplined and trigger happy that they will disgrace themselves and their country by just killing PNG citizens for no reason?
With Sandline, other than trying to stop the civil war, what did Sir Julius Chan actually achieve? Nothing but the loss of his prime ministership. Though by hiring Sandline it was a catalyst that stopped the civil war through a peace treaty afterwards.
If Sandline the agenda was to just kill Bougainvillians or murder them as the political opposition and some commentators suggested then Sir Julius would have been committing political suicide as a rational politician.
As a guide, history (precedent) will show Sir Julius's military intervention in Vanuatu shows his real intent is in making peace not killing innocents.
If Sandline did not occur, the civil war may still be going on because what would have stopped it otherwise? Even with hindsight what would have been your solution Mr Kua?
Please Mr Kua spend your time on current problems really affecting PNG like corruption, drugs, hospitals, jobs,etc, not on an unlikely event.
Mr Kua, being a lawyer, can dereliction of duty and duty of care be used against those in charge of health and drug supplies?
Can PNG on its own really protect its sovereignty?
Posted by: A Fairsay | 24 October 2018 at 12:55 PM
Temporary school classrooms always seemed to morph into permanent ones.
It's just a matter of time, expedience and 'pasin bilo ol gavaman'.
Posted by: Paul Oates | 24 October 2018 at 09:03 AM