Nine suspects arrested over a barbaric machete attack on Sunday outside the counting venue at Port Moresby’s Sir John Guise Stadium have been labelled “innocent” and released this week from Papua New Guinean police custody at Waigani.

The act stirred up public fear, anxiety and created a lot of debate on the 2022 national general election in the National Capital District (NCD). It also got the attention of international media from the video circulated widely on social media showing a group of men chasing two men with bush knives, iron bars and other weapons and attacking them on the road at Waigani.

Reports from reliable security forces said that the nine suspects arrested behind Sports Inn, just next to Sir John Guise Stadium after discovery of bundle of knives inside their vehicle, had never taken part in the fight and were innocent.

Police picked them up after they ran down to their camp location fearful of being attacked by other candidate supporters following the fight that had erupted outside the counting venue.

Police said the men were all from Chimbu province, employed by a security firm, and the owner of the company was also an election candidate.

The bush knives discovered inside their vehicle belonged to the company.

The vehicle impounded by police is under investigation.

Marjorie Finkeo is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

National Capital Dictrict (NCD) police have arrested 18 suspects following the slasher attacks on civilians yesterday outside Papua New Guinea’s national elections counting centre at Port Moresby’s Sir John Guise stadium.

NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Gideon Ikumu said the men were “persons of interest” and police would continue investigating.

“The men [suspects] are in custody with no charges laid until completion of the investigation by our CID,” Superintendent Ikumu said.

He also reassured city residents and the public to remain calm as the police were now out in numbers to carry out patrols and maintain order in the city.

“I hope this doesn’t happen again — our men are now dispatched to areas of concern to monitor and to ensure public safety is guaranteed,” Superintendent Ikumu said.

Superintendent Ikumu said members of the PNG Defence Force were also assisting city police by protecting the counting area at the Sir John Guise Stadium.

“This will now see support units assist regular police to maintain order in Port Moresby,” he said.

The city police chief said opportunists were also taking advantage of the situation. He urged city residents and the general public to be vigilant.

“While police and other security forces are out to ensure order, I call on residents to be mindful when moving around,” said Superintendent Ikumu.

He had also asked the NCD Election Manager to suspend counting until tensions eased in the city.

‘Global shame’
The National’s Rebecca Kuku reports that Papua New Guinea was “shamed internationally … when general election 2022 (GE22) candidates’ supporters turned the streets in the … capital Port Moresby into a battlefield.

“Innocent people ran helter-skelter as political supporters wielding bush knives started chasing and slashing people indiscriminately on the streets in front of City Hall (the National Capital District Commission building) about 2.30pm.

“People were seen running into the compound of the nearby Vision City Mega Mall for refuge as the assailants went about slashing their victims who collapsed on the spot.

“The uncivilised electoral violence started at the nearby Sir John Guise Stadium where counting of GE22 ballots were in progress for the Moresby Northeast electorate.

“Police said the knife-wielding offenders were supporters of two candidates and at least two were wounded.”

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Running like a pack of animals, a group of political party supporters in Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby were armed with bush knives, iron bars and other weapons as they chased down two men outside the national elections counting centre yesterday afternoon.

They reached the first man, and without a second thought they slashed him outside the Sir John Guise Stadium in Waigani.

Then they reached the second man, he fell, they slashed him without hesitation, and they continued attacking him.

The third man wasn’t so lucky, he was casually walking by and the mob turned their attention onto him. He put up his hands in a sign of protest. He was attacked, his hand sliced off, he fell and the mob mercilessly slashed him.

Police Commissioner David Manning was disgusted by the turn of events, saying: “How many ways can you report animalistic behaviour?”

The Post-Courier has confirmed that six men were wounded but no deaths were reported.

The video showing these horrific attacks has now caught the attention of everyone. The response has been quick — all makeshift tents belonging to scrutineers, vendors and supporters were removed, burnt and everyone outside the Sir John Guise Indoor Complex were chased away by security personnel.

What was the issue?
What was the issue these men were angry about? It was alleged that the attacks were over nine ballot boxes from ward 6 in Moresby Northeast.

The Post-Courier understands that scrutineers from Moresby Northeast demanded that the counting officials stop nine boxes from ward 6 from being counted and continue to wards 9 and 12 because a candidate was leading.

The scrutineers argued among themselves and the argument was taken outside, where it led to an argument and eventually a fight broke out.

The Post-Courier was at the scene after the video was released and witnessed security personnel removing all makeshift tents along the John Guise Road which passes by the stadium where the election counting is taking place.

For the next 30 minutes — from 3.30pm to 4pm — security personnel entered Vision City gates and checked the area.

More security personnel were outside checking vehicles and removing any remnants of the makeshift tents.

Shots were also fired into the air to disperse crowds that had gathered. It was a tense moment.

Eventually the area was cleared.

Nine suspects arrested with bush knives
Police said that after the slashing of the men, about 30 minutes later, policemen stopped a blue land cruiser and nine suspects were apprehended with five bush knives in their possession.

The nine were taken to the Waigani police station cells and their particulars were taken down by police investigators. Police are now investigating incident.

Meanhile, shots were fired around the Rita Flynn Courts as police also removed and dispersed makeshift tents of scrutineers, supporters and vendors along the Bava road.

According to a police source what happened at SJGS may also happen at other counting centres and thus police are not taking any more chances.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

For weeks, we have seen the election violence as it spread in horrific proportions around the Highlands region, mainly in Enga and other provinces there.

Men, women, and even children caught up in the fray costing lives and properties into the millions.

Yesterday, the capital city also came under similar election related violence for the first time.

Video footage captured by pedestrians commuting between two of the city’s most busiest shopping centres, in the heart of the capital city at Waigani, adjacent to the municipal authority, the country’s major sporting infrastructure hub where counting is done, and less than a kilometre from the nation’s seat of power Parliament House, human beings were hacked in front of children along a main arterial road.

It seemed the worst fears of the violence in the Highlands had just reared its ugly head yesterday around 3pm near the counting vicinity of the Sir John Guise stadium.

Supporters of candidates contesting the Moresby Northeast clashed following disputes that originated within the venue and escalated outside into a fully fledged machete-wielding hunt that saw three individuals slashed.

We wonder why this is taking place in the capital. Is it enough we have parts of the country facing turmoil and the weak and innocent already threatened with death, the capital then grinds to a halt at the hands of thugs?

Thugs with nothing better to do
Yes, thugs, who have nothing better to do then fighting to kill for just one individual and outcome.

We commend the work of the security forces, who while they were not able to prevent the initial hacking that took place, were able to react swiftly and evict all those camping out in makeshift tents along the road reserves beside the stadium, the main gathering points sheltering such thugs.

The Post-Courier joins the call by prominent Papua New Guinea business leader and advocate for change Anthony Smaré who reacted with a call on all leaders looking to consolidate their political future in the 11th Parliament to form government, while the capital seems set to ignite in violence if not addressed very soon.

“So now we have people chopping up other people with machetes outside counting venues in the nation’s capital!

“Law breakers want to become law makers!

“This insanity is happening in Port Moresby, outside the national stadium, the largest shopping centre and opposite city hall, within 1km of Parliament House, Supreme Court, Government offices, and PM’s official residence! 500 meters from embassies of Australia, NZ, Britain, and China.

‘In the seat of power!’
“It’s one thing when this violence happens in distant places like Porgera and people can cover their ears with their hands and say police should deal with it, but now it’s in the seat of power itself!

“Potential Prime Ministers, you need to abandon your camps and come back to Port Moresby and show some national leadership calling for restoration of rule of law and calm.

“Seize the opportunity this provides to you to act prime ministerial — come out in public and call for calm. If you want to be national leaders, show some traits of NATIONAL LEADERSHIP!” Smaré stated bluntly.

We support this call and call on the very leaders who are supposed to lead, to lead, whether re-elected, new, or incumbent, heads of security forces, you all have a form of influence that goes beyond any win.

Port Moresby is the capital city.

If it falls into violence because proactive leadership was not taken, then God help us all.

This editorial was published by the PNG Post-Courier today, 25 July 2022. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Papua New Guinea’s former Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, has been committed to stand trial for charges of misappropriation and official corruption

A Waigani Committal Court magistrate Tracey Ganaii yesterday found there was sufficient evidence on the two charges.

They relate to the state purchase of two generators from Israel seven years ago when O’Neill was prime minister.

Police allege that O’Neill directed payments for the purchase without proper procurement and tender processes, or parliamentary approval.

O’Neill told media outside court that he welcomed the chance to defend the case.

“There was no personal benefit on my part in this case. But there is a suggestion by some of the witnesses that it was official corruption and misappropriation of unbudgeted items. But we have not presented our evidence in court, which we will do in the National Court.”

O’Neill previously defended the US$14 million purchase of the generators as being a necessary step to addressing chronic electricity blackouts experienced in PNG’s main cities of Port Moresby and Lae.

PNG’s parliamentary opposition filed a police complaint about the purchase in early 2014.

The former prime minister insisted that the decision was approved by his cabinet, the National Executive Council.

“Largely, this is a NEC-endorsed decision. The purchase was endorsed by NEC.

“The court thought that there has been differences of timing, and there was sufficiency of that to bring the matter up to the National Court, and we look forward to defending it there.”

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz