BOUGAINVILLE: Military aid boost to PNG causes concern

The Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) has expressed "grave concern" at the announcement by the Australian government that military aid to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) will be boosted by $10 million, on top of the present annual level of about $10 million.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on October 19 that the Australian government "has agreed to supply the urgent financial assistance, which includes paying outstanding wages and allowances, because of fears in Canberra that a discontented military could become a destabilising influence for the [Sir Mekere] Morauta Government. The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, said yesterday that Sir Mekere had asked for help when he was visiting Australia during the Olympic Games. 'Australia stands ready to provide assistance, as necessary, for the PNG Government's efforts,' he said."

In a statement issued from Gizo in the Solomon Islands, BRA commander General Ishmael Toroama said, "The PNGDF is still sitting on Bougainville. If this defence package deal means reequipping and strengthening the PNGDF forces on Bougainville, then there is a real threat to the fragile PNG-Bougainville peace process."

Toroama claimed the package will include 30 crack Australian SAS trainers to retrain members the PNGDF. The BRA chief called for the extra money to be directed instead to fighting "the AIDS epidemic now crippling Papua New Guinea ... AIDS is PNG's No. 1 'enemy' and its leaders should be concentrating on it."

Toroama said the military package marked the Australian government's "reopening of the former Australian Labor government's open policy of assisting the PNGDF to prosecute the war on Bougainville".

BY NORM DIXON

From GLW issue 426