PNG: Police factions in stand-off

There was a near confrontation by two factions of the Papua New Guinea police force at the National and Supreme Court precincts last Friday.

The confrontation occurred when officers from the National Fraud Squad tried to serve a warrant of arrest to the Attorney General and Justice Minister Ano Pala as he was leaving the court house after attending to a Supreme Court summons.

The fraud officers, including suspended assistant commissioner Thomas Eluh, were prevented by policemen who were providing security for Pala.

There was a scuffle between the detective who wanted to serve the documents and uniformed officers guarding the minister.

“Whose interest are you serving in preventing us from serving him his warrant,” shouted an obviously frustrated officer from the fraud squad .

A body guard of the minister shouted back, “Where’s your protocol in dealing with leaders? He is a leader and he should be accorded the normal practice, he is not a common criminal to be treated like this.”

The situation was tense with both groups shouting at each other but was quelled when the Pala party drove off.

Eluh then addressed the crowd at the court precincts saying: “All this would have turned nasty but all for what?

“If any grass root can submit to the rule of law, why can’t our leaders also do the same instead of barricading themselves with bodyguards and tampering with our institutions to serve their interests.”

Meanwhile, a Papua New Guinea civil society activist Noel Anjo has gone to court seeking orders for the courts to restrain police from preventing him and others organising protests.

This follows a number of unsuccessful requests he has lodged with police for peaceful protests against the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill over an alleged corruption case he is embroiled in.

Despite not having a permit, a large protest was held in Port Moresby last month calling for O’Neill to step aside to allow an investigation into his role in allegedly illegal state payments to a law firm.

Police subsequently stated that it would not allow any protest to proceed without a permit.

The Post Courier reports that Anjo is asking the courts to restrain police from preventing a protest he intends to organise.

He has named the police commissioner Geoffrey Vaki as the first defendant and has cited provisions in PNG’s constitution which allow for the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and freedom of movement.