The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • 12

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD FRIDAY MARCH 21 1997 12 World THE MERCENARIES Howard lays it on the line to PNG SX role and may want to keep it By TORY WRIGHT Canberra and agencies Australia is demanding a commitment from Papua New Guinea to revive peace negotiations with the Bougainville rebels as part of the price of Governor urges schools to send students home Roadblocks across city Main road the Sir Hubert ANALYSIS Highway km Murray -blocked at major intersection Wards Road (leads to government sector at Waigani) blocked at north-eastern end Two armoured personnel carriers patrolling city riot squad armed with machine pistols shotguns and flak jackets dog squad mobilised Hohola Gordon Shopping areas closed to prevent looting attempt Mobs to loot general store: dispersed with tear gas Koki Murray Barracks Wednesday 2000 demonstrators call for Sir Julius Chan and his Government to resign 200 turn violent and attack shops and cars before police fire tear gas and live rounds Yesterday Thousands gathered Police fire warning shots and tear gas to break up mobs in put yesterday to the PNG Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan A team of three envoys from Prime Minister Mr Howard led by top diplomat Mr Philip Flood met Sir Julius for four hours in Port Moresby yesterday to make clear demands These included that there must be no renewed military offensive on Bougainville either by the PNG Defence Force or by mercenaries now up to Sir Julius to reflect on our a spokesman for the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Downer said last night Mr Howard spelt out yesterday three conditions Australia requires to be fulfilled if PNG is to receive designed as a form of compensation for PNG abandoning the use of mercenaries on Bougainville These "reasonable are believed to include continued aid funding to PNG and assistance in brokering peace negotiations with the Bougainville rebels Mr Howard said the three conditions were: Mercenaries not be used on Bougainville No new military of msive on Bougainville PNG makes a genuine commitment to resume the peace process with Bougainville virtually abandoned since 1994 Mr Howard said mercenaries been a wholly sordid and unsatisfactory development in our part of the and agreed with a suggestion by the Leader of the Opposition Mr Beazley to consider mounting a concerted effort in the United Nations against the use of mercenaries world-wide The Prime Minister said he was sure all members of Parliament welcomed signs that the Sandline mercenary force was leaving PNG The human rights group AidWatch renewed its call for Australia to cut aid to PNG Rioting reported in shopping centre: police warn motorists to stay away Badili Shopping areas closed to prevent looting LUCY PALMER Provocative action by riot squad police came close to inciting a street battle with soldiers yesterday The police fired over the heads of the soldiers and lobbed tear gas canisters into a tense meeting at the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) central Murray Barracks If a battle had occurred the political crisis confronting the Chan Government could have quickly turned into all-out conflict in the security forces and ignited the potentially explosive rivalry between the police and the armv The PNGDF Chief of Staff Colonel Jack Tuat quickly appealed to a parade of about 400 men assembled soon after the police assault on the barracks not to retaliate Some troops were reported to have tried to break into the camp armoury to obtain their weapons Despite the appeals for calm and professionalism at the meeting and assurances that the army was now united in its push to rid the country of Sandline mercenary personnel the tense stand-off between the military command and middle-ranking officers is continuing and threatens to worsen One senior officer who did not wish to be named said the new commander Colonel Alfred Aik-ung had not gained the confidence of the rank-and-file troops The officer said the majority of the PNGDF still supported their sacked commander Brigadier-General Jerry Singirok and were calling for his reinstatement The soldiers from Murray Barracks led by Major Walter Enuma have formed the core of the protest group They met early yesterday General Singirok still commands the loyalty of several hundred infantry soldiers with whom he has fought eaten gone hungry Police disperse crowd of about 50 looting food and clothes shops Taurama military barracks Sandline International chief Tim Spicer and another company executive believed to be held here by rebellious Pf5G soldiers Top a policeman chases a protester from the Above jubilant rioters outside Murray Barracks -about to be dispersed by armed policemen wearing flak jackets right Boroko shopping area Photographs by ANDREW MEARES contract with Sandline the statement said statement concerning the contract will be released by the Government in due course are under way to effect the release of all Sandline personnel who are being detained unlawfully by a faction of the PNG Defence Force in defiance both of their military superiors and of the democratically elected Government of the country whose requests for their release have been consistently any event they will play no operational role in Bougainville and the Government of Sir Julius Chan will commit itself to a comprehensive peace plan for Mr Bolger told Parliament these circumstances New Zealand stands ready to offer assistance as may be appropriate to reinforce the efforts of the Government in successfully pursuing a peaceful politically negotiated settlement on Bougainville told PM Howard we stand behind the efforts his Government is making to assist Papua New Guinea in developing solutions to the Bougainville Mr Bolger said Christopher Henning the London Correspondent writes: In an unsigned statement from its London headquarters Sandline International said it was in close contact with Sir Julius and his staff The PNG Cabinet had met throughout the day and was discussing the future of the cratically elected Government of PNG is Chief Anyaoku said New Prime Minister Mr Jim Bolger said yesterday he had assured Sir Julius of support for the Government but reiterated firm opposition to the use of mercenaries and that NZ stood ready to help if the PNG Government committed itself to a peace plan on Bougainville hope is that the mercenaries will soon depart from Papua New Guinea and that in Chief Emeka Anyaoku signalled a possible role for Commonwealth mediation Chief Anyaoku was speaking to journalists on the first leg of an Asia-Pacific tour taking in India Bangladesh and Australia He is expected to raise mounting political tensions in PNG when he meets Mr Howard next week am concerned about the developments in Papua New Guinea I am concerned that they should not lead to a situation in which the demo saying PNG could not conduct the war on Bougainville if not for massive assistance from Australia independence in 1975 PNG has received more than Sll billion of Australian money under the overseas aid an AidWatch spokesman Mr Liam Phelan said of this money is clearly being used to underwrite the war In New Delhi the Commonwealth Secretary-General and beenwounded9 THE GENERAL Singirok ready to reveal contents of damning file Telstra Shops have added another attractive feature to the Nortel N911 no mistaking the distinctive good looks of the Nortel N91 1 digital And even more attractive when vou see the Telstra Shop price just S3 19 However the Nortel N9 1 1 is more than just a pretty face That large display is easy to read when you use the interactive menu keys and programmable hot kevs also fax and data capable and delivers a generous 1 60 minutes talktime or 42 hours standby 1 his special low price means the minimum package cost tor new approved customers who remain connected to service tor 1 2 continuous months is onlv S804 That includes connection fee and 12 access fees on Flexi-Plan Standard everything except call charges You can take up to three phones per person at this price But hurry onlv while stocks last Ask for further details at anv of the Telstra Shops listed below morning to present a petition to the PNG Secretary for Defence Mr James Melegepa The petition demanded the reinstatement of General Singirok sacked on Monday It also demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan by 4 pm yesterday and the scrapping of the Sandline contract along with an inquiry into the financial aspects of the deal In taking such a militant stand against the Government the 4700-strong army has now carved out for itself a potentially decisive role in political structure Its attitude appears set to intensify while the Government stalls over the question of the mercenaries and this combined with internal divisions is likely to spur soldiers to join civil protests in the next few days Even if this crisis is quickly resolved the defence forces have found a new role as the upholder of popular grievances against government corruption It may be a role they do not wish to relinquish Colonel Aikung is a relatively obscure commander with a naval background not from the infantry like General Singirok and he has so far been unwilling to personally confront the crisis among his troops Although Colonel Aikung told journalists he had ordered an end to Major Rausim (pidgin for get them out quickly) effort to force the Sandline personnel out of PNG his orders have been ignored General stand against the Government and his promise to make public the controversial Sandline contract will undoubtedly secure his position as a public and military hero While accepting his dismissal General Singirok still commands the personal loyalty of several hundred infantry soldiers with whom he has fought eaten gone hungry and been wounded while serving on Bougainville So far General Singirok still occupies his official residence overlooking the barracks and while he claims he has no interest in directing the troops his continued presence is undermining any ability of the new commander to gain control of the situation Brigadier-General Jerry Singirok claims Sir Julius Chan misled the public and the media by saying the mercenaries would not fight on the ground in Bougainville Photograph by michael bowers trained in time to operate their he said Documentation showed that sophisticated weaponry to be provided included helicopter gunships armed with rockets Sources say the file includes details of how an initial payment of about SUS20 million was to be made secretly into an account in Hong Kong The sources said General Singirok wants an inquiry to examine the role of a senior minister and an Australian businessman in negotiations conducted in Hong Kong about the transfer of funds He wants it to investigate whether extensive share-buying during recent months in Bougainville Copper Ltd (BCL) was linked to the Sandline contract to give the rest of the documents to a proposed Board of Inquiry The contract included open-ended provisions for extensions of time and increased costs which could have led to the PNG Government paying more than $US100 million he said yesterday Asked if secret commissions might have been involved General Singirok said that only a proper inquiry could decide The ousted commander said that the Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan had misled the public and the media by stating that Sandline would not have an on-ground role in fighting secessionist rebels on the island of Bougainville Papua New Guinea Defence Force would not have been By CRAIG SKEHAN Foreign Affairs Correspondent in Port Moresby The ousted Papua New Guinea Defence Force Commander Brigadier-General Jerry Singirok is getting legal advice on how much of a file on the contract for the supply of mercenaries from Sandline International could be released publicly in coming days The Government has sought a court order to prevent release of the file on national security grounds However General Singirok believes that at least the SUS36 million (SA461 million) contract with the British-based firm could be released publicly without breaching secrecy laws He wants Blacktown Westpoint Shopping Centre Bondi lunction Cnr Bronte Eblev Brookvale 52 1 Pittwater Road Cantpbelltown The Mall Queen Street Chatswood Cnr Victoria Victor Granville Cnr James Ruse Parramatta Hornsby Westfield Shoppingtown Liverpool 57 1 Macquarie Street Liverpool Liverpool Plaza Macquarie St Miranda Westfield Shoppingtown Newcastle 20 Denison Street Newcastle Market Square Hunter St THE REBELS Parramatta 2 1 5 Church Street Penrith 99 Batt Street Penrith Shop 2 Riley Square Roselands Shopping Centre BRA warns Australia over military aid Sydney Plaza Arcade 510 St Sydney 251 Elizabeth Street NfrRTEL elstra talk with He said additional equipment from Australia for the PNGDF in the absence of a comprehensive peace plan was a and would serve only to exacerbate the eight-year conflict The BRA appreciated that ousted PNGDF Brigadier-General Jerry Singirok had done what he could to what would have been and still could be a major disaster on But Mr Havini said peace was an unlikely prospect while Sir Julius Chan remained Prime Minister The BRA and its political arm the Bougainville Interim Government are hoping PNG will have a new leader after the June elections if Sir Julius is not forced to resign before then is not a man we could negotiate Mr Havini said events of the past few weeks make it impossible for the BRA to By GREG ROBERTS The rebel Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) has warned Australia not to supply Papua New Guinea with additional military aid in return for the Government dropping its mercenaries plan The Australian representative Mr Moses Havini said the rebels would very any additional equipment or covert operational training offered by Australia to the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) Mr Havini was speaking after making radio contact early yesterday with the BRA leader Mr Francis Ona from his jungle hideout on Bougainville He said Mr Ona made it clear the rebels were ready to talk peace if the PNG Government agreed to send an international peace-keeping force under United Nations auspices to Bougainville No back orders Otter not available with anv other Telstra MohileNet otter Telstra reserves the right to change offer including phone specifications without notice trade mark and mark ol Telstra Corporation Ltd ACN I 775 556 DDB IT 226 36Syd -2 1 4.