Call for criminal groups to be declared terrorists, as PNG police seize more high-grade guns

Some Papua New Guinea parliamentarians are calling for tougher laws against violent criminals who they say should be categorised as “terrorists”.

It comes as PNG police released details of a counter-terrorism operation in Southern Highlands province, in which they seized a cache of high-powered weapons and military-grade explosives.

Various districts in PNG have been experiencing a surge in activity by criminal groups, according to MPs during discussion this week in parliament.

Oro governor Gary Juffa said that in his province, criminal organisations have been engaging in “brutal, violent crimes, killings, injury to innocent people and disruption of especially health and education services”.

“These criminal organisations, we are submitting that they be declared ‘terrorist organisations’ because that is essentially what they are doing – these are crimes of terror whereby they are disrupting government services deliberately and preventing our children from accessing these services, our women, our elderly people, our innocent citizens.”

Juffa sought an update from Attorney-General Pila Ninigi over a submission to his office earlier this year from the Police Minister which asks for criminal groups targeting public infrastructure and government services to be declared terrorists.

Ninigi, who is also the justice minister, said the government was looking into it and assured Juffa that the issue is being taken seriously.

“There are constitutional questions that need to be answered and looked at. If it needs to amend certain provisions in the constitution, we shall do so, and come through the parliament [to] make necessary amendments,” Ninigi said.

In 2014, PNG’s parliament passed the Counter Terrorism Act, which defines terrorism, prescribes what constitutes a terrorist organisation, and gives police and defence forces expanded powers.

Police this week said a counter-terrorism operation in Southern Highlands province resulted in seizure of factory-made weapons, ammunition and military-grade explosives in a raid on a business in Poroma.

“In particular, the discovery of C-4 explosive blocks and detonation fuses is extremely alarming, as this material has no legitimate use in civil society and is extremely dangerous,” the country’s police commissioner David Manning said.

“The threat posed by these domestic terrorist groups is serious, and poolice will continue to break open their networks, remove weapons and take suspects into custody to prevent them from undertaking attacks on vulnerable communities.”

News of the seizure, which occured in late September, comes as police also seized a major cache of high-powered firearms and weapons manufacturing equipment in Port Moresby last week.

“Criminals holding these explosives, along with assault rifles, shotguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition pose a high terrorist threat and this is why we have new laws in place to deal with them,” Manning said.

“Investigations are still underway and charges being prepared, as well as the ongoing hunt for accomplices and those involved in bring the weapons to where they were hidden.”