International
Instability in PNG
By James McGrath, PNG News 27 January 2012
Jan 27, 2012 - 9:09:33 AM

BUSINESSES in Papua New Guinea are waiting to see how a political standoff plays out after a retired colonel led 30 soldiers to storm barracks yesterday and place defence force commander Francis Agwi under house arrest.

Colonel Yaura Sasa called on Governor General Michael Ogio to install Sir Michael Somare as prime minister as the leadership battle between Somare and Peter O’Neill created a constitutional impasse with both men seeking the top job.

“I once again am now calling on … both parties and the head of state to respect the constitution and comply with the orders issued by the Supreme Court immediately,” Sasa was quoted by the ABC as saying.

“I am now calling on the head of state to immediately implement Sir Michael’s post as prime minister.

“If this call is not heeded, I may be forced to take necessary actions.”

A short time later, O’Neill government Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah told reporters roughly half the soldiers who supported Sasa had been arrested and assured the action was not indicative of a wider movement.

Somare’s daughter Betha Somare, who acts as spokesperson for Sir Michael, this morning told The Australian the standoff was over and Sasa “would be dealt with”.

Sir Michael had been the prime minister of the country until he was forced to seek medical treatment in Singapore last August and was replaced by O’Neill.

Last month, the Supreme Court ordered Sir Michael’s return to the parliament as prime minister but this order had been largely ignored as O’Neill enjoyed the support of the public service, police and defence force.

The standoff drew the condemnation of Australian Resources Minister Martin Ferguson last night, telling ABC News 24 the Australian government supported O’Neill and condemned the actions of Sasa.

“Peter O’Neill is the recognised prime minister of Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“Our position is clear – there is no place for the military in a Papua New Guinea situation and the sooner that we return to the normal constitutional process, the better for Papua New Guinea.”

He also said the Department of Foreign Affairs had advised him Australians should avoid Port Moresby and domestic flights within PNG had now ceased.

Companies in the country are waiting to see how the situation plays out but as yet there have been no reports of disruption to operations within PNG.

Cue Energy chief executive Mark Paton told AFR the situation was frustrating.

“There is always this uncertainty about who is in charge and who’s got authority to do what,” he said.

“It’s certainly a concern for the industry and the sooner they get this sorted out, the easier it will be for us to get on with business.”

One of the businesses also expressing concern over the situation is ExxonMobil, which is busy dealing with the aftermath of a massive landslide earlier this week which is believed to have claimed up to 60 lives.

CNN quoted Bill Yomba, an official at the National Disaster Office, saying that blasting carried out by Esso Highlands at the nearby Tumbi quarry could have caused the landslide.

"This is a very huge landslide that covered a 1 kilometre area," he said.

"We are still trying to find out the cause but at this stage we believe the gas project run by Esso Highlands Limited was a contributor because they had been digging for limestone in the area."

ExxonMobil told AFR the PNG LNG venture had not been involved in activities at the quarry for at least a month.

The landslide, which occurred on Tuesday, blocked the main road between the plant between the Nogoli camp and the Hides field.

Although the slide had halted work on the project, some operations have since resumed.