Soldiers’ actions a worry Source: The National, Friday September 6th, 2013 TRANSPARENCY International PNG is concerned about the recent violence against civilians by members of the PNG Defence Force. TIPNG has call on the PNG Defence Force commander Brig-Gen Francis Agwi to state publicly how the rogue soldiers would be dealt with. “We urge PNGDF superiors to apply proper processes and procedures within the military disciplinary codes to punish the irresponsible soldiers and bring them to account for the damage caused to the victims,” TIPNG chairman Lawrence Stephens said. TIPNG also notes the violence towards the public by uniformed members of the disciplined forces which is developing distrust between the State agencies and citizens. It said in the statement that any offence committed in public should be handled by the police and the courts and not handled solely by the defence force disciplinary process. “Marauding, violent and destructive soldiers must be reminded they have no special protection from the civil laws of PNG,” the TIPNG statement stated. Stephens urged citizens to exercise their rights by taking members of the disciplined force to court and hold them accountable for their violent actions. He said they should not allow public officials to get away with corrupt acts by taking advantage of their position of authority to achieve personal gain. “People must use their voice and make use of existing reporting mechanisms to speak out about violence and corruption that they witness or experience,” he said. TIPNG has an advocacy and legal advice centre which receives and supports public complaints against corrupt behaviour by public officials. It provides legal advice free of charge.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 23:02:33 +0000
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