Saturday, January 08, 2011

Namah queries troop deployment to Vanimo

A plan to deploy a joint PNG Defence Force platoon of soldiers and two police mobile units contingent to Vanimo, Sandaun province has been queried by leader of PNG Party and Vanimo Green MP Belden Namah.

Namah said the security situation along the PNG-Indonesia common border had returned to normalcy after border incursions last year by Indonesia soldiers.

“The security situation does not warrant the deployment of extra army and police personnel,” he said.

“There has been no request from the provincial police commander in Vanimo for extra manpower.”

Namah said 15 troop carrier vehicles (10-seaters) from a hire car company in Port Moresby were dispatched to Vanimo over a week ago together with three outboard motors for an operation.

He said the troops were to arrive in Vanimo on Tuesday, but deferred to yesterday.

“As a matter of courtesy, I as the Member of Parliament representing that electorate have not been informed of the operation,” Namah said.

“I’ve helped and have good working relations with police and other law-enforcing agencies in the province.

“I should have been informed so that I could assist.”

He said the secretive nature of the deployment of security forces raised questions as to what was the real purpose of the joint operation.

“I’ve been reliably informed that the operation was commanded from Port Moresby and is being funded by National Planning,” Namah said.

“I’m aware that the joint army and police operation is not security-related, but to do the work normally done by Labour and Employment, Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Customs.”

He said it was a total waste of substantial amount of public funds to hire vehicles from a private company in Port Moresby and send security forces to do the work of other state agencies.

“This costly joint operation has sinister motives,” Namah said.

“The security forces are being used by certain politicians to check the operations of my private companies, their staff and families.

“Is this the same method used to check on the operations of private business throughout PNG?

“Why can’t the relevant state agencies do this work?”

 

3 comments:

  1. Mr Namah has raised an irrelevent issue to tie it down to his own sinister motive. Border incursion is a national security issue which must be addressed at all cost.

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  2. Francis Hualupmomi,please elaborate more on Mr.Namah's sinister motives, you profess to be a political scientist as least quantify the reasons for the troop build up and dont fire a broad side attack on Namah, the issues should be focused in Waigani not Vanimo, the Prime Minister should address this issue on the floor of parliament and protest to the Indonesian Embassy, how many times have we seen on the news, it's also shady what these idiots are doing out there, shouldn't the Army and Police have their own vehicles to move anywhere in the country, we truly are cheap...we can hire but cant buy,

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  3. I do not have any interest in playing political cards here rather am more concern on national issues decerning national security. Your comment in contrary compels me to delve into political culture of PNG. James, in politics, all politicians have their one interest that must be protected at all cost. This could also hold for Mr. Namah. One cannot deny the fact politicians do involve in sinister games. In retrospect, it has been revealled that Namah has been so conerned about border security, jumping up and down on the floor of Parliament. Recently, his tone seems too contradictory. For your record it has been reported that Namah has his own mercinary type force protecting his political interest in the border. If this report is true, then what is Nama's motive?

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