Concern over rise in border crime

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
A GROWING number of Papua New Guineans are serving prison terms in Indonesia for drug smuggling across the border, Indonesian officials say.
There has been an increase from 15 reported in 2015 to 22 PNG citizens now serving terms in Doyo prison in Abepura city. “There is a
big market for marijuana in Papua that fetches about one million rupiah (about K300) per kg on the streets,” an Indonesian border officer
said.
Meanwhile, Royal PNG Constabulary’s border divisional commander Assistant Commissioner Donald Yamasombi said a man from Nyaukono village in Bewani area of West Sepik was apprehended by police along the PNG-Indonesian border last Tuesday.
“The man was apprehended at Wutung village also in the West Sepik with a large quantity of marijuana. He is now in police custody.”
Yamasombi also said a Wutung villager was shot in the legs by Indonesian anti-narcotics police officers last month for allegedly smuggling drugs into Indonesian territory and was in police custody.
“He was shot 4km inside Indonesian territory with 10kg of dried cannabis,” he said, adding that this incident should be a deterrent to other drug smugglers.
“There are different laws in different countries to deal with drug offenders and Indonesia has their own laws,” he said.
“We will not interfere with their laws on how they deal with drug offenders.”