PNG man detained in Australia over alleged human smuggling

A Papua New Guinean has been detained in Australia for allegedly smuggling six Chinese into Torres Strait Island in Queensland on Monday, border divisional commander Assistant Commissioner Donald Yamasombi said yesterday.
The 55-year old has been charged with human smuggling by the Australian Federal Police and is in police custody on Thursday Island.
“The Chinese have also been detained by the Australian  Immigrations on Thursday Island,” he said.
Yamasombi said that the suspect and the Chinese were arrested by Australian border administration officials on Horn Island and were brought over to Thursday Island.
“These Chinese have no record of coming into Papua New Guinea to go to Daru from Port Moresby or any other centre. So they must have come through Indonesia and crossed the PNG-Indonesian land border into Western. From there the suspect met them and took them across the PNG-Australian maritime border on a dinghy, resulting in their arrest,” Yamasombi said.
Yamasombi said the suspect was wanted for other transnational crime like drug, gun and human smuggling along the PNG-Indonesian-Australian border for a long time.
“But he has always evaded us and finally he was arrested. I’m also expressing concern that the government is not serious about managing the borders.”
Meanwhile, Jonathan Sam Henry, 31, of mixed Northern and Milne Bay parentage, was convicted for human smuggling by the Daru National Court last week.
He is yet to be sentenced.
Henry was convicted for facilitating the smuggling of four Pakistanis over the PNG-Australian border.
Police on a tip-off raided a settlement and apprehend the Pakistanis and Henry.
The Pakistanis had arrived from Port Moresby and were awaiting transportation to Saibai Island in the Torres Strait when they were arrested.