763 citizens still stranded

THERE are about 763 Papua New Guinea citizens still stranded in 25 countries, according to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Patrick Pruaitch.
He made this known after he welcomed back eight PNG citizens at the Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby on Thursday.
The eight Papua New Guineans and two Japanese nationals arrived at 4.25am from Narita, Japan.
Pruaitch said Papua New Guineans still stranded abroad were either working, studying, seeking medical treatment or living abroad.
“These are people that have actually made contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Covid-19 team and our overseas diplomatic missions and consular posts seeking assistance to be evacuated,” he said.
“There could be more out there who wish to come home.
“As days go by, and in the coming weeks, we hope to bring home the remaining stranded PNG citizens.
“We will continue to maintain contact with our stranded citizens and to work closely with our diplomatic missions and consular posts overseas to firm up on the numbers of our citizens overseas, and also to collaborate with the Department of Health to finalise the ground work, ensuring proper protocols were in place to carry out the repatriation exercise of the PNG citizens overseas as well as to effect strict quarantine processing prior to these citizens being released out to join their families and or employers.
“The State cannot absolve its responsibility to its stranded citizens overseas which means Papua New Guinea cannot neglect its responsibility towards its citizens abroad and expect another country to take up that responsibility.”
The eight Papua New Guineans and two Japanese nationals who arrived in the country on Thursday on the return leg of Air Niugini Flight PX 9055 chartered by Japanese company Dai Nippon Construction, repatriating 56 Japanese and Filipinos to Japan on April 28.
The 10 people who arrived in PNG were tested and processed through the Customs, immigration and quarantine checks and then bussed off to the designated hotels for the 14-day quarantine.
As per the State of Emergency Controller David Manning’s instructions, strict health and security protocols will be observed and set in place during the 14-day quarantine period.
Pruaitch said this was the first repatriation exercise under the Government arrangement with its bilateral partners.