Address war compo, PM told

 THE PNG Redress Association is calling on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to address a long-standing compensation issue about Japanese forces in Papua New Guinea during World War II.

The call to O’Neill was made by association executives and members last Thursday during a meeting at the Papuan compound in Lae, Morobe.

For the past 19 years, the association had been seeking international attention over this issue with little help domestically.

It will be staging a media presentation day on Aug 1 by founder and chairman Gabriel Laku where media personnel from Australia, the United States of America and Japan have been invited.

Deputy chairman Charles Laku and executives of the association that has more than 188,000 members want intervention of the government to help them put to rest the issue.

Laku said they nearly achieved their aim when Sir Mekere Morauta was prime minister and since then governments had not taken onboard the issue.

He said the association was seeking K30 billion compensation each from Japan, Australia and USA for the damage caused, human rights abuses and loss of innocent lives in the country during the war.

He said people had a misconception the association was a cargo cult but it was simply a vehicle fighting for human right issues for war victims.