Anti-Asian riots probe deferred

THE parliamentary inquiry into the root causes of the anti-Asian riots of May this year has been deferred due to lack of funds.
The parliamentary committee headed by Anglimp-South Waghi MP Jamie Maxtone-Graham was to have started work yesterday, but this has been put off until Nov 3.
Members of the committee, including chairman Mr Maxtone-Graham, NCD Governor Powes Parkop, Wosera-Gawi MP Ronald Asik, Bulolo MP Sam Basil and Madang MP Buka Malai, met Speaker Jeffrey Nape to discuss the lack of funds.
Mr Nape agreed to release K120,000 for the inquiry to begin in Port Moresby.
Mr Maxtone-Graham, called on the Government to release its full budget of K3 million so that the inquiry could be conducted not only in NCD but  throughout the country.
The 15-member committee had been split into four sub-committees to conduct inquiries in each region and the chairman wants to see this happen simultaneously.
“My committee has resolved that we cannot have a stop-go inquiry,” Mr Maxtone-Graham said.
He said the committee had made a tentative programme for November when the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations and the Department of  Foreign Affairs and Immigration, National Fisheries Authority, National Intelligence Organisation, police and Defence Force will be called to make statements.
He said representatives of the forestry sector, private sector and overseas missions had been advised  to appear to assist the inquiry.