Aussie army vows support for election

By YVONNE HAIP
AUSTRALIA is ready to provide local authorities with logistical support to ensure a free, fair and peaceful general election in June.
Australian Defence Force joint chief of operations Lt-Gen Ash Power said in Mt Hagen yesterday that his men would be providing any assistance needed by the PNG Defence Force.
Power led a fact-finding team to Mt Hagen to discuss ways in which his troops could assist in PNGDF’s plans.
He was accompanied by Australian High Commission defence adviser Col Mark Shepard, Australian soldiers and PNGDF joint operations centre director Lt-Col Mark Goina.
They were accompanied by highlands divisional police commander Chief Supt Teddy Tei, Western Highlands administrator Malcolm Culligan, deputy administrator Joseph Neng and Pym Mamindi and highlands elections operations manager Alphonse Yapen.
The PNGDF would support police and the Electoral Commission by providing security and logistics.
Goina said the highlands region was a high-risk area where heavy security was needed to deal with trouble-makers and to maintain law and order.
He said more soldiers would be deployed to the highland regions with members of the police special services division and the correctional services.
Goina said land, air, and maritime authorities would be used to ensure the smooth running of the election.
Culligan and Tei expressed concern over the arms build-up in the region but said this was being addressed through awareness programmes.
Tei was confident that election in the region would go well and it was up to the candidates to respect the law and control their supporters.
Yapen said the highlands was ready to go to the polls as 98% of the common roll was completed with Chimbu and Eastern Highlands finalising theirs.