Aust always helps PNG: Muthuvel

A CABINET minister says the people of Australia were among the first from the international community to help PNG when it experienced natural disasters such as the earthquakes which struck the Highlands region in 2018.
Minister for State Enterprises Sasindran Muthuvel, in passing his sympathies for those affected by bushfires in Australia, said Papua New Guineans knew the devastating impact natural disasters could have on property, livelihood and people.
“We saw this in the 2015 drought and the 2018 earthquake which impacted our Highlands region,” Muthuvel said in a statement.
“In each of these disasters, Australia was among the first to respond in the international community, providing much-needed assistance in terms of emergency shelter, food and medical supplies. It played a critical role in supporting the disaster relief effort, including using ADF air assets to get support to people and communities in need.
“This is appropriate given the depth of the PNG-Aust partnership.
“We have a relationship of unique and unparalleled depth which has seen us stand side by side together through more than a century of shared history that has included good times and bad.
“While our relationship itself has experienced some of these ups and downs, it is never closer than in times of crisis. This is when the depth of the people to people links between our countries really stand out.
He assured the Australian government and its people that PNG stood ready to support.
“While we may not be able to bring the same level of resources to bear, all Papua New Guineans stand ready to contribute whatever they can to assist, even if for some of us it is just our prayers,’ he said.
“We are praying for a swift end to these fires and a speedy recovery for the affected region. We pray for an effective relief operation that ends the crisis as soon as possible.”