Border people need help, says new authority chief

PEOPLE living along the borders of Papua New Guinea still lack government services and are prone to illegal border trade including human trafficking, Douglas Tomuriesa says.
Tomuriesa, the new  border authority executive chairman, said it needed more funding to deliver goods and service to people living in remote and neglected border areas.
This can be done by developing infrastructure which, when in place, can help authorities deal with illegal border crossing, human smuggling, drug trafficking and a number of other illegal activities.
He said not only would security and economic activities be monitored but it would also greatly assist people in accessing services through the border establishments.
Tomuriesa said it was a reality that the border people were still suffering and the BDA was seen as the option to deliver these people the much anticipated services denied by successive governments for too long.
He said the plans outlined in the authority’s visions would open up border areas to modern changes and encourage, facilitate and monitor international competition, trade, business, political and economical interaction.
“I have to continue implementing the plans but need the government’s financial commitment as the authority has not been collecting funds over the past two years.”
He said the authority would not work in isolation but with  government line agencies such as Customs, NAQIA, Foreign Affairs, Immigrations, Police, PNG Defence Force, IPA, Labour, Commerce and the NFA.
He called on the national government to make funding available in the 2012 budget to get “these important and long-term border infrastructure in place along the six border areas”.