Court refuses stay application by ex-soldiers

By BARBARA DERUAGE
THE National Court has refused an application by discharged members of a team of PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) soldiers to restrain their employer from evicting them from their premises while they sorted out entitlement issues.
Justice Colin Makail refused the interim application filed by officers Kaupa Amos, Miugle Ludwig, Melerot Robin, Kaule Scotty, Agiru Alex, Mairi Mairi, Yupanga Joe, Guria Urban, Waimi Walter and Worihun and Philip Kiak to stay a National Court order on Oct 30 and restrain defendants Commander PNGDF Maj-Gen Gilbert Toropo, the PNG Defence Force and the State, from evicting them from their allocated accommodation while their entitlements were being processed.
The plaintiffs were also ordered to meet the costs of the application. The officers were part of a team deployed in 2014 to Komo-Margarima in Hela to prepare the place for PNGDF when developer ExxonMobil Ltd closed down its construction and training facilities at the camp site. On July 28, 2016, they were discharged from the PNGDF for disciplinary reasons.