Ex-PNGDF commander appointed alumni leader

RETIRED PNG Defence Force commander Peter Ilau is the new president of the PNG-Daniel Inouye Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies Alumni (DKI-APCSS).
Commodore Ilau who was the recent PNG Ambassador to Indonesia replaced retired PNGDF chief of staff Captain (navy) Tom Ur during a meeting last week in Port Moresby.
Ur had been the president since 1977.
DKI-APCSS is a United States Department of Defence Institution in Honolulu, Hawaii, where military and civilian officials from the Indo-Asia Pacific gather to address security issues and enhance security cooperation through courses, workshops, dialogues and related programmes.
Many senior government security officers including PNGDF commander Maj-Gen Gilbert Toropo, Northern Governor (former PNG Customs Commissioner) Gary Juffa and acting Deputy Police Commissioner for operations Donald Yamasombi are members of the Alumni.
The meeting also coincided with a one-day workshop organised by the Department of Defence in collaboration with the US Embassy.
Maj-Gen Toropo acknowledged the DKI APCSS for its continued support on capacity building for security practioners within the military and civilians and urged the alumni to continue partnership and collaboration on domestic and regional security issues.
Juffa also acknowledged the DKI-APCSS as a valuable security college that had built capacity and knowledge base for all
security practitioners in the military and civil society agencies in PNG.
He said the alumni would now be the platform for like-minded people to dialogue, and provide solutions on security issues.