Irresponsible soldiers must be punished

 ALLOW me to air my utmost disappointment over the raid of Taurama Medical Faculty campus and the assault of students by soldiers of the PNG Defence Force. 

Why on earth are soldiers, as well as police or correctional service officers for that matter, continuing to raid and destroy property, terrorise and assault civilians and go unpunished? 

Inaction by the government and the respective heads of these disciplined forces show that they are inconsiderate, incompetent and fail to implement their responsibilities. 

The government’s inaction to seriously address these issues implies to the outside world that PNG is still uncivilised and its uniformed forces are made up of ill-trained and poorly-led soldiers who have no regard for discipline.

Arguments and conflicts between an officer from a disciplined force and a civilian should be resolved privately and professionally through the legal system. 

It is that simple. 

But instead, disciplined officers go back to their barracks and come back with truckloads of fellow officers armed with high-powered firearms to abuse, assault and terrorise helpless civilians and destroy property. 

Such rogue officers have no place in the disciplined forces and should be expelled immediately, investigated and put behind bars. 

I would like the heads of the three disciplined forces and the respective ministers of police, defence and the correctional service to come out and inform citizens when these acts of brutality, terrorism, assault, destruction and even stealing will  stop.

We want to know the actions they will take against the soldiers involved in the Taurama campus raid, along with other similar cases that have happened.

If not, the prime minister should step in to address this issue once and for all. 

Kopu Sune 

Porgera