Motorcycles staying idle four months after Apec

Main Stories

THE Apec Leaders’ Summit is long gone but tens of millions of kina worth of vehicles used for the international gathering are still lying idle in storage yards and sheds.
Four months after the summit, there is still no confirmation of the actual cost of hosting Apec and vehicles are lying idle waiting to be auctioned off.
The National has been trying to get an update on what’s happening to the vehicles since March 8 but no information can be obtained officially.
The only update that has been made available is that the police and army will discuss who gets the 20 motorcycles donated by China for escort duties during Apec.
“(Currently) only 20 of such motorcycles out of a total 70 donated by foreign agencies are in use for police traffic duties at traffic junctions in Port Moresby,” Traffic directorate acting Chief Superintendent Joe Joseph said.
He said the future of the rest of the motorcycles will be decided when Police Commissioner Gari Baki discusses the matter with the relevant authorities.
Joseph said the motorcycles parked at Murray Barracks were specifically designed for police work, equipped with sirens and more suitable for flat surfaces and military use.
PNG Defence Force Commander Gilbert Toropo said the motorcycles were given by China which will be used by military police nationwide.
“It was given directly to the defence force as part of our military relationship with other vehicles,” he said.
Joseph said the motorcycles were used by trained traffic police officers and reserves, who would need to be deployed to future major and international events.
“The motorcycle parts are available here for repairs and maintenance,” he added. The 20 motorcycles donated by the Chinese government were shipped under the PNG Defence Force and stored at Murray Barracks.
Another 30 are stored at the police traffic depot at 4-Mile, in Port Moresby. “The 20 machines used by traffic police were registered under the Royal PNG Constabulary and given by Australia Federal Police,” Joseph said.
“The other 50 motorcycles cannot be used because they are still under the care of other authorities.”
In January, Apec Minister Justin Tkatchenko told Parliament that a full and detailed Apec report had been delayed by the Ombudsman Commission.
He said the report would show that the summit was a success and did not cost K5 billion as claimed by North West MP Sir Mekere Morauta who raised the matter with the Ombudsman Commission.
“It’s not K5 billion as Sir Mekere claimed … it’s 10 times less,” Tkatchenko said