MP: Arrest perpetrators

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ENVIRONMENT, Conservation and Climate Change Minister Pogio Ghate wants the immediate arrest of candidates, leaders and members of the security forces involved in General Election 2022 (GE22) violence.
“Two of my men were kidnapped by rival candidate supporters and beaten up in Eastern Highlands.
“They were kidnapped by a policeman from Port Moresby and two of his relatives,” he added.
Ghate, who is the Daulo MP said, it was very disappointing that one of these kidnappers was a policeman.
“Why are police helping candidates to go around and threaten other candidates and their supporters?
“The leader of my family, clan, tribe, community and electorate will not tolerate GE22-related violence and intimidation.
“I have already written to the police commissioner (David Manning), the provincial police commander (Superintendent Michael Welly) to look into this. I fear more intimidation and harassment against my supporters, my family, clansmen and tribesman.
“We will not retaliate. We have already laid a formal complaint with police and we call for the immediate arrest of the kidnappers who assaulted my men,” he added. Welly confirmed receiving the complaint and said that his office had received many GE22-related violence complaints and would be investigating all.


Police ramp up operations in Mendi

Security personnel checking scrutineers and the counting officials before they go into the counting room at the Momei Oval in Mendi town last week. – Picture supplied.

CHECKS on vehicles and people entering Southern Highlands and into Mendi town is critical to the security of counting for the province in the General Election 2022 (GE22), a senior police officer says.
Provincial police commander Chief Inspector Daniel Yangen said checkpoints had been set up within the township to monitor movement of people around the town.
Vehicles are also being checked to ensure no offensive weapons are brought in during the counting and declaration.
“The people of Southern Highlands had a peaceful polling and I expect the same to be maintained during counting and declaration.”


Ballot box tampering is a crime: Manning

David Manning

POLICE Commissioner David Manning says that any person or group that tries to tamper with or remove ballot boxes will be arrested and locked up.
Manning said yesterday that tampering with ballot boxes was a criminal offence.
As the election moves towards a conclusion, Manning said the Joint Security Task Force (JSTF) was preventing attempts to undermine fair and democratic process by tampering with ballot boxes and making arrests.
“We have zero tolerance to any deliberate attempt to derail the lawful democratic process in this final phase,” he said.
“The JSTF is ensuring the integrity of ballot boxes so that they can be delivered to counting centres and that the ballot papers inside remain secure.
“The risk that we are countering are various individuals with desperate intent to disrupt counting and the accurate distribution of votes.
“Arrests have already been made when people have tried to undermine the democratic process by interfering with ballot boxes.
“Our citizens have voted and they deserve to have their votes counted, not hijacked by ‘rent-a-mobs’ who are only interested in personal gain.
“I call on every candidate and their supporters to be vigilant, and in the event that they see irregularities to bring this to the attention of police immediately,” he said.
Manning said it could not be said often enough that people undermining the democratic process by tampering with ballots and ballot boxes were committing a crime.
“It is surprising that some who have been caught trying to tamper with ballot boxes do not realise it is a serious criminal offence.
“Some of these people treat ballot boxes tampering as just part of the election, this is typically because they have been misled by people who know better,” he said.
“Tampering with ballot boxes goes against our democracy, and it undermines our national right to have every vote counted in this election.
“My message is simple, if you try to tamper with ballot boxes you will be caught and you will face the full force of the criminal justice system,” Manning said.