MP: Hunt is on for paedophiles

THE government believes convicted paedophiles from other countries are residing in Papua New Guinea and preying on unsuspecting children.
Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Jamie Maxtone-Graham has therefore directed the Immigration Department to request all foreign missions in PNG to provide the government the names of their citizens convicted of paedophile and other serious crimes residing in the country.
Maxtone-Graham issued this directive after receiving complaints from concerned parents, citizens and expatriates.
 “They are extremely worried that PNG may have become a major destination for convicted paedophiles who have been rejected by their own societies and are now living here preying on young Papua New Guinean children,” he said.
“Their concerns are not totally unfounded as I have received reports from state agencies that such undesirable elements of society do exist here and are rather growing in numbers, which is a very worrying trend.
“It is not uncommon to see young Papua New Guinean boys and girls in the company of their expatriate partners going about their business unabated – frankly speaking a disgusting and des­picable sight.
“Such people must now come under the radar.
“It is our foremost duty as a responsible government to protect our citizens from such evil people and I call on all Papua New Guineans not to tolerate such activities on our land.
“Australian society has zero tolerance for such characters and we must learn from them.
“Paedophiles have serial traits.
“That means if they have been already convicted of this crime, they are inclined to repeat this criminal behaviour again.
“Studies have shown they can never be properly rehabilitated.
“PNG has unwittingly become a haven for foreign paedophiles and criminals because of our own inability to thoroughly screen, control and prevent such undesirable people from entering our country.
“I urge the prime minister to provide more funding to immigration and task force sweep to widen their scope to also weed out illegal aliens from our country,” Maxtone-Graham said.
He said it was a major task that would require a lot of financial support but it was an important priority of the government to eradicate corruption in government and society.
“If we don’t do it, then who will?
“Previous governments have always failed miserably when it comes to protecting our citizens and our sovereignty.
“Papua New Gui­neans are sick and tired of government’s lack of attention to this issue of national security. We must take the bull by the horns,” Maxtone-Graham said.