New road to improve operations along provincial border, Defence says

A ROAD to be constructed from Wipim to Bula in Western will be an important project that will involve the First Battalion Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (1RPIR) to improve their operations along the provincial border.
This was announced during the 1RPIR 69th anniversary celebrations yesterday at Taurama Barracks by the Papua New Guinea Defence Force chief of staff Capt Philip Polewara.
He said the road was “very important to the work of PNGDF” in Western.
Commanding officer of the 1RPIR Lt-Col Mark Kellerton said the road would help his fellow soldiers deployed to Western to carry out their duties.
He said their area of operation in Western started from Tabubil, where the Ok Tedi Mining was, to Daru.
“Since the battalion started 61 years ago, that is our area of operation and if the road is to be built there, it will be a great relief to the soldiers,” Lt-Col Kellerton said.
“It will make distances shorter and the operation will be easier.”
He said one of the locations that soldiers were deployed to was one of the remotest part of the country.