PNGDF officers join UN peacekeeping missions

THE Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) last Saturday sent two of its officers to UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, Africa.
This has added to four PNGDF officers now serving as observers on the UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.
Major Raphael Yapu and Major John Bindie departed for Juba in South Sudan after a farewell at Port Moresby  Jackson International Airport.
They were farewelled by joint-forces commander Col Gilbert Toropo, PNGDF defence attaché to UN Col Michael Daniel, joint-operations centre staff officer Lt-Col Tony Aseavu and the families of the two officers.
Toropo, who spoke on behalf of PNGDF commander Francis Agwi, said the past officers had set a distinctive benchmark for the PNGDF and PNG.
He praised Major Bruno Malau’s high standard of achievement in being the first PNGDF officer to be sent as a joint-operations officer at the UN headquarters in Darfur.
Toropo said Malau had set a fine example and urged them to continue maintaining that trend.
Daniel spoke highly of PNG officers, saying Yapu and Bindie were  representatives of the country and the PNGDF.
He urged them to give their best effort.
Daniel said he would be monitoring their performance at the UN headquarters.