Soldiers return from Ramsi duty

By JUNIOR UKAHA
Thirty-five soldiers from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force who took part in the Regional Assistant Mission to Solomon Island (Ramsi) arrived home yesterday.
The troops were met at the Jackson International Airport by deputy head of Australian defence staff in the country, Lt-Col Mark Luscombe, and Joint Force Commander, Col Vagi Oala.
During a parade, Luscombe congratulated the troops for a successful mission, saying he was told by the Ramsi top brass that PNG soldiers were good with no disciplinary records.
Luscombe said the group was part of a larger contingent of soldiers and other officials from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga engaged in Ramsi since 2003.
The Ramsi programme was in response to the breakdown in law and order in the Solomon Islands resulting in civil unrest in 2003.
Luscombe said the group was the 14th rotation and had spent four to six weeks in Australia undergoing induction and special skills training before being deployed to the Solomon Islands.