Papua New Guinea's Justice Minister says the execution of 13 people currently on death row will happen this year, despite strong opposition from human rights groups.
Kerenga Kua says the Constitutional Law Reform Commission is still trying to work out which methods of execution will be used and where they will take place.
He says he believes the threat of execution is already having an effect on violent crime rates, but he understands that there is opposition.
"We have a serious law and order problem. So far, nobody has come up with an effective solution. My invitation to those critics is this: We have a problem that is internationally understood. Rather than criticise, give me a workable solution that I can adopt and then I can be encouraged to abandon this pathway we are taking."
Kerenga Kua says the government can always readjust its position after seeing how effective the death penalty is.
