Transcript
GARY BAKI: We've got the foreign security personnel that are here to assist us as well in delivering APEC. So we've got the Australians who are already here. We've got the New Zealanders who are also here. The Americans are also here to assist the RPNGC (Royal PNG Constabulary) and also PNG security personnel to deliver APEC. So all of them are on the ground.
JOHNNY BLADES: Last week you put out a public notice to advise people that there would be things like fighter jets patrolling the skies, all sorts of different forces. People might be alarmed though. It's almost like an invading force...
GB: Not really. I don't want people to have that perception that it's an invading force. It's not an invading force. This is requested as part of the security preparations and in terms of the APEC standard. We need to meet up with the standards. World leaders are expected. The jet fighters that came in was a demonstration of how we have planned for the air support to be given during the leaders week, whilst the leaders commence arriving in PNG. So it's really not an issue for it to be seen as an invading force, no. I don't like people to think in that sense.
JB: Parliament passed that law earlier in the year allowing foreign security personnel to take law into their own hands essentially if they feel there is a threat to their leader.
GB: Yes we have the APEC Safety and Security Act that's been passed. That Act clearly defines that the police commissioner is the commander of the Joint Taskforce, meaning that all foreign security personnel deployed in PNG to support APEC comes under the disposition of the commissioner who is the commander of the Joint Taskforce.
JB: So does that mean you will be guiding them? You can't just have foreign people with guns going around in a place they don't know where they might use it unnecessarily.
GB: No, the perception is wrong for people to think that that they're coming into Papua New Guinea to use guns against Papua New Guineans. It's not. I don’t like people to think in that sense. There are strict guidelines that have been issued in terms of the rules of engagement that has been agreed internationally by all the countries that are involved, and these are the guidelines that are going to be used in controlling the use of force in this country. Of course there will be a requirement for pre-authorisation instruments that I have to sign in my capacity as the commander of the Joint Taskforce. If you walk the streets of Port Moresby it will be quite noticeable that you will not see much of the foreign security personnel that we have brought to support us walking the streets of Port Moresby. That is not the intention. The internal forces of both the PNG defence Force and the Royal PNG Constabulary and the Correctional Services, including volunteers that we've got to support us, they take the primary responsibility in ensuring that the requirements of security are met in the first instance before any deployment or requesting of foreign security personnel to assist us. As it is most of them (foreign security personnel) are confined on to the logistical ship that has been deployed (by Australia) to support us: HMAS Adelaide. So that's where most of the personnel are accommodated, and kept on board, including the warships from New Zealand and additional frigates deployed by Australia.
JB: With all the PNG police converging on the capital for this operation, the police manpower will be down in the outer provinces?
GB: Yeah we will have a reduction of manpower in the other provinces. I know there are issues confronting the country in other provinces. But what we have done is we have told all our provincial police commanders to identify and be able to release to us the number of personnel that they can make do of, in having to maintain the majority to look after the provinces while the rest is being deployed to support the operations in Port Moresby. So I'm quite comfortable despite the fact that we have normal day-to-day law and order issues around the country. I'm confident of the fact that provincial police commanders in those provinces will be able to take greater control of the incidents that are happening in the outer provinces of Papua New Guinea.
