military aid suspension

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Australia

Democrats call for PNG military aid suspension

There has been a call for the suspension of Australia’s military aid programme-to PNG. The Australian Democrats have called for the complete suspension of the US$2O million military aid programme because of human rights abuses on Bougainville, the scene of a secessionist uprising.

The demand came as Australia’s Pacific Island Affairs Minister Gordon Bilney admitted he had cancelled a planned visit by an aid inspection mission to the island over fears for its safety.

The PNG defence force has been blamed for human rights abuses on the island, although an Amnesty International report also found the rebel Bougainville Revolutionary Army responsible for several incidents.

Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Vicki Bourne says the bottom line is that military equipment supplied by the Australian government to PNG has been and continues to be used in human rights abuses. Bourne says the aid should stop.

Foreign minister Gareth Evans says Australia will urge the PNG government to seek a political, rather than a military solution to the Bougainville problem. Evans has also asked the PNG government if a delegation might go to Bougainville as there had been many inquiries from Australian MPs who were concerned about the Bougainville issue.

PNG’s foreign minister John Kaputin said PNG had already issued an invitation to the Joint Assembly of the ACP-EU (African Carribean and Pacific-European Union) so a parliamentary group would be consistent with this. He says an Australian parliamentary delegation can visit Bougainville in the new year, subject to the cabinet’s approval.