Mystery surrounds shooting

While the Papua New Guinea government is tight lipped on the circumstances surrounding the assassi nation of Bougainville Transitional Government Premier Theodore Miriung, at least when police investigations into the shooting are still being conducted, speculations are rife that the security forces and resistance fighters were responsible.

There has been speculation that PNG Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan is considering holding an independent inquiry into the assassination following the receipt of an investigative report on the killing.

According to sources, the report claims seven junior-ranking PNG Defence Force soldiers and a resistance fighter were

involved in the assassination. The resistance fighter, armed with a pump-action shotgun, and the soldier, armed with an M-16 rifle, shot Miriung in the back, the report alleges.

The soldiers were reportedly seen in an ambulance used by the PNGDF leaving the scene of the shooting a short time after the incident. According to an earlier report, Bougainville Revolutionary Army rebels claimed Miriung was killed by Sylvester Makau, a resistance forces commander from the Siwai area.

The rebels said Makau had used a high-powered rifle and was accompanied by two others to Kapana village.

The two allegedly provided cover while Makau carried

S out the actual shooting.

Defence Minister Mathias Ijape and I Commander Jerry Singirok have ruled out j any military involvement. 1 BRA leaders have denied any involve ment in the incident, saying that if they had I intended killing Miriung, they could have done so on one of his frequent visits to Arawa, including the time when his vehicle was burnt.

Sam Kaona is reported to have said that Miriung “has always been our good friend”.

Supreme commander Francis Ona, on October 18, called for an independent investigation into the shooting in light of the allegations against security force mem bers.

“The government of PNG needs to quickly carry out an independent inquiry or allow a neutral body to investigate the assassination and bring to justice the mur derers).” Strong BRA support for Miriung was evident at his funeral in Arawa by the large number of rebels from the Central Bougainville area who attended.

Rebels from the area have voiced their shock over the killing and laid down their

arms as a show of respect.

However, possible BRA involvement has not been ruled out.

Suggestions that South-West Interim Authority chairman Nick Peniai was involved have also not been ruled out.

Peniai has remained silent on the matter. Journalists who attempted to interview him at Miriung’s state funeral in Buka were told he had no comments to make.

According to information from the Bougainville administration, Peniai had accom panied Miriung to Konga in the Siwai area on October 12, and was about a kilometre away in the camp of the local resistance fighters, when Miriung was shot dead.

Meanwhile, the government appears to be firm in its decision to treat the issue as an internal matter, and not bow to outside pressures such as the recent call by Amnesty International to establish an independent inquiry into the shooting.

“In the past, extrajudicial executions have been carried out by both the PNGDF and the BRA,” Amnesty claimed.

“Theodore Miriung’s death is the latest in a long line.

“Sadly, it is unlikely to be the last such killing unless authorities demonstrate greater willingness to investigate human rights violations and bring their perpetrators to justice.”

The call has come a little too late for the government, which has already established a local human rights commission.

Among their concerns, the commission will be focusing on abuses in Bougainville.

There has been no direct pressure on the government as yet from Australia, which provides most of the humanitarian support on Bougainville.

Although there were differences early in the year between leaders of both countries, especially over the alleged use of the Australia-supplied helicopters as gun ships on the island, these have long been ironed out.

The Australian military aid programme for PNG has also so far been unaffected by the killing. B

Sir Julius ... “Miriung was tireless in his search for permanent peace