Allegations

In Brief

The PNGDF and the death plot

that Papua New Guinea Defence Force sol diers were responsi ble for the assassina tion of former Bougainville Transitional Government Premier

Theodore Miriung with the help of resis tance fighters based in Tonu on October

12 are gaining ground.

The defence force’s strong denial immediately after the shooting and dur ing the early stages of the inquest by the coroner, retired Sri Lankan judge Thiruvukkarasu Sutherlingam, appears to hold little water following recent revela tions of soldiers’ strong involvement in

the killing.

The revelations were contained in the final report of the coroner’s inquest, released and published in the Post- Courier on February 18.

Defence Minister Mathias Ijape on February 20 said said that the soldiers suspected of the killing had been brought back to Port Moresby and for police interview.

“I have instructed the commander to have the suspects interviewed by the

police,” Ijape said.

“There will be no hiding of soldiers from interviews. The truth has to be told.”

The minister said there had been enough pointing of fingers at the defence force and he expected the investigators to interview the suspects.

Defence force chief-of-staff Jack Tuat promised that the army would cooperate with police investigators to bring to jus tice soldiers who may have been impli cated in the killing.

Tuat said he had not seen a copy of the judge’s report but had been informed that a summary of it was now available in the office of the commander and the defence secretary. He did not name the suspects. However, the report identified them as a corporal and other from Rabaul, and two others from Kerema and

Kavieng.

Among the other findings, the report revealed that soldiers and resistance fighters allegedly involved in the assassi nation tried painstakingly to conceal evi

dence. The concealing of evidence includ ed the removal of 26 spent cartridge shells from where Miriung’s relatives had left them after finding them near his body.

The soldiers and resistance men based at Tonu camp had converted an ambulance alleged to be used in the killing to look like a jeep, removed the name “ambu lance” and Red Cross symbols and

inscribed the word “SPY”.

By Sam

Vulum

Theodore Miriung... assassination still a mystery