PNG police deny accusations of extra-judicial executions

Papua New Guinean authorities on Thursday rejected allegations the nation's police were involved in executions of settlers during settlement evictions.

Australia's national broadcaster on Monday reported allegations the Papua New Guinean police committed murder, rape and misused Australian aid money, citing an unnamed former Australian police officer who was stationed in the port town of Lae.

The unnamed officer said his subsequent reports to Australian officials were ignored, alleging their decision was based on fear of the two government's agreement to house Australia's immigration detention center on Manus Island.

PNG Police Commissioner Gari Baki on Thursday dismissed the claims made by the former officer as "totally false," saying the event did not occur and no one had come forward with a complaint regarding the allegation.

"The photographs published are also not of the alleged shooting and it is a total fabrication," he said.

Baki also denied the alleged use of Australian government-funded bulldozers to evict the settlers, saying Australia's aid program had never funded the machines in the province in question.

Any corrupt and abusive policeman will be removed from the police force, arrested and prosecuted, he said.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP), which has 75 officers in PNG on rotation to improve the developing nation's police force, has also rejected the notion.

"The AFP has not received any official reports from its deployed members in PNG that the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) has been involved in murders. However, the AFP is aware of claims of this nature in social and general media," the AFP said in a statement.

The statement said authorities had received a large amount of material from the officer in July and September related to his 2013-14 deployment, but the AFP said there were no matters that required their further action. Endit