Concerns raised by the Soldiers at Murray Barracks have been taken note of by the Headquarters Papua New Guinea Defence force, and have been addressed through the chain of command.
Through a statement from the Chief of Defence Force Rear Admiral Philip Polewara, it is confirmed, the soldiers have returned to their respective barracks.
In their effort to maintain public order and safety, four directives have been issued in support of the Government decision for an external investigation.
The directives include,
- Disciplinary charges on hold which means all charges against members in the enlistment office are on hold, pending external investigation. And any discharges of personnel implicated in the recruitment exercise is deemed null and void.
- Return to unit and close camp- All service members are to return to their respective units and remain in the barracks under close camp condition until further notice.
- Clearance of roadblocks- All roadblocks are to be cleared immediately to ensure freedom of movement for the public and to maintain security.
- Suspension of personnel- All personnel branch staff implicated will await decision on the external investigation.
These four directives are issued on top of three directives already in place in relation to the 1/26 recruitment course.
The directive already in place are;
- Cancellation of recruitment course- The 1/26 basic recruit course has been cancelled.
- Disbandment of Recruiting office- The PNGDF recruiting office has been disbanded. Deputy Chief of Staff Col Jason Hutchings (NZ Army) has been tasked to review and recommend new recruitment systems. This will include exploring the option to collaborate with the Department of Higher Education, Research Science and Technology to recruit school leavers.
- Suspension of Internal Investigation- The internal investigation into the recruitment activities has been stopped. All service personnel involved in the recruitment exercise are instructed to await the official external investigation.
Rear Admiral Philip Polewara stated, the headquarter PNGDF and all their service personnel will fully cooperate with the investigation and will accept the recommendations and decisions that will be brought forward for implementation.
He encouraged citizens to be calm and refrain from opportunist activities.
