Proposed refugees' brothel concerns Manus PPC

The provincial police commander for Manus Province is concerned about a local landowner suggesting the establishment of a brothel on the Island to cater for the 900-plus asylum seekers.

Senior Inspector David Yapu said it will be illegal and also against Papua New Guinea’s Christian principles. The brothel will create more social problems and unwanted pregnancy, including the spread of HIV/AIDS, now prevalent on the Island.

“The brothel will become an issue affecting our traditional family morals and values with young girl and mothers servicing those asylum seekers for the sake of easy money,” says PPC Yapu.

Yapu is aware of asylum seekers engaging local youths to buy homebrew for them. However, he has not received any reports of local youths soliciting young girls for sexual favours with asylum seekers.

“This is news to me. I have not received any such reports,” the senior inspector states.

Asylum seekers outnumber the local police with 911 at the Manus regional processing centre at Lombrum and 68 refugees at East Lorengau transit centre.

“We only have 55 police personnel in Manus and should there be any unrest or riot, the police will be outnumbered,” PPC Yapu says.

He is now seeking 15 new police recruits who passed out from the Police College at Bomana recently to beef up the police manpower on the island province.

He says accommodation for the new recruits is being arranged with PNG Immigration Department at the centre.

(File picture)

Author: 
Press release