2018 APEC Leaders’ Summit

PNGDF Commander, Brigadier-General Gilbert Toropo, says he is satisfied with the preparations so far.

“We’ve been through and had the support of the Australian and New Zealand Defence Force to train and prepare our special forces groups.”

This also includes the ongoing activities that the PNGDF conducts with its bilateral partners that additionally built and prepared the organisation.

Toropo said the Force has had manpower posted into the Joint Taskforces Security office that is currently on full time.

Director-General of the APEC PNG 2018 coordination authority, Sir Charles Lepani, said this during the recent Business Advantage Papua New Guinea Investment Summit in Sydney, Australia.

Sir Charles said the lead up activities should see income streams flowing into the country and will benefit not only established companies but small businesses and the informal sector.

According to Business Advantage PNG, Sir Charles shared an overview of some of the benefits for both major businesses and smaller establishments.

Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Nixon Duban, said this during the police station commanders’ farewell parade at Boroko Police Station last week.

Duban says people do not care about the kind of language they use to destroy the credibility of our country.

“This is your country and you must promote it,” he says.

Potential investors will always make reference to what we write on social media and other networks about our disciplinary forces in the country.

Minister for Sports, National Events and APEC Justin Tkatchenko said the cost not only covers the 2018 APEC Leaders’ Summit but also APEC Ministerial Meetings which started last year and will  run until the main Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby.

Minister Tkatchenko speaking on TVWan ‘Nau’ Talkback program said: “Over K600 million over the next two years. “

He said petroleum company Oil Search will give K120 million under its Infrastructure Tax Credit to support the country host some of the most powerful world leaders who will all come to the country at one time.

Foreign Affairs secretary William Dihm highlighted this during an APEC briefing for the Department of Foreign Affairs recently.

The briefing was carried out by the APEC Authority, APEC Secretariat and PNG Defence.

As a lead up to APEC 2018, the briefing was timely for the Foreign Affairs officers to plot where the department will come into play in the roadmap together with other line departments and agencies.

Dihm highlighted that working in a ‘whole-of-Government approach' means they have less institutional capacity.

This is a direct anticipation of possible terrorist activities as this is a world attracting event, participants at the Civil Aviation Safety and Security Conference in Kokopo, East New Britain, were told yesterday.

The PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s (CASA) Gabriel Salayau says: “PNG is now focused on a more upbeat safety and security network to counter terrorism, following its decision to host the ACPEC 2018 after the last APEC meeting in Indonesia”.

In a presentation yesterday at the Civil Aviation Safety and Security Conference in Kokopo, CASA’s Gabriel Salayau highlighted zones that will take on extra flights during the APEC 2018.

These zones include those belonging to the country’s military flight base, which will be also used as a base for other such flights travelling to Rabaul, Madang and Goroka, possible host provinces for some sessions of the APEC 2018 Summit.

Salayau states this is to prevent anticipated airspace congestion during this high demand period.

"This training is aimed at preparing us for the 2018 APEC Meeting," a police officer told Loop PNG.

Areas covered in the training are all aimed at providing the best security at all cost.

Those in attendance are a selected few from the public safety and special services division from the Kokopo, Tomaringa and Kerevat RPNGC unit.

"There are seven female officers and 25 male officers," said Constable Merelyne Matiung.

The Australian Federal Police is taking the lead in this training, which is scheduled to end on Friday, August 19.

The ring road will be four lanes and the existing road from Ela Beach Roundabout to town will also be converted to four lanes.

The K50 million 2km road now has only two lanes with work to commence soon to extend both the Stanley Esplanade end and Ela Beach end to four lanes.

NCD Governor Powes Parkop said that the ring road looks outstanding and is going to change the face of that part of the city.

Parkop said this road is vital and critical to the successful hosting of the 2018 APEC Leaders’ Summit which is very important regional international event.

Japan’s Ambassador to PNG Morio Matsumoto said that through a non-project grant aid program, Japan can further assist PNG in preparation for hosting APEC 2018 meeting.

This is a major event with logistic capacity including vehicles for transportation of participants, especially very important people.

Matsumoto announced this today during the signing of the exchange notes of a K13m (five hundred million Japanese Yen) Grant to implement the Economic and Social Development Program.