AROB

The announcement of his transfer comes after he was sidelined for a month pending investigations into the activities of January 10^th that left the city in chaos. The investigation concluded last week.

Commissioner of Police David Manning in a statement said the update in command position in the police force was created to strengthen the delivery of security services.

Manning said it is essential that the police force has the right person in roles that draw on their experience and capabilities to provide for the enforcement of law and order in the country.

Expressing gratitude, Kebau paid homage to the late Thomas Tari, vowing to continue his legacy in South Bougainville.

Kebau emphasized the collective effort required to combat law and order issues in the region. He saluted the trust placed on him by the people of Torokina, Bana, Siwai, and Buin.

Facing the challenge of a limited timeframe before the next ABG General Election, Kebau remains confident in achieving goals among South Bougainville Former Combatants. 

Led by Captain Brian Pohai, the team of PNGDF Navy engineers arrived on Bougainville to bring much-needed relief supplies and to aid in the resettlement of local communities affected in the Torokina area of South Bougainville.

According to Minister for Bougainville Affairs Manasseh Makiba, this is a significant milestone for both Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). Since the Bougainville crisis and the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) in 2001, the PNGDF had not been deployed to Bougainville until this moment.

Prime Minister James Marape has always advocated that Bougainville’s efforts towards achieving independence must be handled with great care.  Hence, the creation of Bougainville Affairs ministry and the Bougainville Government.

With the launching of the Arawa Border Post today, locals will can now lodge passport applications, work permit applications, provides the avenue for reporting of illegal border crossers, and migration cases including visa checks and enforcement activities.

The Arawa Border Post is the third post established in AROB, with the office post launched in 2017 in Buka, and in Buin, 2022.

Acting President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Patrick Nisira, made this announcement on May 2^nd.

Nisira, who is also the ABG Minister responsible for Commerce, Trade and Economic Development, explained that the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (paragraph 79) speaks to this arrangement, and the announcement follows the Bougainville Government’s launch of the International Prong of its Independence Strategy launched in September 2022.

Australia is partnering with the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the Government of Papua New Guinea in supporting this initiative that will see the roll-out of 19 community buildings across Bougainville.

The Rau community hall is the first to be completed. It is a 225 square metre building fully equipped with a kitchenette, a storage room, a disability access ramp, 30 chairs and storage racks, ceiling fans and a 9,000-litre water tank.

The Universal Church has been present in Papua New Guinea for over five years, and has expanded the work to various locations, which include Arawa in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

The very first service in Arawa was held in Tupakas primary school on the 1st of May 2022. Services were held four times a week, until October 2022, when the church moved to Arawa Christmas Park, Patjoen Building, and is now opened daily to cater for the spiritual needs of the community.

For this reason, the Autonomous Bougainville Government will be focusing on improving law and order throughout Bougainville.

President Ishmael Toroama outlined that economic growth and law and order must be taken seriously by the administration and the economic sector departments, primarily the Law and Justice Sector, the Department of Mining and Energy Resources, the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Finance and Treasury.

“Our economy cannot flourish without the stability brought about by enforcing law and order,” said President Toroama.

They play a vital role in communities, supporting the most vulnerable, including survivors of Family and Sexual Violence (FSV) and people with disabilities.

In Haku Village in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, a woman, clearly shaken, tells her story to Village Court Magistrate Anna Sapur and her colleagues.

The visually impaired woman fled her home seeking support on a domestic matter. She is accompanied by a relative and two workers from the nearby Hako Women’s Collective Seif Haus where she had taken refuge.