Boycott

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Australia joins US diplomatic boycott

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was in response to "human rights abuses" in China's Xinjiang province and "many other issues that Australia has consistently raised".

Athletes would still attend, he added.

China has condemned the US announcement and threatened to retaliate, without giving further details.

On Monday, the US said it would not send diplomats to the Games in Beijing over concerns about China's human rights record.

PNG media boycott APEC leaders’ arrival

Local media covering the arrivals in Port Moresby have been refused entry while the National Airport Corporation and protocol officers allowed the international media through.

The media were also refused entry yesterday whilst trying to cover the bilateral meeting between the Chinese President Xi Jinping and the other Pacific leaders.

“We waited all night. The same happened today,” journalist from a local TV station, Quintina Naime, said.

Boycott ‘unbecoming of leaders’

Deputy Prime Minister, Charles Abel, said the Opposition leaders were not voted in to behave in such a manner.

Abel was accompanied by Government ministers yesterday, including ICT and Energy Minister, Sam Basil.

He said the referral was made and there was no need to boycott Friday’s session.

Lae Polytechnic students told to return to class

Loop PNG was reliably informed by a civil engineering student of the council decision which was reached yesterday.

“The governing council said the Student Representative Council (SRC) does not have a constitution in place,” the student said.     

The students on Wednesday started boycotting classes and asked the institute administration to get the blessing of the Governing Council to organise for students to vote and if majority agrees they will follow other government-run higher learning institutions in the country that are currently boycotting classes.

Students to continue boycott

Last Thursday, the students gave Prime Minister Peter O’Neill a 24-hour ultimatum, to which he responded.

They called on him to respect the integrity of the prime minister’s office and step aside until all allegations against him are cleared.

In a letter dated May 20 (Friday), O’Neill said UPNG and the University of Technology’s petitions contained issues that are technical and legal in nature.

“It is therefore not possible for the Government or the Office of the Prime Minister to provide any responses in a manner requested.