A disturbing video has emerged on social media, and going viral depicting the brutal torture and eventual death of a West Papuan man at the hands of his captors. The victim, whose crime remains unknown, was brutally beaten while bound and confined within a 44-gallon drum, leaving him with no chance of escape from his tragic fate.
Frank Makanuey, a Papua New Guinean citizen of West Papuan descent, has voiced his outrage and concern over the treatment of indigenous people by Indonesian soldiers.
He highlights that this atrocity and incident is in violation of the New York Agreement, an agreement signed over 69 years ago in secrecy between the US, the Netherlands, and Indonesia, paving the way for the occupation of West Papua in 1963. Makanuey said the original intent and purpose of the New York Agreement is not to exact human rights abuses.
Frank Makanuey
Mr. Makanuey condemns this barbaric act as a crime against humanity, yet laments the world’s indifference towards the atrocities faced by the indigenous population of West Papua in their struggle for freedom.
The footage, showing Indonesian soldiers inhumanely assaulting an unarmed man trapped in a drum, serves as a damning indictment of the ongoing crimes against humanity in the region.
Blurred video shows the barbaric torture of the man by Indonesian soldiers.
Since the implementation of the New York Agreement and Indonesia’s prolonged dominion and occupation over West Papua, countless such atrocities have unfolded, claiming the lives of thousands of indigenous Melanesian individuals.
Mr. Makanuey said further that crimes against humanity have long been outlawed by the United Nations, following the atrocities of World War II.
He calls for an immediate cessation of aggression against the indigenous people of West Papua, asserting that their right to self-determination supersedes Indonesia’s domestic affairs and warrants intervention by the United Nations.
As a respected West Papuan community leader, Mr. Makanuey urges the United Nations General Assembly to take decisive action and grant independence to the Melanesian people of West Papua, in accordance with its Human Rights Charter that was ratified in 1948.
PAPUA New Guinea’s Immigration Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, John Rosso, has revealed that the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority office is investigating how Mei Lin, also known as ‘Gigi’, a China-born businesswoman accused of orchestrating a methamphetamine “black flight” in March last year, was able to obtain her PNG citizenship.
This follows the publication of an investigative news article by Inside PNG and partner OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) on the 26th of January this year that revealed Mei Lin appeared to have falsified key parts of her citizenship application.
Mei Lin arrested in Brisbane. [[Photo credit: Australian Federal Police]]
Mei Lin, 41, was charged in Brisbane in January by the Australian Federal Police for allegedly helping to facilitate the smuggling of 71.5kg of methamphetamine (or crystal meth) with a street value of over K33million from PNG to Australia last year by light plane; in what police have argued was intended to be the first of a series of smuggling attempts.
According to the PNG Police and the Court, the dangerous drug was packed in over 80 small plastic bags and was transported to Bulolo Airstrip and was transported by air on a black-flight to Australia. Mei Lin has pleaded not guilty, before the Court in Brisbane.
Inside PNG and international partner OCCRP, in January revealed in an investigative report how Lin, a powerful businesswoman in the city of Lae, built a web of ties with prominent PNG citizens. She owns dozens of businesses including KC 2, located at Lae’s 7th Street, where 71.5 Kg of crystal meth was stored and then transported to Bulolo.
The report also revealed that she appeared to obtain PNG citizenship in 2016 by falsely claiming to have attended two elite local schools in the capital city, Port Moresby.
“We understand that the person that was arrested is a PNG citizen, and Immigration is currently investigating the process of how she got her citizenship,” PNG’s Deputy Prime Minister and Immigration Minister, John Rosso, told Inside PNG in Lae last week.
Among other details, Inside PNG and OCCRP’s January investigation revealed that Lin’s 2016 citizenship application included a letter — rife with grammar and spelling errors — purporting to confirm her attendance at Port Moresby Grammar School that school authorities say was signed by a non-existent staff member and labelled the document as fraud.
This follows a joint investigation in June 2023 by Inside PNG Investigative Journalists and OCCRP who visited the schools Mei Lin claimed she attended in Port Moresby when applying for her PNG citizenship. The school Administrations of the two elite schools, Port Moresby Grammar and Port Moresby International confirmed that Mei Lin has never attended these schools, nor graduated from these institutions.
Inside PNG met with then PNG Chief Migration Officer Stanis Hulahau last year and revealed how Mei Lin got her citizenship. Hulahau shockingly told Inside PNG that there would be an inquiry into how she got her citizenship, however, that didn’t happen.
Immigration Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, John Rosso at a press conference speaking about the investigation into allegations against PNG’s former Chief Migration Officer, Stanis Hulahau.
Lin’s questionable citizenship application is not her only entanglement in PNG’s immigration system.
Reporting by Inside PNG and International Partner OCCRP and other media has also revealed that companies linked to Lin have benefitted from a controversial Australian-funded program to care for refugees that is now being probed for corruption.
Australian authorities have also alleged that Lin ordered one of her accomplices to pay A$10,000 (US$ 6,546) to a Sydney bank account in the name of PNG’s then-chief migration officer, Stanis Hulahau, in order to obtain a visa to travel to PNG to take part in the drug trafficking scheme. Hulahau resigned in February and has not been charged with any crime.
However, Immigration Minister and Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, told Inside PNG last week that the allegations are serious and investigations are underway by KPMG, to prove the allegations against the then Chief Migration Officer, Stanis Hulahau.
“Allegations are allegations until completion of all the necessary investigation and if prosecutions if any, this should be put in place,” said Rosso.
Meanwhile, 15 people have been charged over the March 2023 meth flight. Eight men, including six PNG nationals and two Chinese citizens, are facing trial in PNG. Lin was the seventh person charged in Australia.
Prominent Fiji-based businessman Zhao Fugang is a trusted advocate for China’s interests in the Pacific. But Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies suspect he plays another part: as a senior organized crime leader. Fugang has not been charged with any crime.
KEY POINTS:
Since mid-2023, Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies have secretly designated Zhao Fugang a top international organized crime figure.
Zhao is alleged to be a senior member of a syndicate involved in drug smuggling, money laundering, and human trafficking. There is no record of Zhao ever being charged in Australia or elsewhere. Authorities have not publicized any evidence against him and he denies any wrongdoing.
Australian law enforcement officials have shared intelligence on Zhao with Fiji in an effort to get local authorities to move against him.
From his perch at the hilltop Yue Lai Hotel, China-born entrepreneur Zhao Fugang enjoys a panoramic view of Fiji’s seaside capital, Suva.
But Zhao’s hotel is not just the headquarters of his local business empire, which has stretched from tourism to property development. It’s also the base for the businessman’s parallel job: promoting China’s influence in the Pacific country.
The imposing red-and-black hotel is a favored venue for the local Chinese embassy’s official functions, where Zhao has rubbed shoulders with senior Fijian officials. It’s also home to an official “service center” for Chinese citizens, which has played a public role in fostering security ties between China and Fiji.
Zhao Fugang’s Yue Lai Hotel, located in Suva, the capital of Fiji. [[Photo credit: OCCRP]]
The businessman’s role is typical of Beijing’s steady efforts to build its footprint in the Pacific Islands. The ruling Chinese Communist Party often uses prominent members of the overseas diaspora as proxies to push Chinese interests, under a strategy it calls the “United Front.”
As Western countries fret over China’s rising influence in the strategically important Pacific islands, Australia — a key U.S. ally — has set its sights on Zhao, a joint investigation by OCCRP and Australia’s Nine media outlets have found.
In secret, Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies believe that Zhao is not merely a businessman or political operative. They suspect he is also a senior organized crime figure — and they’re pushing Fiji to move against him.
Reporters pieced together an understanding of Australia’s targeting of Zhao by reviewing documents circulated among law enforcement agencies and conducting interviews with Australian, U.S., and Fijian security officials.
Australia’s top criminal intelligence body, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, went to the extraordinary step of adding Zhao to its registry of Australian Priority Organization Targets in mid-2023, reporters have learned. The list of priority targets is secret, and includes about a dozen top suspected criminals, typically based abroad, who are deemed to be “the most significant threats facing Australia.”
Zhao’s designation is the first time a known political operative has been added to the list, and is an acknowledgement that China is believed to be using organized criminal networks as proxies to push its interests in the Pacific, said John Coyne, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
“This is the beginning of a journey to really look inside to identify… what else is happening across the Pacific in terms of this interference, how else are we seeing that sort of merging or graying the line between organized crime figures and also people who are working for the Chinese government,” Coyne said.
Reporters found that Australian law enforcement has since at least 2021 suspected that Zhao is a senior member of a transnational syndicate that has been active in the region for decades and “likely has good access to corrupt officials,” according to one document.
The syndicate is allegedly involved in crimes including human trafficking, money laundering, and the large-scale flow of drugs to Australia. Its senior members had a “demonstrated ability to coordinate their operations in the region,” the document says.
Zhao has never been charged in Australia with any crime, nor have authorities made their suspicions public.
Inclusion on the list is based on intelligence and is not proof of wrongdoing. The list is circulated among Australia’s main law enforcement agencies as part of a strategy to use the full force of the government to take apart the most complex and tough transnational criminal networks.
Fiji’s Home Affairs and Immigration Minister, Pio Tikoduadua, confirmed that Australian authorities had shared intelligence with him that raised “serious” concerns about Zhao.
Tikouadua said in an interview that Fijian law enforcement may “act on something that has been raised with us by foreign intelligence,” but added that the allegation “must have some basis in fact and in law for us to be able to respond to it.”
During a brief exchange with a reporter at his hotel, Zhao denied any involvement in criminality. Asked if he worked on behalf of the Chinese government, he gave a one word answer: “Yes.”
Zhao Fugang. [[Photo credit: Nine]]
China’s embassy in Suva declined to answer questions about Zhao, a naturalized Fiji citizen, and said all questions should be directed to local officials.
“The Chinese government attaches great importance to and is fully committed to protecting the safety and lawful rights and interest of overseas Chinese nationals. We always ask overseas Chinese nationals to comply with local laws and regulations, and not to engage in any illegal activities,” the embassy said.
“Your suspicion of the relation between Chinese government and Chinese community in Fiji is entirely groundless.”
Pacific in Play
The intense Australian focus on Zhao comes amid rising Western concerns about China’s ambitions in the Pacific Islands.
China has in recent years managed to establish formal ties with the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Nauru, convincing them to abandon diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, a U.S. ally that Beijing considers a “renegade province.”
In 2022, China signed a secret security pact with Solomon Islands, a leaked draft of which appeared to allow Beijing to send security forces to the country “protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects.” The announcement of the agreement sparked concern in Washington, D.C., as well as the capitals of Australia and New Zealand.
Those Chinese inroads followed earlier gains in Fiji during the authoritarian rule of former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who came to power in a 2006 coup and was voted out in late 2022. Under Bainimarama, Fiji and China inked a bilateral policing agreement in early 2011, complete with deliveries of equipment and training.
Former Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama (left) with Cao Gangchuan (right), former Minister of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, in a meeting in Beijing, China, in 2005. [[Photo credit: Imago/Alamy Stock Photo]]
The pact was “extraordinary in terms of the level of detail,” said Graeme Smith, an expert on China and the Pacific at the Australian National University.
“It’s detailed to the extent there’s even a hotline that you could call in the event of any problem,” he said. “Like, literally 24/7 in Beijing, there would be someone to pick up the phone and say, ‘Here we are. We’re ready to jump on a plane.’”
That’s exactly what Beijing did in 2017, sending an aircraft full of police officers to Fiji to round up scores of suspects in an online fraud operation and bring them back to China. The operation, in which the suspects were marched onto the aircraft by Chinese police and placed in black hoods, was heavily criticized by Fiji’s opposition. After Barinimarama was voted out of power, the new government quickly suspended the policing agreement.
Chinese media reports and press releases show that, from at least 2014, Zhao promoted himself as an “adviser” to Bainimarama. Zhao’s exact relationship with Bainimarama’s government is unclear, but both analysts and former government insiders have said that Zhao made efforts to forge personal relationships with the prime minister and other top officials.
Bainimarama even presided over the opening ceremony for Zhao’s Yue Lai Hotel in 2014. The event is commemorated on a plaque embedded near the hotel’s entrance — which was covered up with a sticker after Bainimarama was voted out of office.
Zhao did not respond to written questions. When approached by a reporter for Nine at his hotel, Zhao said he had simply been acquainted with Bainimarama because the former premier had dined at the hotel restaurant.
“Everyone knows Frank,” said Zhao, referring to the former prime minister by his first name before snapping a photograph of the reporter.
Bainimarama did not respond to a request for comment.
China’s “Front Man” in Fiji
Zhao’s role as a representative of Beijing is spelled out in detail in Chinese media reports and official documents.
Since at least the mid-2010s, Zhao has held a series of senior positions at organizations controlled by the United Front Work Department, an office of the Chinese Communist Party that, among other things, coordinates efforts to use China’s diaspora abroad to influence local elites and push Beijing’s interests.
Zhao has held leading positions in United Front groups, including an organization for the northern Chinese diaspora in Fiji, according to Chinese state media. He has also headed a Fiji-based organization of diaspora Chinese advocating for the “reunification” of Taiwan with China.
At one point, Zhao served on the council of an Australia-Pacific Taiwan reunification body headed by Huang Xiangmo, a Chinese billionaire and Australian political donor. Huang had his Australian permanent residency canceled and was barred re-entry to the country in 2019 after the domestic intelligence agency alleged that he was interfering in Australian politics on Beijing’s behalf. Huang has denied the allegations of foreign interference.
Chinese-language media reports show that Zhao has made trips back to China to meet with United Front officials, and in 2017 and 2019 attended the organization’s flagship annual assembly.
Meanwhile, in Fiji, Zhao set about building high-level ties.
“He’s really in many ways the front man for the Chinese state in Fiji,” said Smith, of the Australian National University. “There’s no other serious player in town.”
With Zhao’s help, China “got in very, very deep and very, very close” to Bainimarama’s government, he said.
‘Not a Friend’
Zhao appears to have played a key role in promoting China’s security interests in Fiji.
In 2016, company registry documents and media reports show that Zhao set up at his hotel an official Overseas Chinese Service Center. Beijing has denied claims from Western governments and researchers that these centers are part of a global network of offices that have, in some cases, been used to monitor Chinese citizens abroad. China says the purpose of the offices is to help Chinese citizens carry out banal tasks like renewing official documents.
As head of the center, Zhao attended and played host to several high-level meetings on security cooperation, according to reports in Chinese-language media. Senior Fijian police officers attended these meetings, as well as local Chinese business leaders and embassy officials.
At first glance, it may seem strange that a person trusted by China’s government to support its law enforcement efforts in Fiji is suspected by Australia of being involved in serious organized crime.
But expertssay that China has a track record in using “patriotic” organized crime figures as proxies abroad, particularly when part of the job is to influence local elites.
“You need fixers. You need people who know people. And often criminals have a really good Rolodex,” ANU’s Smith said.
“If you can find people that are successful businesspeople and involved in criminal activities, then they’re often your most effective vectors in-country, because they know people and they’re willing to do the stuff that the state doesn’t want to do.”
Previous OCCRP reporting has revealed how the Chinese government has relied on dubious businesspeople –– including a notorious triad leader nicknamed ‘Broken Tooth’ –– to advance its interests elsewhere in the Pacific.
Australia’s suspicions about Zhao’s alleged criminal connections also come amid mounting concern over a rise in drug trafficking through Fiji, which sits between Latin America and deep-pocketed buyers in Australia and New Zealand.
Zhao Fugang (right) stands with Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka (second from left) during an event with the Chinese Embassy at his Yue Lai Hotel in 2023 to celebrate the Chinese New Year. [[Photo credit: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in The Republic of Fiji]]
OCCRP reported last year on how neglect by senior leaders in Fiji’s previous government led to an explosion of methamphetamine and cocaine smuggling through the country. Fiji Police seized a record 4.8 tons of meth in January — a haul worth hundreds of millions of dollars that would be enough to supply all of Australia for nearly six months. OCCRP and partners are not alleging that Zhao is involved in the recent seizures.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said in an interview that he was unaware of Australian claims that Zhao is involved in organized crime.
Rabuka’s government announced in mid-March that it was restarting the policing agreement that it had suspended last year. But the prime minister nonetheless said he had concerns that China’s government may have links to organized crime groups active in Fiji.
“I do not want to… open the door to someone that could turn out to be not a friend,” said Rabuka.
Robert Mathias and Valentine Richard stood out for the SP PNG Hunters, in the team’s 22 to 10 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons at the Santos National Football Stadium.
The Duo scored a try each in the round three fixture of the 2024 Hotplus Cup season. Robert Mathias even helped to set up a try to Clent Lama after he made the initial break that led to the try. The Hunters didn’t have the services of Valentine and Robert last week. The two are still having issues with their Visas and are not able to travel to Australia. Possibly miss more away games before the issues are sorted.
Hunters Coach Paul Aiton did admit that the duo was missed during the second-round loss to the Capras in Central Queensland last weekend. But added that there are players who are capable of filling the spots of the two players.
“Valentine Richard is a Kumul and Robert Mathias is impressive. It was a very big loss for us last week without them in the team. But their not being in the team allows us to put in other players that can fill in their spots, and them missing the away games is going to happen again because of their Visas not being granted,” Aiton said.
Paul Aiton did not specify what the reason was for the duo’s visa troubles. Adding that it was not serious but it was a matter of the two players sorting themselves out. Confirming it was a personal issue and would be sorted out eventually.
The match against the Falcons started off slow for both teams. The Hunters suffering a sin bin in the 6th minute to winger Solo Wane.
The Hunters and Falcons played in overcast conditions. It was suitable for a great day of rugby league, but the crowds were kept disappointed by the home side. Countless errors especially poor ball security plagued the Hunters. The Falcons were also victims of poor ball handling, causing a meager flow in the opening exchanges of the half.
The Falcons had an opportunity to get an early two-point lead but were left disappointed when half-back Cody Hunter failed to convert the penalty conversion.
Hunters were camped in the Falcon’s half and finally cracked their defense in the 25th minute. A simply set play leading to a string of passes found fullback Sonny Wabo on the sidelines. Wabo giving an inside ball to Winger Brendon Nima to crash over for the Hunters first try.
A successful conversion by Clent Lama took the Hunters to a 6-0 lead. The Falcons responded with a try 4 minutes later. A cross-field bomb by halfback Cody Hunter from the left side of the field to the right, was caught in mid-air by the Falcons second rower Thallon Peters, who then scored the Falcons opening try.
Falcons Zacariah Miles missed the Conversion to trail 6-4 in favor of the Hunters, the scores remained 6-4 at halftime.
The Falcons scored first in the second half. A converted try to Falcons Kane Jackson pushing the visitors to a 10-6 lead.
But the Hunters managed to get themselves back in the game. A late surge in the final 20 minutes set in motion three tries for the classy win. Clent Lama crossed over in the 65th minute, followed by Robert Mathias in the 75th minute. Finally the win was sealed by Valentine Richard who muscled his way onto the try line in the 78th minute, ending the match 22 points to 10 for a Hunters second win on home soil.
Coach Aiton was happy with the result. Despite a slow start the team managed to turn things around in the final 20 minutes to surge home for the big win.
Insurance services in the Autonomous Bougainville Region has been restored after more than 30 years through a partnership between the Bougainville Government and Capital Insurance Group.
The re-establishment of this vital services now provides a safeguard mechanism for the establishment of new businesses and expansion of existing ones.
Paved through the Toroama-Nisira Government Bougainville’s vice President and Minister for Commerce, Patrick Nisira said the initiative is desired to restore investor confidence on the island region following the Bougainville conflict.
“Insurance services is a crucial elements of our economic independence journey that we are embarking towards achieving prosperity and self-determination,” Nisira said.
Capital Insurance Group, Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Norton said bringing back an insurance service to Bougainville was their response to the business community that encountered business losses due to natural disasters and human-made causes.
Capital Insurance Group, Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Norton, addressing the public in Buka town.
“This is an important part of our long-term commitment and will drive sustainability and provide the foundation for a gradual roll out of services across Bougainville,” Norton said.
The new branch will be housed in the same location in the existing TISA office in Buka. The services offered include insurance solutions such as business protection, workers’ compensation, motor and general liability to individuals and businesses.
“An important function of a good insurance company is to provide its clients with risk management advise and recommendations. This has an important role in minimizing and preventing accidents, fires, break ins, vehicle crashes and workplace accidents,” Norton said.
ABG Secretary for Department of Commerce, Trade, Industry and Economic Development, Alex Kerangpuna thanked Capital Insurance Group for sharing Bougainville’s aspirations for economic growth and for their commitment to establish their services in Bougainville.
“Our endeavor to bring in insurance services cannot come easily without having an established business partner in the insurance sector that takes up the challenge to invest here,” Kerangpuna said.
A new government hall built for community engagements was declared open in Ioro, Panguna District in Bougainville.
This facility is a purpose-built for community meeting spaces with kitchenettes and storage rooms, a disability access ramp, chairs and storage racks, ceiling fans, and a 9,000-litre water tank.
Delivered at a cost of K30 million, it is one of several infrastructures built by the Australian government through the 19 districts in the Autonomous Bougainville Region.
Australian High Commissioner to PNG John Feakes was in Bougainville to witness launch of Australia funded projects.
“These buildings provide meetings spaces for community governments and wards, furthering their efforts to meet their community’s development needs, ” said Feakes.
This community government infrastructure initiative supports Australia’s localisation policy, which prioritises contracting of local Bougainville-based service providers. The project created employment and skills development opportunities in the construction sector for over 200 people across Bougainville.
Minister for Community Government and District Affairs in the Autonomous Bougainville Government, Theonila Roka-Matbob, said the Community Government facilities are designed to support community governments and wards.
She added that the hall now provide a functional space for the elected women and men to work together to perform their leadership and administrative duties and for community meetings and local activities.
Residents in Arawa town should start enjoying a more reliable access to electricity supply with the completion of renewable energy upgrades come 2025.
This includes the Autonomous Region of Bougainville’s first commercial-scale solar farm with battery storage.
These upgrades are part of a broader suite of the Australian support for provincial power stations across Papua New Guninea and include plans to upgrade Buka’s power station.
To mark the project’s half-way point, Australian High Commissioner To PNG, John Feakes, was taken on a tour by Autonomous Bougainville Government President, Ishmael Toroama to the power station
Feakes said Australia is committed to improving access to energy in Bougainville and is supporting the ABG’s economic development and energy goals.
“The solar panels installed are already providing power to Arawa. Once fully completed in 2025, this project will further improve power supply for local businesses and enhance many facets of people’s lives, including health and education, and increasing safety and security, especially for women and girls,” said Feakes.
The PGK18.8 million renewable energy upgrades in Arawa are being implemented in two stages.
The first stage is a small solar plant at PNG Power Limited’s (PPL) existing power station that, as of March this year, has begun supplying power in Arawa.
The second stage will deliver a larger solar farm with a battery energy storage system at a new site that PPL acquired in 2023 with assistance from the ABG.
Once completed, the upgrades will decrease running costs for PPL by reducing reliance on expensive diesel fuel and will cut carbon emissions by 1,800 tonnes of CO2e in the first year alone, allowing PPL to supply more reliable power to the people of Arawa.
“Australia looks forward to jointly launching the completed project with the Government of PNG and the ABG in March 2025,” Feakes said.
Youths at June Valley have initiated a neighborhood watch program aimed at creating and maintaining a safe community.
The Doma Youth Association began this program in their Port Moresby community on Monday with the promise to continue the initiative.
Association chairman, Pia Kak told Inside PNG that he wants to create avenues where youths can feel a part of.
“The association will focus on how to create a safe avenue for women and children, and also to continue to provide cleaning services in the community like grass cutting and sweeping,” Kak said.
Doma Youth Association members of June Valley taking part in neighborhood clean-up.
The Doma Youth Association is made up of young men and women who are unemployed and others who are seeking further education opportunities.
He added that had seen enough youths causing problems in their own community, hence that is the reason he came up with the idea of creating an association.
The Doma Youth Association is registered with the Investment Promotion Authorities (IPA) and can be engaged for general services like drainage cleaning and other clean-a-ton programs.
“I want to improve this community by providing the most appropriate action in the community and also to gain trust so the people can engage Doma youth’s in the near future for any general work,” Kak said.
Three players will make their SP PNG Hunters debut on Saturday. This is after a thrilling win on home soil last weekend. The Hunters will travel to Browne Park, Rockhampton for round two of the 2024 Hotplus Cup, where they will take on the Central Queensland Capras on Saturday the 16th of March.
The PNG Hunters off the field share a bond with the Capras. But friendships aside, Paul Aitons men are determined to secure the valuable 2 points on offer.
“I got a good relationship with the Coach down at the Capras. We get on really well. We also had our video sessions and kind of predicted what they would do. I think for us we just play how we want to play. I’m comfortable with the team we have. The boys, they can score anywhere.” Aiton said.
The Hunters beat the Wynnum Manly Seagulls 36 Points to 22 in round one last weekend. But despite the win, Coach Aiton sees that there is more room for improvement.
It was a 14 point win but the Hunters were scrappy in patches of the match. With a total of 23 missed tackles and 12 errors, the team also gave away 13 penalties, to the Seagulls who gave the Hunters only 5.
Aiton said consistency is important. He added that despite the team being gifted with try scorers they still needed to get the little things right, and discipline was important.
“There was a high completion rate between the two teams. It’s not always good for us despite the win. We gave away a lot of penalties. First half of the season we focus on completing our sets and discipline,” Aiton said.
The Hunters are forced to drop two players due to Visa issues. Robert Mathias and Valentine Richard, will have to stay back in PNG while their Visa issues get sorted out before they are able to travel to Australia.
“Valentine Richard and Robert Mathias are unable to fly. So Junior Talin will step in for Robert and we have Manase Kai takes over Valentines spot. Tapia Solu was charged with a crusher tackle but we took an early plea so he will be out for a week only. So Finlay Glare will also make his debut. So in all three players will make their debut in tomorrows match,” Aiton said.
Australia has announced more support for Papua New Guinea’s Women’s rugby league development through an investment of a $9.7 million.
Belinda Gwasamun a rugby player with PNG Orchids said she was privileged to travel and play in Australia and at a World Cup and had more dedicated consistency to the high-performance training through similar development program.
“I am excited to see more female athletes playing rugby league and to have more opportunities and exposure through the support of our own domestic national competition. This is the way forward for the Orchids to be more competitive at the international level,” said Gwasamun.
PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina signs a document as Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea John Feakes looks on.
PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina said the investment is welcoming for the enhancement Women’s rugby league development in country.
“The last two years have started the phase for long term improvement in the game in PNG. Our female game is in its initial professional competition stage, and we are looking forward to getting it off the ground for the first time,” said Hondina.
The Australian support will see the establishment of a national women’s competition in PNG and support towards a women’s talent identification program.
The partnership expands to building the capacity and credentials of PNG Rugby League coaches, support staff and administrators, benefitting both the women’s and men’s game.
Australian High Commissioner to PNG John Feakes said Australia remains committed to promoting greater inclusion of women and girls in sport.
“Women’s rugby league in PNG has come a long way in a few short years. PNG Orchids’ debut performance in the 2017 World Cup and PNG now establishing a women’s national competition shows that barriers to gender equality are being broken down. I am excited to see where the game goes in PNG, there is so much untapped potential in this country,” Feakes said.
“The QRL prides itself on being an experienced and responsible steward of the game in Queensland and we’re happy to share our knowledge and expertise with trusted partners,” said Ikin.
QRL Chief Executive officer Ben Ikin said it’s a privilege to partner with the Australian Government, PNGRFL and the PNG Hunters to help support the growth of rugby league in PNG.
L-R QRL CEO Ben Ikin, PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina and Australian High Commissioner to PNG John Feakes.
