The Use of Illegal Guns: Security Implications for Papua New Guinea

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies State, Society and Governance in Melanesia StateSociety and in Governance Melanesia DISCUSSION PAPER Discussion Paper 2005/5 THE USE OF ILLEGAL GUNS: SECURITY IMPLICATIONS FOR PAPUA NEW GUINEA The use of illegal guns in Papua New Guinea is and a weak and unstable political system. In some JERRY of growing concern, with broad ranging social and parts of the country systemic social breakdown SINGIROK economic impacts. In the following paper, Major is apparent, where state institutions are in a General Jerry Singirok explores the dimensions of destitute state because of the lack of political illegal gun use in Papua New Guinea, examining will, resource constraints and failure to enforce patterns of gun use, sources of guns and firearms policies. administration and control. Drawing upon a Attempts to rectify the problems plaguing the variety of sources, including personal experience, nation are indeed complex and difficult. At the Singirok calls for a collaborative approach to gun very least, it would require the exercise of drastic control between state and society. political will by dedicated and experienced public servants. This body of people would implement strategies and institute major reforms to include INTRODUCTION relevant policy frameworks, tackling issues of damage control and developing long-term On any given day in Papua New Guinea strategies to prevent further disintegration of (PNG), the nation’s newspapers, television both state and society. and radio news will feature dramatic stories The breakdown in law and order, together about gun-related incidents. These incidents with state institutions that are unable to exercise are dramatic because they relate to harassing, authority, are markers of the current state of injuring, shooting and killing individuals. The affairs in PNG. In dealing with the gun problem targets may be families, persons in business houses it has to be appreciated that the illegal use of or people guarding access to restricted areas. guns is only one of a series of social epidemics Many of these incidents arise from transactions such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, corruption, involving the exchange of drugs for guns. poverty and unemployment in PNG, all of which After twenty-nine years of independence, are of major concern. In the global and regional The contribution Papua New Guinea is constantly confronted by context, post-cold war arms proliferation has of AusAID to unprecedented challenges at all levels of state resulted in the widespread availability of small this series is and society, as reflected in the economic, social arms. These weapons circulate in regions where acknowledged and political sectors. There are obvious signs of there are pockets of illicit cells, which for various with appreciation. a nation plagued with serious internal conflicts reasons sponsor, support and supply guns and Cultures of Dominance ammunition, making smaller states like PNG community. The media must be applauded 2 vulnerable to this kind of activity. for taking this issue head on. The use of In the nation’s capital, Port Moresby, there is factory and home made guns and pistols, a visible landscape of high razor wire fences, an even automatic weapons like M16s have extraordinary presence of security companies and caused, and continue to cause unnecessary the public display of guns by police, the military losses and sufferings to innocent citizens.2 and private security firms. In addition, there In the social and economic sectors, the are foreigners suspected of engaging in illegal security implications and impacts of illegal guns activities by using PNG nationals as decoys and their use are almost beyond comprehension. for larger syndicates, which take advantage of Illegal guns are often linked both to licit and weaknesses in state institutions, such as lapses in illicit drug activities, illegal immigrants and enforcement and sovereignty management. The money laundering. In this light, the security situation is made worse by the fact that the rules, implications confronting PNG are formidable regulations and legislation inherited by the post- and require a firm nationwide strategy that colonial administration have not been revisited to embraces civil society and donor agencies. It take into consideration local values and changes is equally important to establish the sources of in a changing environment that is fast becoming these guns and prevent supply to illegal gun users even more complex, due to internal and external through resource sharing, strengthening state influences and pressures. Hence, the weak state institutions and enforcing gun laws. and its impotent institutions are indicative of a nation struggling to cope with formal structures that lack strong links between state and society THE DIMENSIONS OF GUN USE IN and confront the informal fabric of traditional PAPUA NEW GUINEA values. Prior to the opening up of PNG to the outside world, the country was still in the Stone Illegal firearms are now taking over from Age, with various traditional forms of weapons traditional weapons in ethnic and tribal fighting, being used to hunt for meat and for self-defense. which have changed in character, particularly There are various reports of the first guns used by in the Highlands region of PNG. Guns are used indigenous people against foreigners, particularly for tribal fighting, where the means employed traders, miners and patrol officers. A case was by warring factions against their adversaries are reported in about 1897 in Oro Province when similar to military tactics. This is shown by natives from Binendere killed John Green and the well-constructed and skillfully camouflaged three constables, capturing muskets, shotguns weapon pits that are cunningly concealed, and ammunition.1 The natives used locals enhanced by observation posts sited at points experienced in the use of guns to improve their that confer the tactical advantage of giving chances of catching prey when hunting, thus combatants early warning of an approaching replacing the traditional technology of stone enemy. This new development coincides with axes, bows and arrows, spears and daggers, traps the large number of former soldiers returning and snares, poison arrows and darts. home who engage in tribal fighting and make use Today, the illegal use of guns (and ensuing of their military skills to enhance the tactics and lethal effects) has spread across all sections of techniques of tribal warfare. the country and has left thousands of traumatized During the 2001-2002 National Elections victims, with grave potential to bring the country I was engaged as a Security Consultant to the to its knees. This has a serious and significant Electoral Commission. I warned the Electoral impact on the nation at large, with unintended Commission and the National Government about implications for the economic, social and political the alarming presence of illegal high-powered sectors and serious consequences for the overall modern weapons in the Highlands region. The security of PNG. Ironically, the issue of gun use report identified the Southern Highlands, Enga for illegal purposes, while debated widely by civil and Western Highlands as the locus of illegal 3 society in PNG, is poorly understood. gun concentration. The same report indicated When handing down a life sentence to the that both candidates and sitting members were perpetrator of a serious firearms offence, on June prepared to use both illicit and licit guns to 24, 2004, National Court judge, Justice Mark harass, intimidate, disrupt and threaten voters Sevua, commented that: in order to secure their vote or keep them away from polling stations. 4 The report declared that The use of guns in crimes of violence has unless the national government addressed the been, and still is, the subject of serious issue of guns, some parts of the highlands would concerns by leaders and members of the be declared as having failed elections. The fear of Cultures of Dominance voters being intimidated and voting under duress in an area where illicit guns are accepted as the was unacceptable, although predictable, given norm. Enga Province, too, is of concern because 3 the way that guns have been used in the past. 5 of the presence of illicit high-powered guns The unfortunate outcome of the elections in and the persistence of tribal warfare. Reports of Southern Highlands Province was predicated, similar weaponry come from other parts of the with only three members being elected and country such as East Sepik, West Sepik, East and another six seats remaining undeclared due to West New Britain and Bougainville. a series of gun related incidents. There is still According to statistics compiled by the police, suspicion about the three elected politicians there is evidence that serious crimes reported because of claims that guns were used to intimidate over the last 10 years, and more so in recent or scare away voters. 6 times, have been exacerbated by the use of illegal In metropolitan areas, illicit guns are used firearms. It is estimated that approximately 60% daily for armed robberies by organised gangs. of all major crimes are gun related. Amongst the These operations, conducted by rogue elements, 3 top categories of crime (robbery, break & enter, are well planned and many robberies of business and murder) at least 90% of those reported crimes houses are described as “inside jobs”, where gunmen involved guns. In other words, it is conceivable either raid restaurants or walk into thriving stores that in the absence of firearms crime rates would and plunder the stores of their valuables with the be lower, although criminals may use alternative assistance of insiders or informants. means of weaponry.9 Between 1999 and 2002, two major gun Papua New Guinea’s political leaders are related incidents occurred in Port Moresby. The constantly implicated in the illegal use of guns first incident occurred on New Year’s Eve, 1999, by the local media.

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