Human Trafficking Meeting in PNG

03/10/2010

The Director of the Immigration Department, Major Nemani Vuniwaqa was the keynote speaker at the week long seminar, [27th September 2010-01st October 2010] which recently ended in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The seminar was attended by 70 delegates which included representatives of foreign missions based in Papua New Guinea, non-government organisations, senior civil servants and provincial governors in order to formulate Papua New Guinea’s Bill on “Trafficking in Persons and People Smuggling”.

Major Vuniwaqa had been invited by the International Organisation for Migration, PNG-Department of Justice and Attorney General’s Office and also the Pacific Immigration Director’s Conference, to share with delegates at the seminar on the Fiji experience.

He informed the seminar that the Department of Immigration in Fiji, had conducted two [2] stakeholders meeting and is currently formulating the National Action Plan which will be endorsed at the end of this month, October 2010.

This has resulted in the formulation of the relevant working committee, the establishment of a unit within the department to address new cases and also which at the same time networks with other relevant stakeholders.

He told the seminar, that the issue of Trafficking in Persons and People Smuggling has been adequately addressed in Fiji’s Immigration Act, 2003 but at the same time, is also a very new phenomenon to reach our shores as late as last year, 2009 where we had Indian nationals arriving in Fiji illegally.

However, now in 2010, there is definitely an increase in the numbers arriving at our air borders with the vigilance of our frontline officers, led to the detection of eight [8] Indian nationals, one [1] of which is being currently tried in the Courts and likewise, with [4] Chinese nationals.

Major Vuniwaqa said the Fiji experience is similar to Papua New Guinea in that there is a definite need for more awareness with relevant stakeholders on this new phenomenon such as the Director of Public Prosecutions, Police, Customs Authority etc

However, he added that the Way Forward and the challenge ahead for Papua New Guinea is to uplift its current United States rankings from Tier 3 to Tier 2 as Fiji, was on the same status of Tier 3 in 2009 and Tier 2-Watch List in June 2010 and our rankings, is expected to improve further with the endorsement of the National Action Plan at the end of this month.

Major Vuniwaqa also paid a courtesy call on the PNG-Chief Immigration Officer, Mr. Joseph Nobetau where they had discussed and agreed to assist each other on relevant migration regional issues.

He confirmed that unlike Fiji, which is situated out in the South Pacific, Papua New Guinea is a very big country with large isolated, unprotected borders and in close proximity with Asian countries, the provincial governors highlighted, that this issue is a very big and growing problem and there is a need for government to allocate more resources to meet the challenge.

Major Vuniwaqa concluded that Fiji being at the hub of the South Pacific needs to closely network at the regional level and at the various national levels ensure that relevant legislations are implemented to ensure uniformity in the combat against Trafficking in Persons and People Smuggling.

-End-