Live ammos issued, says army chief

By ANTOINETTE POIVI and DYLAN MURRAY
LIVE ammunitions were issued to certain members of the “enemy” party, and certain officers for safety purposes, says PNG Defence Force Chief Mark Goina.
Goina told a press conference on Wednesday regarding a training mishap at Central’s Kupiano a day earlier which left two soldiers dead and another with a civilian wounded.
“How it got to the enemy party or the person responsible is being investigated,” he said.
“It was the first of such incident in training.
“Based on previous exercises, no such incidents occurred.
“We were of the view that all those things were covered.
“Investigations have already begun on how the live ammunition was used.”
Goina said such exercises could be conducted in an urban setting or a setting in the jungle.
“In this case, it depends on the scenario of what the exercise is about and based on.
“We select a site that best suits the training to be conducted.
He said the investigation team must have all the experience and knowledge as to how live ammunitions are managed and supply all protocols that go with conducting training using both blanks and live ammunitions.
“I will wait for the investigation report from the team,” he said.
“If they request for extension, that would be based on whether it has merits but the bottom line is, I want to make sure that it is investigated thoroughly.
“I’m sure the investigation report will highlight that (need for extension) and for us to take action to deal with it and stop further occurrence of that.
“I have put a strong team that have the knowledge of all areas that are associated with training.
“I’m sure they will provide all the answers to people’s questions and there will be recommendations to rectify all aspects of safety and security during training and exercise, including the use of live ammunition.
“This must not happen again and I will be commissioning a group that will conduct a board of inquiry.
“This group will look at particular incidents outside the defence force, giving us a check and balance that no such incident can happen again.”