PNGDF & police gear up security for APEC meeting

First Pacific Islands Regiment on a 27 km route march as part of its combat fitness training

LI XIA | Xinhua

PORT MORESBY- Papua New Guinea has geared up its land, sea and air security support services for hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, PNG Defence Force authorities said on Friday.

"It is a tremendous undertaking and a giant leap for us and therefore at this stage, with a number of months to go, it is important that we understand our capabilities and test them accordingly," PNG’s chief of force preparations, Colonel Siale Diro, told the PNG Post-Courier.

The deployment of dedicated special forces is already being tested to help police and other agencies provide safety and security for the international event, the newspaper quoted Diro as saying.

The main force consists of infantry and other supporting elements "that can bring our military capability to the fore when and where it is required," he said.

The PNGDF also rolled out a major exercise last week covering the various locations planned for APEC events in Port Moresby as part a comprehensive security package, Police Commissioner Gari Baki said.

The exercise will help ensure that defence and security elements involved in APEC are up to the mark, he said.