Domestic violence back in spotlight in Papua New Guinea after two boys killed
Papua New Guinea police are investigating an alleged act of filicide, with a man was taken into custody for allegedly killing his two young children.
Police have said the 29-year-old repeatedly stabbed his two sons in the Port Moresby suburb of Morata about 5:00pm on Tuesday following an argument with his wife.
The children were aged five and three, police said.
Neighbours reportedly restrained the alleged perpetrator after he was seen to be attempting to take his own life, before being arrested by police, according to a police Facebook post.
On the program: Counting continues for the Samoan general election where the two major parties are tied with 25 seats each and Australia is promising to start weekly deliveries of locally produced Astra Zeneca coronavirus vaccine made doses by the end of this month.
Health worker in Papua New Guinea. Image tweeted by Natalie Whiting, ABC PNG Correspondent
Medical research institutes, including Burnet, have joined NGOs and Church groups in seeking strong, additional support for PNG’s COVID-19 emergency from the Australian Government, warning the intervention is “urgently” needed.
Australia urged to send 1 million vaccines to PNG https://t.co/lYbHaZJu4P
The Australian Council for International Development, ACFID, of which Burnet is a committed member, has welcomed the recent indication in Senate Estimates that the Australian Government will move beyond the immediate 8,480 allocation of vaccines to PNG.
ACFID CEO Marc Purcell said comments by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Senator, the Hon. Marise Payne, that all options are on the table for supplying vaccines to PNG, including the use of domestically manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines, was positive, but the need was urgent.
On the program today: Wednesday
A health and security expert is urging the Australian government to move fast in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases in Papua New Guinea. Professor Leanne Robinson at the Burnet Institute says Australia has days not weeks to sort out its health strategy for PNG.
Speculation continues to mount in Papua New Guinea over what shape a proposed COVID-19 isolation strategy will take. PNG s Prime Minister James Marape says it will not extend to a full lockdown or a pause on government and business operations.
The Australian government is expected to announce vaccine support for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, later today. It comes as 10% of staff at PNG s biggest hospital Port Moresby General contract COVID-19.