A report on the trade of small arms in the Pacific, being launched in Fiji this morning, says more needs to be done to stop the so-called leakage of weapons from state armouries.
The study says illicit trafficking of small arms is a pressing issue in Papua New Guinea where sources include South East Asia and its border with the Indonesian province Papua.
It says stockpiles of smallarms in the region are the primary source of weapons used in crime, rebellion and ethnic violence.
The report, commissioned by an independent research project based in Geneva, urges governments in the region to continue efforts to introduce uniform gun control laws.
