9 Aug 2006

PNG troops kill man near Indonesian border - report

7:09 pm on 9 August 2006

Reports from Papua New Guinea say a man has been shot dead after crossing from Indonesia.

Details surrounding the shooting incidents are not clear.

The newspaper, The National, reports that PNG defence personnel opened fire on a fishing boat when it refused to stop, killing one man and injuring two others who are being treated at Vanimo hospital.

The report also says seven of the men in the Indonesian vessel surrendered and are being questioned.

Another report says the group from Indonesia belongs to the armed forces but none of them is reported to have been in uniform at the time of the shooting.

A PNG army spokesman, Captain Tom Ur, says he is still waiting on a report on the incident from his staff in Vanimo.

Late last month, 12 Indonesian fishermen were charged with illegal entry into PNG after they were caught fishing illegally near Vanimo.