17 Aug 2004

PNG Speaker reveals death threats against him

6:29 am on 17 August 2004

Papua New Guinea's Speaker of Parliament Jeffery Nape says his life has been threatened.

The Police Commissioner Sam Inguba has indicated that police have confiscated one gun and investigated the possibility that five more firearms were taken into PNG Parliament precincts earlier this month.

Speaker Nape has been at the pivotal point of many clashes between the Opposition and the Government since his election as Speaker replacing Bill Skate.

The clashes are part of the on-going political battles as the Opposition led by Mr Skate's Peoples National Congress party attempt to overthrow the Government.

Mr Nape says he's ready to face anybody as a man - as he doesn't approve of people hiding behind masks and issuing threats.

He's confirmed that guns had been brought to Parliament on Tuesday, August 3 but didn't want to "pinpoint any particular individual or section of the community" to avoiding media blowing up the issue.

Mr Nape blames this on Parliament's premature rise and subsequently failure to sit for the constitutionally-required 63 sitting days of Parliament.

This is an issue that's before the Supreme Court filed by the Ombudsman Commission.