24 Jan 2013

Vanuatu's Anh Quan claims to be victim of conspiracy theories

4:09 pm on 24 January 2013

A Vanuatu diplomatic passport holder, Pascal Anh Quan Saken, says Papua New Guinea's opposition spread unfounded rumours about his visit to Port Moresby last week.

Mr Saken, who says he owns the super yacht Phocea which has been detained in Vanuatu since July due to false documentation, became the subject of a police and customs investigation while in Port Moresby.

PNG officials briefly detained his passport after the private plane he flew in on arrived without proper flight clearance.

Mr Saken says despite rumours that his plane was carrying contraband and that he was involved in secret meetings, he was only in PNG to talk to the new US Ambassador in the country.

"Those rumours about me are totally ridiculous and very unfair. I'm working very hard to help Vanuatu. I'm using all my networking that I have in Europe and USA in order to help the infrastructure of my country."

Pascal Anh Quan Saken says he is the victim of conspiracy theories in the Pacific region.

Mr Saken was allowed to depart PNG on Sunday night but has still not returned to Vanuatu since the Phocea was originally detained on suspicion of smuggling guns and drugs.

Although he left Vanuatu before he could be questioned in relation to the yacht, Mr Saken says he has been falsely portrayed as a gangster.

I've been accused of being a gangster, having firearms and drugs on board. Same story for the airplane. Come on, we have to be realistic. If you find a firearm, that is a very, very big allegation... or any illegal substance, you think that for seven months the story will last? No. It would be in court, we would be prosecuted for a very serious offence. There's nothing of that.

Mr Saken says he wasn't able to meet the US Ambassador in PNG as hoped and that he may return to PNG next month.

He also denies reports that the office of Vanuatu Prime Minister Sato Kilman's revoked his diplomatic passport last September