4 Feb 2013

PNG police minister promises full scale police investigation into Rabaul Queen disaster

8:18 pm on 4 February 2013

The Papua New Guinea Police Minister, Nixon Duban, says a full scale investigation into the sinking of the inter island ferry, the Rabaul Queen, will begin next week.

Commemorations around PNG at the weekend marked the sinking of the vessel in which at least 141 people died.

No one has yet been charged over the disaster but an inquiry last year was strongly critical of the company which owned the vessel and the actions of several government agencies.

Preliminary police enquiries got underway last year but have been held back by a lack of funding.

Mr Duban says this will not be a factor once 2013 funding becomes available laster this week.

He says the Peter O'Neill Government is committed to ensuring the recommendations of the commission of inquiry, especially that there be a full scale police investigation, are carried out as a matter of priority.