Category: State funeral

  • The usually festive Christmas season in West Papua was marred by the death of beloved Papua Governor and Chief Lukas Enembe in an Indonesian military hospital on Boxing Day. The author personally witnessed the emotional village scenes of his burial and accuses the Indonesian authorities of driving him to his death through draconian treatment. Today is one year from when Enembe was “kidnapped” by authorities from his home and most Papuans believe the governor never received justice.

    SPECIAL REPORT: By Yamin Kogoya in Jayapura

    Papuans regard December as both the most sacred and toughest month of the year.

    December holds great significance in West Papua for two distinct reasons. First, the date  December 1 signifies a pivotal national moment for Papuans, symbolising the birth of their nationhood.

    Second, on December 25, the majority of Christian Papuans celebrate the birth of Christ.

    This date embodies the spirit of Christmas every year, characterised by warmth, family gatherings, and the commemoration of Jesus’ birth, which is profoundly revered among Papuans.

    The festive ambiance is heightened by the overlap with the celebration of Papuan independence on December 1, creating a doubly important month for the people.

    Papuans raise the Morning Star flag on December 1 every year to commemorate the birth of a new nation statehood, marked originally in 1961. The month of December is a time of celebration and hope — but it is also tragedy and betrayal, making it psychologically and emotionally the most sensitive month for Papuans.

    If there were an evil force aiming to target and disrupt the heart of Papuan collective identity, December would be the ideal time for such intentions.

    Papua Governor Lukas Enembe
    Papua Governor Lukas Enembe speaks to journalists after his inauguration at the State Palace in Jakarta in 2018. Image: HSanuddin/Kompas/JP

    Jakarta accomplished this on 26 December 2023 — Boxing Day as it is known in the West.

    Instead of offering a Christmas gift of redemption and healing to the long-suffering Papuans, who have endured torment from the Indonesian elites for more than 60 years, Jakarta tragically presented them with yet another loss — the death of their beloved leader, former Papua Governor and Chief Lukas Enembe.

    Enembe died at the Indonesian military hospital in Jakarta at 10 am local time.

    Chief Lukas Enembe died standing
    In the early hours of Tuesday, December 26, Enembe asked visiting family members to help him stand up from his hospital bed. The next thing he asked was for someone close to him to hug and embrace him.

    Before taking his last breath, Enembe looked around and kissed a family member on the cheek. He died while standing and being embraced by his family.

    A doctor was immediately summoned to attend Chief Enembe. Tragically, it was too late to save him. He was pronounced dead shortly after.

    Since October, he had been receiving treatment at the Indonesian military hospital. He fought courageously both legally and clinically for his life after he was “kidnapped” from his home by the Indonesian Corruption Commission (KPK) and Indonesian security forces on 10 January 2023.

    During his prolonged trial, he was severely ill and in and out of courtrooms and military hospitals. Some weeks after falling in KPK’s prison bathroom, he was rushed to hospital but brought straight back to his prison cell.

    Court hearings were sometimes cancelled due to his severe illness, while at other times, he briefly appeared online. At times, hearings took hours due to insufficient or lack of evidence, or the complexity of the case against him.

    Eventually, Chief Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh and other judges read out the verdict on 19 October 2023, in which he was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined Rp500 million for bribery and gratification related to infrastructure projects in Papua.

    One month after the ruling became legally binding, the judge also enforced an extra fine of Rp19.69 billion.

    He continued to maintain his innocence until the day he died.

    A floral tribute to the Enembe family from Indonesian President Joko Widodo
    A floral tribute and condolences to the Enembe family from Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Image: Yamin Kogoya

    Throughout the proceedings, Enembe asserted that he had never received any form of illicit payment or favour from either businessman cited in the allegations.

    Enembe and his legal team emphasised that none of the testimony of the 17 witnesses called during the trial could provide evidence of their involvement in bribery or gratuities in connection with Lukas Enembe.

    “During the trial, it was proven very clearly that no witness could explain that I received bribes or gratuities from Rijatono Lakka and Piton Enumbi,” Enembe said through his lawyer Pattyona during the hearing.

    In addition to asking for his release, Enembe also asked the judge to unfreeze the accounts of his wife and son which had been frozen when the legal saga began. He said his wife (Yulce Wenda) and son (Astract Bona Timoramo Enembe) needed access to their funds to cover their daily expenses.

    This request remains answered until today.

    Enembe asked that no party criminalise him anymore. He insisted that he had never laundered money or owned a private jet, as KPK had claimed. Enembe’s lawyer also requested that his client’s honour be restored to prevent further false accusations from emerging.

    As Enembe appealed the verdict for justice, he became seriously ill and was admitted to military hospital on October 23. He could nit secure the justice he sought, nor did he receive the medical care he persistently pleaded for.

    Singaporean medical specialist tried to save him
    Within a week of being admitted to the military hospital, his health rapidly deteriorated.

    Upon an emergency family request, Dr Francisco (a senior consultant nephrologist) and Dr Ang (a senior consultant cardiologist from Singapore Royalcare, heart, stroke and cancer) visited Chief Lukas on October 28.

    Under his Singaporean doctors’ supervision, Enembe underwent successful dialysis the next day.

    Enembe’s family requested a second visit on November 15 in carry out treatment for further dialysis and other complications..

    A third visit was scheduled for next week after the doctors were due to return from their holidays. Doctors were in the process of requesting that the chief be transported to Singapore for a kidney transplant.

    The doctors were shocked when they learned of the death of their patient — a unique and strong human being they had come to know over the years — when they returned from holiday.

    In her tribute to the former governor, Levinia Michael, centre manager of the Singapore medical team, said:

    “Mr Governor left us with a broken heart, but he is at eternal peace now. I think he was totally exhausted fighting this year battle with men on earth.”

    Requests for immediate medical treatment rejected
    There have been numerous letters of appeal sent from the chief himself, the chief’s family, lawyers, and his medical team in Singapore to the KPK’s office, the Indonesian president, and the Indonesian human rights commission, all requesting that Enembe be treated before going on trial. They were simply ignored.

    Before his criminalisation in 2022 and subsequent kidnapping in 2023, the torment of this esteemed Papuan leader had already begun, akin to a slow torture like that of a boiling frog.

    He confided to those near him that Jakarta’s treatment was a consequence of his opposition to numerous West Papua policies. His staunch pro-Papuan stance, similar to other leaders before him, ultimately sealed his fate.

    The real cause of the death of this Papuan leader and many others who died mysteriously in Jakarta will never be known, as Indonesian authorities are unlikely to allow an independent autopsy or investigative analysis to determine the real cause of death.

    This lack of accountability and lack of justice only fuels Papuan grievances and strengthens their unwavering commitment to fight for their rights.

    Emotional Papuan responses
    On the morning of December 28, the governor’s body arrived in Port Numbay, the capital of West Papua, or Hollandia during the Dutch era. (Indonesia later renamed the city Jayapura, meaning “city of victory”.)

    As the coffin of the beloved Papuan leader and governor began to exit the airport corridor, chaos erupted. Mourning and upset Papuans attacked the Papua police chief, and the acting governor of Papua, Ridwan Rumasukun’s face was smashed with rocks.

    Burning Indonesian flags during a protest at Chief Lukas Enembe's home village of Mamit
    Burning Indonesian flags during a protest at Chief Lukas Enembe’s home village of Mamit. Image: APR

    Papuan tribes of the highland village of Mamit, from where Chief Eneme originates, have asked all Indonesian settlers to pack their belongings and return home. His village’s airstrip was closed and there was a threat to burn an aircraft.

    Thousands marched while burning Indonesian flags and rejecting Indonesian occupation.

    Jayapura and its surroundings completely changed upon his arrival. All shops, supermarkets, malls, and offices were closed. The red-and-white Indonesian flag was flown half-mast.

    Condolence posters, messages, and flowers
    Condolence posters, messages, and flowers for the funerals of Lukas Enembe. Image: Yamin Kogoya

    The streets, usually heavily congested with traffic emptied. There were almost no Indonesian settlers visible on the streets. Armed soldiers and policemen were visible everywhere, anticipating any possible uprising, creating an eerie atmosphere of dread and uncertainty.

    Despite this, thousands of Papuans commenced their solemn journey, carrying the coffin on foot from Sentani to Koya while flying high West Papua’s Morning Star flag.

    Papuan mourners said goodbye to their governor with a mixture of sorrow and pride — a deep sense of sorrow for his tragic death, but also a sense of pride for what he stood for.

    Papuan mothers, fathers, and youth stood along roadsides waving, holding posters, and bidding farewell. They addressed him as “goodbye son”, “goodbye father”, “good rest chief of Papuan people”, “father of development”, “father of education”, and “most honest and loved leader of Papuan people”.

    The setting mirrored Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, greeted with palm leaves and resounding hosannas, only to face an unjust trial and execution on a Roman cross.

    Tens of thousands of Papuans carry the coffin of Chief Lukas Enembe
    Tens of thousands of Papuans carry the coffin of Chief Lukas Enembe from Sentani to Koya on December 28. Image: Screenshot APR

    At midnight, thousands of Papuans carried the coffin by foot to the chief’s home, and the funeral continued until the next day. About 20,000 people gathered, and not a single Indonesian settler or high Indonesian or security forces official was visible.

    Hundreds of flowers, posters with condolence messages from Indonesian’s highest offices, government departments, NGOs, individual leaders, governors, regencies, ministers, and even President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo himself flooded the chief’s home — which was displayed everywhere from the streets to the walls and fences.

    Finally, on the December 29, Governor and Chief Lukas Enembe was buried next to the massive museum he had built dedicated to West Papua and Russia in honour of his favourite 19th century Russian scientist, anthropologist and humanist, Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay, who sought to save Papuans from European racism and savagery in the Papua New Guinea north-eastern city of Madang in the 1870s.

    Governor Chief Lukas Enembe built a museum
    Governor Chief Lukas Enembe built a museum to honour Russian scientist, anthropologist and humanist Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay. Image: Yamin Kogoya

    Thousands of TikTok videos, YouTube videos, Facebook posts, and other social media outlets have been flooded with many of his courageous speeches, remarks, and other observations made during his leadership.

    Papuans carry leaders’ coffins as sign of respect
    West Papua has had only four other Papuan leaders besides Chief Enembe who have been carried on foot by thousands of Papuans as a sign of honour and respect since Indonesian occupation began in 1963.

    Governor Chief Lukas Enembe was greeted by Papuan mothers and youth with flowers
    Governor Chief Lukas Enembe was greeted by Papuan mothers and youth with flowers as thousands carried his coffin from Sentani to Koya on December 28. The moment invoked the welcome of Jesus to Jerusalem with hosannas. Image: Screenshot APR

    They were Thomas Wainggai in 1996, a prominent West Papua independence advocate; Theys Eluay (2001), killed by Indonesian special forces; Neles Tebay, a Papuan leader who actively sought a peaceful resolution of conflict in West Papua through his Catholic faith and network; and Filep Karma, a prominent West Papuan independence leader and governor.

    When Papuans carry their dead leader by foot chanting, singing, dancing with a Morning Star flag, it means these leaders understood the deepest desire and prayers for Papuans people and that desire and prayer is freedom and independence to West Papua.

    Chief Lukas Enembe’s uniqueness lies in the fact that he was the only Indonesian colonial governor to receive such honour and respect from Papuans. While the other four honoured were not governors, they were active participants in the independence movement in West Papua.

    ‘Act of revenge’ by Jakarta against a courageous Papuan leader
    Jakarta finally accomplished what it had set out to accomplish for decades when Enembe became a threat to Jakarta’s grip on West Papua — to engineer his death.

    A direct assault on Lukas Enembe posed too much risk for Jakarta. Instead, Jakarta systematically criminalised, abducted, subjected him to legal processes, and clinically tortured him until his death on December 26.

    Regardless of how vile and malicious a criminal is in Western nations, if they are injured during their illegal acts, are captured alive or half alive, police, paramedics, and ambulances immediately transport them to a hospital to be treated until they are physically and mentally capable of standing a fair trial.

    This is protected under the western central legal doctrine — a person must be fit for trial.

    Governor and Chief Lukas Enembe was evidently unfit for trial or imprisonment. However, the Indonesian government, using its corruption-fighting institution (KPK), detained an ailing man in prison until he died.

    While Indonesians may see his death as a consequence of kidney failure, to Papuans he was tortured to death like a “boiling frog” much as Jakarta is doing to Papuans in West Papua as a whole.

    In less than 20-50 years from now, indigenous Papuans will be reduced to a point where they will be unable to reclaim their land. The Papuans themselves must unite and fight for their land.

    If the outside world fails to intervene, the fate of the Papuans will be like that of the original indigenous First Nation peoples of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

    A door of hope for reclaiming their land is becoming narrower and narrower as Jakarta employs every trick to divide them, control them and eliminate them.

    The Indonesian government is using highly sophisticated means to exterminate Papuans without the Papuans even being aware of it. Those who are aware are being eliminated.

    Chief Lukas Enembe was one of the few leaders who realised Papuans may face this bleak fate.

    Yamin Kogoya is a West Papuan academic who has a Master of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University and who contributes to Asia Pacific Report. From the Lani tribe in the Papuan Highlands, he is currently living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • PNG Post-Courier

    Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae has described Papua New Guinea’s late Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil as a vibrant and visionary leader who was passionate about his people and the electorate.

    He said Basil loved and dedicated his life to the people of Bulolo until his unexpected death in a tragic vehicle accident which had left the nation in shock, disbelief and agony.

    “Throughout his entire political career, he committed himself to serving his people, residing and dining with them throughout the length and breadth of the huge and difficult electorate he represented,” Sir Bob said.

    “I recall when the late Basil first entered politics in 2007, he was empowered with excitement, enthusiasm and unrelenting self-belief, hope and purpose to lead his people.

    “It was not the kind of excitement that comes from inconceivable expectation, the kind that fades into despair and hopelessness before too long.

    “Rather, his vision and passion for his people were relentless. From the very beginning, he lived among his people and was dedicated to their service to bring about much needed development and often provided personal assistance when faced with public funding issues.

    “He was well loved, no doubt. We only have to look back at the last couple of days at the outpouring of grief and despair for a man, a leader who was well liked and admired, not just by his people, but throughout our country.

    ‘Lost a great son’
    “Indeed, our nation has lost a great son.”

    His style of leadership had demonstrated that development and service delivery was possible and could happen, even in the most remote of locations if leaders went down to the level of their people, listened and produced tangible results.

    Sir Bob said the late Basil spoke his mind on matters, was practical and walked the talk.

    “Basil was not one to shy away or back down when challenged and was not afraid to speak his mind on issues he felt strongly about and that is the kind of leadership we need in this country,” he said.

    “At this juncture, I take this time to also pay tribute to the late First Constable Neil Maino who also lost his life in the tragic accident.”

    First Constable Maino died on the job that he had vowed to do as a close protection officer of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, and to our Deputy Prime Minister. First Constable Maino served faithfully until he died.

    “We mourn the loss of two distinct men — one an outstanding leader and servant for the people, the other a faithful CPO right to the end.”

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Rappler reporters

    Filipinos honoured the late Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III by lighting buildings up in yellow, tying yellow ribbons around trees and lamp posts, and staging makeshift memorials in their area.

    Aquino, son of two of the country’s greatest democracy icons, died from kidney disease on Thursday at the age of 61.

    His funeral mass was held on Saturday and President Rodrigo Duterte declared 10 days of national mourning.

    Aquino, the country’s 15th president, was inaugurated in June 2010 following a landslide election win delivered on the back a strong anti-graft campaign.

    Calls for him to run mounted after the death in August 2009 of his mother, Corazon Aquino, a former president and wife of  For supporters, an Aquino was the answer to the massive corruption plaguing the country.

    Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr, was assassinated in 1983 on the tarmac of Manila International Airport — subsequently renamed in his honour — as he returned from exile in the US.

    The opposition leader’s callous murder was the catalyst for People Power, the revolutionary movement that brought down the Marcos dictatorship and catapulted Corazon Aquino, a housewife, into the presidency.

    Buildings lit up
    Several institutions including the Philippine Educational Theater Association, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and Roxas City Heritage Zone lit up their buildings in yellow to pay homage to “Noynoy” Aquino III.

    The CCP explained that the color was a “symbol for freedom from dictatorship and reinstating democratic institutions.”

    De La Salle University’s St La Salle Hall was lit in Philippine flag colors and adorned with black and yellow cloth to “honour President Aquino’s service to the Filipino people”.

    While some individuals took to social media to say thanks to Aquino, so much so that #PaalamPNoy became a top trending hashtag on Twitter, there were also many Filipinos across the Philippines who brought their tributes to the streets.

    Supporters of Noynoy Aquino offered flowers and prayers at a makeshift memorial near his residence at Times Street, Quezon City.

    Others, meanwhile, placed black and yellow ribbons on the fence of the Ateneo de Manila University campus on Katipunan Avenue. The wake of the former president was earlier open for public viewing at the Ateneo’s Church of the Gesu.

    Some had tied yellow ribbons around trees and lamp posts, while others had set up makeshift memorials in their own areas.

    Here are some of the tributes that Filipinos made for Aquino:

    The Philippine Educational Theater Association decorates its building with yellow ribbons and yellow lights. Image: Rappler
    The iconic St La Salle Hall is lit in Philippine flag colors and is adorned with black and yellow cloth to honor President Aquino’s service to the Filipino people. De La Salle University. Image: Rappler
    Yellow ribbons, which symbolise the Aquino legacy, are tied to the centre island railings of España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila. Image: Rappler
    The stretch of Espana Boulevard in Manila feature yellow ribbons. Image: Rappler
    Supporters of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III offer flowers and prayers at a makeshift memorial near his residence at Times Street, Quezon City. Image: Rappler
    Supporters of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III offer flowers and prayers at a makeshift memorial near his residence at Times Street, Quezon City. Image: Rappler

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby

    The youngest daughter of the Somare family Dulciana Somare-Brash told mourners the state funeral for Papua New Guinea’s Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare was a bittersweet occasion for her family.

    “Today is a bittersweet day for my family, we come here to farewell our patriarch, our protector, and our human shield in a place where he stood to raise our flag [for independence] all those years ago for our new nation,” she said at Friday’s state funeral.

    “It was here that he made his mark on this land, a land with plenty, beaming with resources that require our care now.

    “Late yesterday [Thursday] afternoon I watched my father the great Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare leave Parliament for the last time.

    “From 1982 when the Australian gifted that House, he would proudly walk proudly through its doors.

    “Yesterday he was carried into the chamber and as he lay in state I fought back tears, that he had dreamt, then felt, then he had left for us to complete.

    Sir Michael Somare 040321
    Sir Michael Somare … he became Papua New Guinea’s founding prime minister in 1975. Image: RNZ

    “I wept bittersweet tears for all that he had left behind and all that he had abruptly left for us to do. Yesterday was a hard day sitting in Parliament, a building so familiar to me and my mother and my siblings.

    ‘Wonderful tributes’
    “I heard wonderful tributes from my father’s peers, papa [Sir Julius] Chan spoke of a lifelong friendship, and papa [Paias] Wingti lamented over a mentor and friend he treasured.

    “Prime Minister James Marape referred to my father as a bulldozer yesterday which makes perfect sense actually as we’ve always joked that our mother [Lady Veronica] was the handbrake without ever referring to our father as a bulldozer.”

    The state funeral was held at the Sir Hubert Murray stadium in Port Moresby yesterday.

    Today, the body of the Grand Chief will be flown to East Sepik ahead of his burial at his property in Wewak.

    Thousands of people have converged on both Port Moresby and Wewak for the respective services to pay respects to Sir Michael, reports RNZ Pacific.

    EMTV Somare screenshot
    A screenshot from yesterday’s EMTV News live streaming on social media. Most news media carried live feeds of the four-hour funeral.

    Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier reporter.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • PNG founding father Sir Michael Somare’s funeral pallbearers in Port Moresby yesterday. Image: EMTV livestream screenshot APR

    By Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby

    The youngest daughter of the Somare family Dulciana Somare-Brash told mourners the state funeral for Papua New Guinea’s Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare was a bittersweet occasion for her family.

    “Today is a bittersweet day for my family, we come here to farewell our patriarch, our protector, and our human shield in a place where he stood to raise our flag [for independence] all those years ago for our new nation,” she said at Friday’s state funeral.

    “It was here that he made his mark on this land, a land with plenty, beaming with resources that require our care now.

    “Late yesterday [Thursday] afternoon I watched my father the great Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare leave Parliament for the last time.

    “From 1982 when the Australian gifted that House, he would proudly walk proudly through its doors.

    “Yesterday he was carried into the chamber and as he lay in state I fought back tears, that he had dreamt, then felt, then he had left for us to complete.

    Sir Michael Somare 040321Sir Michael Somare … he became Papua New Guinea’s founding prime minister in 1975. Image: RNZ

    “I wept bittersweet tears for all that he had left behind and all that he had abruptly left for us to do. Yesterday was a hard day sitting in Parliament, a building so familiar to me and my mother and my siblings.

    ‘Wonderful tributes’
    “I heard wonderful tributes from my father’s peers, papa [Sir Julius] Chan spoke of a lifelong friendship, and papa [Paias] Wingti lamented over a mentor and friend he treasured.

    “Prime Minister James Marape referred to my father as a bulldozer yesterday which makes perfect sense actually as we’ve always joked that our mother [Lady Veronica] was the handbrake without ever referring to our father as a bulldozer.”

    The state funeral was held at the Sir Hubert Murray stadium in Port Moresby yesterday.

    Today, the body of the Grand Chief will be flown to East Sepik ahead of his burial at his property in Wewak.

    Thousands of people have converged on both Port Moresby and Wewak for the respective services to pay respects to Sir Michael, reports RNZ Pacific.

    EMTV Somare screenshotA screenshot from yesterday’s EMTV News live streaming on social media. Most news media carried live feeds of the four-hour funeral.

    Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier reporter.

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    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • The Loop PNG livestreaming of the Sir Michael Somare funeral in Port Moresby today.

    Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

    The Somare family has thanked the people of Papua New Guinea for the “incredible outpouring of love and support” during their time of grief, the PNG Post-Courier reports.

    Today marked the final official event on the programme for the National Capital District.

    Sir Michael’s funeral mass at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium was being beamed live on television and via live streaming.

    “Given this week’s unprecedented rise in covid-19 infections in the national capital, we appeal to each of you to watch the event from home if you can,” said daughter Betha Somare.

    “Please avoid gathering in public spaces and if you feel unwell and stay home to keep others safe. Always wear a mask when you are among others and avoid unnecessary travel.

    “We were saddened to hear about patients and staff at the Port Moresby General Hospital testing positive for covod-19. POMGH have always taken excellent care of our parents and our thoughts are with them and all our front line health workers.

    “Your messages and warm memories shared about Sir Michael on social media have kept us comforted. His legacy, his kindness and his compassion lives on in all of us.

    “Sir Michael would have wanted us all to keep each other safe, especially during these unprecedented times. Stay home if you can and follow the directions of health authorities.”

    Passing of a ‘great light’
    Rebecca Kuku reports that East Sepik Governor Allan Bird said the country had just witnessed the “passing of a great light in the world”.

    “And while this brings us great sorrow, it should also bring us renewed enthusiasm to meet the challenges we face.

    “Children are supposed to do better than their parents. Somare and his team of founding fathers did a tremendous job, let’s not leave it there.

    “Somare led a group of great men and women. They did their job and now we are here. They tried to be better, they were better, they were the best,” he said.

    Bird said that Papua New Guinea should have flown Grand Chief around the country on a farewell tour in 2017, 2018, 2019 or even in 2020.

    “We did not. Just like so many other things we should have done but did not do,” he said.

    “Just like the cancer wing at the Port Moresby General Hospital. Can we just do it or are we going to not get it done too?”

    Sir Michael Somare cortege
    The Sir Michael Somare state funeral cortège at Waigani in Port Moresby today. Image: PNG Post-Courier screenshot APR
    Somare family
    Somare family members at the state funeral for Sir Michael today. Image: PNG Post-Courier screenshot APR

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.