Media release
30 September 2010
For immediate release
Australian Defence support assists in identifying PNGDF MIAs
An Australian Army forensic team from Unrecovered War Casualties – Army (UWC-A) has recently returned from Bougainville where, at the request of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF), it conducted post mortem examinations on the human remains of three PNGDF soldiers over the period of 26-30 October 2010.
The three soldiers were reported as Missing in Action (MIA) during the Bougainville emergency in 1996 and later confirmed as being dead. The PNG Government and the Bougainville Autonomous Government have agreed to have the remains of the soldiers returned to their home locations for burial.
To assist with this process the Australian Army agreed to provide the expertise of the UWC-A team in a joint (Australian Army and PNGDF) effort to identify the remains of the three soldiers.
The team travelled to Buka, in the north of Bougainville, and then on to the remote community of Kunua to examine the remains.
“The remains are being looked after by local custodians in widely separated communities in a country where transport and communications are very difficult.
“Despite these handicaps the local communities went to great lengths to make the remains available for us to examine,” the Australian team leader, Brian Manns, the manager of UWC-A, said.
He said that throughout the time the team was in Bougainville they were accompanied by two officers from the PNGDF. Lieutenant Colonels Eddie Yodu and Joe Ben provided the lead and successfully negotiated access to the remains and the necessary logistic support with officials from the Bougainville Autonomous Government and local officials.
The forensic team will return to Australia on Friday 1 October, 2010, and will provide a full report of the results of the examinations to the PNGDF in order that negotiations can commence for the repatriation of the remains to their home provinces and their families.
PNGDF’s Director of Land Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Siale Diro, said once the remains were positively identified, then the ceremonial handover of the remains involving the PNGDF, custodians and family would begin.
“Bringing the remains home to their families, their loved ones, for a proper burial is purely a humanitarian act. It is the right thing to do and will allow for the healing of past wounds,” Lieutenant Colonel Diro said.
Other Australians in the forensic team included an investigator, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Vercoe of UWC-A; a forensic pathologist, Wing Commander Timothy Lyons; a forensic dentist, Lieutenant Commander Russell Lain; and a forensic anthropologist, Donna MacGregor.