The Yegiora Files

 By Bernard Yegiora  PNG’s recent intelligence-led operation against illegally imported food products may appear to be an ordinary enforcement action. However, strategically, it represents something much more important. It signals that PNG is slowly beginning to operationalize long-standing national security policy ideas that were first articulated more than a decade ago. The recent operation coordinated through the Joint Intelligence Group (JIG), involving the National Security Agency (NSA), National Intelligence Organisation, PNG Customs Service, PNG Biosecurity Authority, and the Royal PNG Constabulary’s Transnational Crime Unit, demonstrated the growing role of intelligence-sharing and inter-agency coordination in PNG’s security environment. Screenshot of a reported article published in the Post-Courier newspaper and shared privately by a reader. The report highlights the recent intelligence-led operation coordinated through the JIG and the NSA against illegal imports in P...

By Bernard Yegiora  The recent decision by the Chinese Embassy in PNG to feature my video submission, Juncao in Practice: China–Papua New Guinea Cooperation in Eastern Highlands Province , on its Facebook and X platforms is more than just recognition of a competition entry. It also highlights an important development story that deserves greater national attention. The video focuses on the Juncao technology project in Eastern Highlands Province and demonstrates how practical cooperation between China and PNG can translate into real outcomes at the community level. The project shows that development cooperation is not only about policy discussions or diplomatic meetings in Port Moresby. It is also about the transfer of practical knowledge and technology that ordinary Papua New Guineans can use to improve livelihoods. Below are screenshots from the Chinese Embassy’s official social media platforms featuring the video: Chinese Embassy in PNG Facebook post featuring Juncao in Practic...

By Bernard Yegiora The release of the PNG Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 marked an important moment in PNG’s strategic and diplomatic history. It provided a long-term framework for understanding PNG’s role within an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region. However, as the country moves toward the 2027 General Elections, an important question must now be asked: what alternative foreign policy vision does the Opposition offer to the people of PNG? In mature democracies, opposition parties do not simply criticize government policy. They present alternative strategic frameworks that demonstrate how they would govern differently if elected into office. Foreign policy should therefore become part of the national political debate leading into 2027, especially at a time when geopolitical competition in the Pacific is intensifying. PNG today sits at the centre of growing strategic interest from major powers including China, Australia, and the United States. The country’s geography, mariti...

By Bernard Yegiora  The debate surrounding the Jomard Passage has largely centred on one dominant argument: PNG cannot move toward any form of transit fee or stronger regulatory control because the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) guarantees freedom of passage through international waterways. This position is often presented as absolute and legally fixed. However, the reality of maritime governance is far more nuanced. International maritime law is not applied mechanically in every context, and state practice demonstrates that countries frequently negotiate tailored arrangements to reflect geography, security concerns, environmental protection, and national interests. The Torres Strait Treaty between PNG and Australia illustrates this clearly. The Torres Strait Treaty established a unique governance framework balancing sovereignty, border management, fisheries cooperation, environmental protection, and the traditional movement rights of local communities. ...

 By Bernard Yegiora The debate on charging transit fees through the Jomard Passage should no longer be framed as a narrow question of revenue. It is, fundamentally, a question of how PNG finances and operationalises maritime security. The opportunity before the country is not simply to monetise a strategic waterway, but to convert that revenue into a sustained security capability. This is precisely where the concept of Blue Security—developed in my research —becomes directly relevant. The Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 provides a timely and necessary recognition of the country’s evolving security environment. It acknowledges the importance of maritime security, identifies threats such as illegal fishing and transnational crime, and calls for strengthened border and maritime governance. It also frames PNG as a steward of vast oceanic resources and aligns itself with broader regional narratives such as the Blue Pacific. Yet, despite this recognition, the policy stops short of ar...

By Bernard Yegiora  The global maritime order is no longer operating on passive assumptions of free access. It is shifting toward strategic control, and states are beginning to assert their interests over critical waterways. Iran’s move to charge vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz is a clear signal that the rules are being tested . Indonesia’s discussions around the Malacca Strait reinforce the same trajectory. These developments are not anomalies—they reflect a recalibration of how sovereign states interpret control over maritime space. PNG must read this shift carefully and respond with intent. For too long, the Jomard Passage has been treated as a neutral corridor rather than a national asset. This is a fundamental policy failure. The passage sits within PNG’s maritime domain and serves as a route for international shipping, yet the country derives minimal economic benefit from its use. At the same time, PNG carries the burden of environmental risk, maritime safety concer...