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The Port Moresby trafficking case is a warning about transnational crime

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By Bernard Yegiora Part 1 of a three-part series on language, intelligence and PNG’s security capacity The police operation in Port Moresby last week should command our attention beyond the immediate arrests. According to ABC News , officers found 39 Indonesian nationals allegedly confined in a house and forced to operate an online scam. Police detained four Chinese nationals suspected of involvement. Investigations and any criminal proceedings must establish what happened and who is responsible. Police in Port Moresby with people found during an investigation into an alleged human trafficking operation. The 39 Indonesian nationals were reportedly held against their will. Screenshot: ABC News ; photograph supplied to ABC by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. The first priority is the safety and dignity of the Indonesians. They need access to appropriate protection, interpretation and consular assistance. They may also hold evidence that helps investigators establish how they wer...
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Is China Becoming a Traditional Security Partner for PNG?

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By Bernard Yegiora A recent statement by Police Minister Sir John Pundari raises an important question about how PNG classifies its external security relationships: should China now be regarded as one of PNG’s traditional security partners? According to an article published by The National , Sir John reaffirmed PNG’s commitment to strengthening relations with its traditional security partners while discussing proposed Chinese assistance to the Royal PNG Constabulary. The cooperation reportedly includes autonomous drones, information exchange, targeted training and prefabricated housing for police officers in remote areas. These measures are intended to improve surveillance, intelligence-led policing and the State’s response to illegal firearms, organised crime and cross-border criminal networks. Screenshot of The National article, “Security ties prioritised,” published on 17 September 2026, which prompted this reflection on China’s evolving security relationship with Papua New Guinea...
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One Visit, Two Articles and My PhD Research on China–PNG Relations

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By Bernard Yegiora On 30 July 2026, I attended the Chinese Embassy’s Open House Day and the awarding ceremony for the “China in My Eyes” painting and video competition in Port Moresby. I attended because the event was relevant to my PhD research on China’s higher education exchange programs and their influence on relations between China and PNG. That single visit later produced two articles for The Yegiora Files . The first, “How China Is Engaging PNG’s Next Generation” , examined the participation of students, particularly those from Butuka Academy. The second, “How China Presented Its Partnership” , considered the wider story communicated through cultural performances and photographic displays of China–PNG cooperation. The two articles addressed different aspects of the same event. Reflecting on them together has helped me see more clearly why educational exchanges cannot be studied in isolation from the wider diplomatic environment in which they operate. An Embassy display introduci...
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How China Presented Its Partnership with PNG: From Cultural Performance to Development Diplomacy

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By Bernard Yegiora  A follow-up to How China Is Engaging PNG’s Next Generation Inside the Chinese Embassy in Port Moresby, guests stood and moved around the reception area. We gathered when the Chinese Ambassador spoke and when cultural performances began, including a puppet show. There were no rows of seats separating performers from the audience. The open arrangement allowed guests to watch, converse and move between activities. Guests gather inside the Chinese Embassy to watch a puppet performance during the cultural program, Port Moresby, 30 July 2026. Photograph by the author. This cultural engagement—and my conversation with a Butuka Academy student studying HSK2—formed the basis of my previous article on how China is engaging PNG’s next generation. But the event communicated another message beyond the performances. Outside, guests stood around a cocktail table as a female magician performed her tricks. The performance attracted a small circle of onlookers and continued the e...
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How China is engaging PNG’s next generation

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By Bernard Yegiora  At the Chinese Embassy in Port Moresby on 30 July 2026, I stood beside two uniformed students from Butuka Academy and a visiting artist from Guangdong Province. We held up the small artworks we had painted during a hands-on cultural activity, surrounded by brightly decorated Canton enamel porcelain featuring flowers, birds and traditional Chinese designs. The author with two Butuka Academy students and a visiting Guangdong artist during a cultural painting activity at the Chinese Embassy’s Open House Day in Port Moresby, 30 July 2026. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Yegiora) The photograph captures a seemingly simple cultural encounter. However, it also illustrates how China is building familiarity with its language and culture among PNG’s younger generation. I attended the Embassy’s Open House Day in connection with my PhD research on the influence of China’s higher education exchange programs on PNG–China relations. The event provided an opportunity to observe how ...
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Australia’s A$600 Million Waqa Moana Initiative: An Opportunity to Build PNG’s NSA and NIO

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By Bernard Yegiora Australia’s announcement of a A$600 million package to combat transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking in the Pacific should attract serious attention in PNG. On 2 September 2026, Pacific leaders endorsed Waqa Moana , a Pacific-led maritime security initiative intended to strengthen regional responses to illicit drug trafficking. Australia subsequently announced A$600 million in support for its implementation. Importantly, Waqa Moana will focus on getting actionable intelligence into the hands of Pacific police forces and operational responders. Identified cocaine trafficking routes affecting the Pacific, 2022–2024. The map highlights PNG’s position within wider trans-Pacific trafficking networks connecting the Americas, Pacific Island states, Australia, New Zealand, and East and Southeast Asia. Source: UNODC, World Drug Report 2025. UNODC map: Identified trafficking routes of cocaine impacting the Pacific, 2022–2024 For PNG, this should not be ...
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From Warning Signs to Preparedness: How PNG Should Respond to the West Papua Security Challenge

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By Bernard Yegiora The first two articles in this series argued that developments across PNG’s western border should no longer be viewed simply as an Indonesian domestic issue. The first identified warning signs emerging from the West Papua conflict, while the second considered what happens when a neighbouring conflict begins to enter PNG’s security space. This final article asks the more important policy question: What should PNG do about it? The answer is not that PNG should take sides in the West Papua conflict. Nor should PNG abandon its established diplomatic relationship with Indonesia. Rather, PNG needs to recognise that a prolonged conflict immediately across its land border creates national security risks that require sustained monitoring, intelligence assessment, inter-agency coordination and contingency planning. The central issue is preparedness. A Changing Security Environment PNG has lived alongside the West Papua conflict for decades. The border has experienced refugee ...
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