Australia announces aid boost for PNG landslide recovery and internal security

By KEIRAN SMITH
Associated Press

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Government announced it will provide a further two million Australian dollars ($1.3 million) to support reconstruction efforts in the region of last month’s major landslide in Papua New Guinea’s mountainous interior.  The support comes as PNG continues to grapple with the aftermath of the disaster in the remote Enga province, which the United Nations estimates killed 670 villagers and immediately displaced 1,650 survivors. The Australian government also unveiled a comprehensive aid package aimed at bolstering PNG’s internal security as part of a bilateral security pact between the two countries.