Moti Escape? PNG Military officer is wrong

Susan Merrell and Douglas Marau

Robson Djokovic, a senior government appointee of then Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, has spoken out to ‘set the record straight’ about Mr. Julian Moti’s 2006 flight from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands.

Djokovic claims that the story told to the Solomon Star newspaper by an anonymous member of the PNG defence force was “a complete fabrication.”

“Sogavare never gave the orders to have Moti flown out of PNG in such a manner,” said Djokovic.

And he’s in a position to know.

In the company of lawyer Chris Hapa, Djokovic was despatched to PNG by the Solomon Islands government to deliver a diplomatic letter to the PNG government (through the Solomon Islands High Commissioner) informing them of his government’s granting of political asylum to Moti.

In the letter, signed by Sogavare, he conveyed to the High Commissioner how “shocked” the government and the nation were by Moti’s arrest and he went on to say:

“We now have strong grounds for believing that the Australian Government’s pursuit of Mr. Moti is a retaliatory act of punishment for our recent expulsion of Mr. Patrick Cole as Australia’s High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands.”

In other words, the arrest was political.

Patrick Cole had been expelled for meddling in the internal affairs of the nation.

Hapa and Djokovic were further requested to liaise with the PNG government to ensure Moti’s safety and safe passage out of PNG in accordance with his rights as a political asylee.

“Moti was never at the Crowne Plaza Hotel,” said Djokovic.

“In fact, no one was. Mr. Hapa and I were checked into the Lamana.”

Djokovic went on to explain that Moti was a very frightened man and would never have left the relative security of the Solomon Islands Chancellery.

Moti himself, who was well aware that outside of the Solomon Islands’ chancellery asylum lapsed, has, in the past, spoken of his ordeal in PNG.

In an article published by the National newspaper in August 2009 he said: Bathing became a nightmare. I had to slip out of the bathroom adjoining the diplomatic premises usually after midnight. Showers, at that time of night, without hot water and within the grasp of bounty hunters were always quick and traumatizing.”

There were people outside baying for Moti’s blood.

On his first night in the chancellery, according to his sworn affidavit, “…a group of armed Papua New Guinea Police Officers tried to break into the premises through a side window facing an empty car park.” Moti claimed to be terrified.

The officers were yelling, “We know you are in there Moti. If you don’t come out now, we are coming in to get you.”

Even at the chancellery Moti was in physical danger. To suggest he would jeopardise it further by going to a public hotel is ludicrous according to Djokovic.

Djokovic further claimed that either he or Hapa were constantly in the company of Moti during his time in PNG.

“We would take it in turns to sleep there, said Djokovic, while the other would go back to the Lamana to shower or get a good night’s rest.”

Both Hapa and Djokovic were at the chancellery around midnight when armed officers came to take the three men to the awaiting aircraft that would fly them to Munda in the Solomon Islands.

According to Djokovic (and backed by the affidavit of Moti), they had been told earlier that the PNG government could not guarantee the safety of Moti whilst resident in the chancellery and they would be relocated.

However, not one of the three envisaged what would actually happen.

“It wasn’t as if we were given a choice,” said Djokovic. In his sworn affidavit Moti says, “…that was not how I had ever wanted to be transported to my new homeland.

The unidentified PNG defence force officer claimed that the clandestine flight from PNG was met in Munda (western Solomon Islands) by Australian military forces and that he believed they had “got a tip off from Port Moresby.”

However Djokovic claims that given the location of the airstrip “no one can land in Munda without the whole world knowing.”

“Really, if there’s any merit in what these military men are saying,” said Djokovic in disgust, “why didn’t they bring it forward during the Defence Force Inquiry into the matter in PNG – they should have had ample opportunity.”

Djokovic was inferring that the Inquiry would have welcomed such testimony as he believed the Inquiry was “fully biased” and was based on speculative evidence.

Djokovic claims, for instance, to have certain knowledge that a diplomatic note of protest from the Solomon Islands government to the government of PNG over the breach of territorial airspace was sent the same day, the aforementioned Defence Force Inquiry claims the note was not in existence.

Djokovic goes on to claim that although the Solomon Islands government refused to become involved with this Inquiry on a ‘government to government’ basis believing it to be an internal PNG matter, the Inquiry never sought direct evidence from himself, Moti or Hapa; advice they would have been happy to give.

Questions on this episode have concentrated on ‘who is to blame’? Who gave the orders? The underlying assumption being that what happened was wrong. In this matter it is the underlying assumption that needs challenging then the right questions can be asked.

This month, Julian Moti has been granted special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia.

One of the matters the High Court will decide on are the issues surrounding Moti’s deportation from the Solomon Islands where once again questions of international law on refugees will be considered.