The Papua New Guinea Government is considering a request from the Solomon Islands Government to deploy police officers to the country to assist with emergency response efforts after destructions left by Cyclone Maila.
Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko confirmed that the Government received a request from Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.
He said Prime Minister James Marape was currently meeting with the National Security Council and police to assess the level of support required, including how many personnel from the Special Services Division to be deployed.
He said no decision was made yet on whether Police would send personnel.
Manele sent a formal request to Marape, seeking urgent police assistance for disaster response operations and potential law and order support.
The request comes under a bilateral policing agreement signed three years ago between Tkatchenko and Manele, who was then the Solomon Islands’ foreign affairs minister.
