*** Foreign Vessel Suspected of Involvement in Slavery Detained in Daru ****

The Prime Minister, Hon. Peter O’Neill CMG MP, has confirmed that a foreign fishing vessel has been detained in Papua New Guinea waters carrying eight people who are believed to be the victims of forced human trafficking.

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill has expressed disgust that human trafficking takes place in the Asia-Pacific and has committed Papua New Guinea’s support to develop regional solutions to put an end to this exploitation.

“The Government was alerted by our partners of the possibility that vessels were in Papua New Guinea waters with forced labor onboard,” the Prime Minister said.

“We mobilised assets of Papua New Guinea security agencies to conduct a search which located the fishing boat the Blissful Reefer.

“This boat was boarded by our Defence personnel on Monday morning, July 27.

“Our personnel rescued eight people who had been enslaved on the vessel, and held the remaining 19 crew for questioning.

“The people rescued from the vessel are of Cambodian and Myanmar nationality and are now being accommodated in a safe location until arrangements can be made for them to return them to their homes.

“The Blissful Reefer and its 19 crew, include the Captain, are being brought to Port Moresby for further processing.

“There are other vessels of interest in the area and we are following lines of inquiry into their activities.”

The Prime Minister has expressed his concern at the operation of human traffickers that appear to be expanding their activities.

“The forced trafficking of humans, slaves by any other description, is one of the most disgusting practices in the world today.

“The challenge for the region is to not only arrest the captain and crew of such vessels, but to find the organisers of this disturbing trade in human suffering.

“Papua New Guinea will engage our regional partners with a view to establishing a more formal network to track and detain vessel with slaves on board. 

“The people who deal in human trafficking must be stopped.  

“Papua New Guinea will play its part to prevent the deplorable activity of human trafficking, be these criminals who take asylum seekers to their deaths in the Indian Ocean, or the criminals who hold slaves on fishing vessels as forced labour.”

Additional information on the current operation to intercept and board vessels believed to be involved in human trafficking will be released as this becomes available.