POMALEU CLARIFIES JOURNALIST VISA FOR FOREIGN MEDIA TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Marape – Rosso Government 2022| Approved for Release: Tuesday, September 27, 2022.

Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council Secretary, Ivan Pomaleu today clarified that all foreign media intending to visit Papua New Guinea have always been screened before they are issued appropriate visas. It is not a new process or intention.

This clarification follows a news article published by Post Courier newspaper today claiming that this process was planned and implemented recently by this Government to halt all foreign media from entering PNG; should they not provide all documentations as required to obtain a journalist visa.

Secretary Pomaleu said this is a process that the Department has been managing since its inception some years ago; therefore, there is no need to alarm the foreign media intending to visit PNG as there is a process in place and is administered by some relevant government agencies including this Department.

“The departments involved in screening and processing the visa for overseas media include the Department of Foreign Affairs; PNG Immigration & Citizenship Authority; PNG National Filming Institute and this Department,” he said.

“Let me clarify to Post Courier that this process is in existence all this time and even published on our Department website www.pmnec.gov.pg and on PNG ICA website www.ica.gov.pg as well.

“However, as a matter of courtesy to our visiting journalists; a guide was recently released by this Department Media to assist foreign media in obtaining a journalist visa.

“It is in no way, in its message disseminated yesterday (26/09/22) to the mainstream media, implying a recent intention to restrict foreign media from traveling to PNG,” he said.