PNG Govt bolsters gold mine security

By PNG correspondent Steve Marshall

Soldiers and police in Papua New Guinea are being sent into the country's highlands to help tackle a deteriorating security situation near a huge gold mine.

The Barrick Gold Porgera mine is one of PNG's most profitable operations.

Over the past two decades, the local population has rocketed from 5,000 people to 50,000.

A deteriorating law and order problem has forced the PNG Government to send in soldiers and mobile police units to get the situation under control.

Barrick Gold's PNG manager, Ila Temu, has welcomed the move. The population explosion has also led to an increase in illegal mining.