Fourteen Operasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) rebels accused of possessing offensive weapons and illegal entry into West Sepik was freed by the Vanimo district court. Senior provincial magistrate Sasa Ikung said he dismissed their case on the grounds that police and PNG soldiers did not have search warrants to raid their hideout in Oct last year near Wutung village along the PNG-Indonesian border. “The state authorities breached Section 44 of the PNG Constitution in having no search warrant to raid their camp. Also they did not comply with the Search Act” Ikung said. “This act has to be complied with to raid any properties whether the landlords are citizens or foreigners,” He said he had given orders that the 30 weapons ranging from high powered firearms to air guns and ammunition that belonged to the suspects be destroyed. “These weapons are at the PNGDF forward base in Vanimo. I also have ordered the suspects to leave PNG within five days.” Ikung said he had ruled in their favour to dismiss the cases last week. Lawyer George Korei had appealed before the court that police and PNGDF soldiers did not have search warrants to raid their camp and confiscate their weapons during a dawn raid. The suspects are all from Wamena area, Papua Province, Indonesia. The OPM, formed in the 1960s by Melanesians, is an outlawed group fighting against the Indonesia government for political independence. The National/PNGfacts
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