Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has issued a challenge to East Sepik Governor Allan Bird to provide concrete evidence supporting his allegations of threats against his life, phone tapping, and state institutions being instructed to find anything illegal against him. Responding to Bird's claims that a deputy police commissioner had alerted him to the threat on his life and the tapping of his phone, Marape demanded clarity, stating, "If he is telling the truth, who is the deputy police commissioner concerned?" Additionally, Marape questioned the credibility of Bird's assertion that senior government ministers informed him of the illegal tapping of his phones. Marape challenged Bird, saying, "If he is telling the truth, who are these senior government ministers, and where is the proof that his phones have been tapped?" Governor Bird, who was selected as the alternative prime minister by Opposition MPs in a recent motion of no confidence against Marape, further claimed that reliable sources informed him of state institutions being directed to find anything illegal against him and to effect his arrest. Marape, in response, urged Bird to disclose which state institutions allegedly received such instructions. Bird emphasized the seriousness of the situation, declaring that the country is slipping into a dangerous state, and he is prepared to stand up against any threats. Acknowledging an offer of close protection officers from a police commander, Bird stated, "I refused. I will protect myself." He expressed concern over the weaponization of state institutions against citizens, emphasizing the risk of being criminalized when perceived as a political threat. While Bird asserted that he had not directly received threats and chose not to report them to the police due to having nothing to hide, he stressed the importance of respecting citizens' rights regardless of their status. Bird's Facebook page, a platform through which he had been vocal about these allegations, has been suspended for 30 days by Meta. The suspension, according to Meta, aims to prevent the sharing of unsuitable content and review and remove violative material in line with community standards. Despite being warned by a senior police officer about potential threats, Bird claimed that they did not discuss further whether the police would assist in tracking down any alleged hacker. Subsequently, Bird discovered that his phones were allegedly bugged. In addressing the broader societal context, Bird remarked that threats to life are not unusual in a society where the state cannot guarantee anyone's safety. He emphasized the need for awareness, citing the daily occurrences of violence in Papua New Guinea. Also read
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