TOROPO ON PNG - INDONESIA BORDER RE-OPENING

PNG Defence Force Commander Brigadier General Gilbert Toropo, says the PNG-Indonesian border will re-open once border patrol guards from either sides determine that border crossing is safe for locals and the wider public on both sides.

Commander Toropo says a technical team from both PNG and Indonesia has met recently, and while they have agreed that the re-opening of the border to PNG's north is important, intelligence on the ground will make the final determination.

The PNG-Indonesian border was closed in April, after a shoot-out began between members of the West Papua Revolutionary Army and Indonesian forces.