Papua New Guinea stops visas on arrival for Australian visitors
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Version 0 of 1. The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, will seek clarification from Papua New Guinean officials after the Pacific country’s government revoked visas on arrival for Australians in retaliation for Australia not offering equal visa entitlements to PNG nationals. PNG’s national executive council made the decision to require Australians to apply for a visa pre-departure. The new rules just need the signature of the PNG immigration minister, Rimbink Pato, to be enacted, the PNG newspaper the National reported. The requirement would stay in place until Australia responds to PNG lobbying by giving its citizens the right to gain visas on arrival. During an official visit to the country last May, the then prime minister, Julia Gillard, said she would move to make travel to Australia easier for Papua New Guineans. The PNG prime minister, Peter O’Neill, urged her to put his country on the list of those eligible for Australian visas on arrival. Australia has since introduced online visa applications, faster visa turnaround and dedicated arrival lanes for PNG nationals at Brisbane and Cairns airports, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Guardian Australia. Granting visas on arrival “would pose significant financial and airport infrastructure challenges for Australia and Papua New Guinea”, she said. The National reported on Tuesday that once Pato had signed off on the ban, all Australians, except those arriving on cruise ships, would need to apply for a visa in Australia. The Dfat spokeswoman said the department was aware of the reports but could not confirm their veracity. “If true, it will be important that the new measures do not impede the large number of Australians choosing to travel to Papua New Guinea for tourism or business, and our high commissioner in Port Moresby is discussing this with PNG authorities,” she said. “However, policies regarding PNG border controls are a matter for the PNG government. The Australian government has not yet received official advice from the PNG government about the new policy or when it might be implemented.” The spokeswoman said Australia’s high commissioner in Port Moresby would be seeking clarification from the PNG government until Bishop visited PNG and could speak to her PNG counterpart. A date for the official visit is still subject to “final confirmation”. About 19,000 Australians visited PNG for business or tourism in 2013, with a visa granted on arrival. The PNG Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority did not respond to requests for comment. |