Jerry Singirok

Jerry Singirok was a career soldier who had risen through the ranks of the Papua New guinea Defense Force (PNGDF), including a time as commander of the forces on Bougainville. He began his Career at Moem Barracks in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) as an Infantryman on The 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (1RPIR). After military service there he was rotated to Lae, Morobe, Igam Barracks Joint Officer Service College where he trained as a commissioned officer. Singirok trained and lectured in Duntroon military academy in Australia on Land Warfare Tactics in Military Science before being requested back to the PNGDF on strict orders during the height of the Sandline Crisis with the rank of captain. In the mid-1990s, he was promoted to Brigadier-General, and given the rank of commander. He was later promoted to the rank of Major-General of the PNGDF in the late 1990s during his second stint as commander.

In 1996, Tim Spicer, an ex-Colonel in the Scots Guards, who had recently founded the mercenary firm Sandline International, met with Singirok. Spicer attempted to persuade Singirok to support a package of military support that Spicer had negotiated with then-defence minister Mathias Ijape. Singirok declined, but the deal went ahead anyway, with the support of Ijape, Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Haiveta.

It is unclear just how much Singirok knew of the events in between that meeting and the leaking of the affair to the international media on 10 February 1997. When the story broke in The Australian newspaper, Singirok was in the Philippines, and the mercenaries were already in Port Moresby. When he returned on 27 February, his mind was made up. He condemned the government for leaving him, as head of the PNGDF, out of the loop, and condemned Spicer for having more access to the government than he did. Over the next week, he made plans for Operation Rausim Kwik (Tok Pisin for 'get rid of them fast'). On 8 March, he asked Major Walter Enuma to command the operation. Enuma agreed.

On the night of 16 March, Singirok's soldiers swooped. They arrested Spicer, the mercenaries, and their support staff. The next morning, Singirok went on national radio, and accused Prime Minister Chan, Defence Minister Ijape, and Deputy Prime Minister Haiveta of corruption, and gave them 48 hours to resign. He also fiercely denied allegations that he was aiming to take power himself. Chan refused to resign, and the same day, sacked Singirok as Commander of the PNGDF, replacing him with the controversial Colonel Alfred Aikung.

That was the end of Singirok's direct role in the crisis that followed. However, Enuma carried out Singirok's plans in his absence. In the days that followed, the mercenaries were deported, the parliament was surrounded, and Chan, Ijape and Haiveta were all forced to stand down.

Following Sir Julius Chan's decision to stand down, Singirok went public with several serious corruption allegations against Chan's government. Chan stood again at the following election, but in the wake of the affair and Singirok's allegations, not only lost power, but also his seat in parliament.