Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Sinclair Dinnen
An Australian gift of guns to PNG must not end up in the wrong hands
Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests. Website NewslettersThe InformerEvents You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy. The most-pressing world events explained by Lowy Institute experts and global contributors, in your inbox, every Wednesday.
The hidden currency in PNG’s arms economy
Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests. Website NewslettersThe InformerEvents You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy. The most-pressing world events explained by Lowy Institute experts and global contributors, in your inbox, every Wednesday.
The “hiremen” inside PNG’s market for Highlands violence
Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests. Website NewslettersThe InformerEvents You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
The “hiremen” inside PNG’s market for Highlands violence
In August 2023, a video circulated widely on Papua New Guinean social media showing naked and mutilated corpses being dragged behind a vehicle along a Highlands highway. Police in Enga confirmed that the dead were hired gunmen – hiremen – brought in by one tribal group to attack another, ambushed and killed. Enga’s police commander George Kakas described what he was witnessing as “a new and evil phenomenon," warning that businessmen, politicians, and educated elites were bankrolling the violence.
PNG’s frontier judges: peacebuilding from the bench Original
In Papua New Guinea's most conflict-torn provinces, an unlikely group of actors is stepping into the peacebuilding breach: resident National Court judges. Armed with an unusually expansive constitutional mandate, some of these judges are deploying their powers not just to process the aftermath of violence, but to try to prevent it. The scale of the challenge is hard to overstate.
Where are our by-laws? Resilience and lost opportunities in urban Fiji
Jittu Estate is one of Suva’s oldest and largest informal settlements with population estimates ranging from 3,000 to 10,000. Despite congested living conditions and challenges around basic utilities, the settlement’s central location makes it an attractive destination for low-income households and recent migrants from all parts of Fiji to the nation’s capital.
Slow peacebuilding to prevent the outbreak of fighting following peace
If history teaches us anything, it is that peace is fragile and contingent. Like any healthy and productive garden, it needs constant tending. The renewed outbreak of fighting in Wapenamanda, Enga Province in August, following the hard-won peace symbolised by the signing of the Peace Accords at the Airways hotel in Port Moresby in July 2024, prompts us to ask: was there sufficient tending of the peace? What could be done differently?
OPINION | ANU and PNG: A historical relationship
This is an edited version of a speech given at the 2025 PNG Update conference dinner at the UPNG Waigani campus August 22, 2025. I’ve been asked to talk this evening about the history of the relationship between the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). It’s one that goes back to the establishment of both universities — ANU in 1946 and UPNG in 1965.
The historical ANU-UPNG relationship
This is an edited version of a speech given at the 2025 PNG Update conference dinner at the UPNG Waigani campus on 22 August 2025. I’ve been asked to talk this evening about the history of the relationship between the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). It’s one that goes back to the establishment of both universities – ANU in 1946 and UPNG in 1965.
Building peace from the ground up to avoid crumbling
A recent appeal from 60 peace officials in Jiwaka sounds an urgent alarm about the crumbling foundations of grassroots peace building in Papua New Guinea (PNG). These frontline mediators recently threatened to abandon their vital work entirely. The officials had gathered for a workshop hosted by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Voice For Change to discuss the challenges and successes they face in their essential role. Statistics shared during the meeting revealed a concerning situation.
Building peace from the ground up: a call for a peace strategy in PNG
A recent appeal from sixty Peace Officials in Jiwaka Province sounds an urgent alarm about the crumbling foundations of grassroots peacebuilding in Papua New Guinea. These frontline mediators recently threatened to abandon their vital work entirely. The officials had gathered for a workshop hosted by the NGO Voice For Change to discuss the challenges and successes they face in their essential role. Statistics shared during the meeting revealed a concerning situation.
Post-conflict Bougainville part 2: peace and safety visions and realities
In Part 1, we argued that while growing concerns with crime and lawlessness have led the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and other leaders to call for tougher policing and justice responses, there remains a critical need for continuing peacebuilding efforts. In Part 2, we discuss the ABG’s stated desire to develop truly autochthonous community and custom-based policing, justice and security post-conflict.
Post-conflict Bougainville part one: The Crisis and legacies
Bougainville’s decade-long conflict formally ended with the signing of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). This established the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Arob) and set in train a complex pathway towards possible independence that continues to play out today. But legacies of “the Crisis” continue more than two decades later.
Post-conflict Bougainville part 1: the Crisis and its legacies
By Sinclair Dinnen, Dennis Kuiai and Miranda Forsyth Bougainville’s decade-long conflict formally ended with the signing of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). This established the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) and set in train a complex pathway towards possible independence that continues to play out today. However legacies of “the Crisis” continue more than two decades later.
Post-conflict Bougainville part 1: the Crisis and its legacies
Bougainville’s decade-long conflict formally ended with the signing of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). This established the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) and set in train a complex pathway towards possible independence that continues to play out today. However legacies of “the Crisis” continue more than two decades later.
Tonga and His Majesty’s Armed Forces: A military made for peace
Tonga is a unique country in many regards. It is illegal to exercise or do chores on Sundays and every Tongan high school has a brass band. Tonga was also the only Pacific country to avoid being colonised. But Tonga’s military – with only 590 personnel including support staff, and today one of only three sovereign militaries in the Pacific – was not set up to deter potential aggressors from attack or to project power. Tonga’s military instead serves as an arm for peace and diplomacy.
The PEV ballot: a stand-out success with two exceptions
Information on the number of registrations for the ballot for Australia’s new Pacific Engagement Visa has been released. 56,127 people across the Pacific applied for the visa by registering for the ballot. Demand for the PEV was highest in Fiji, where there were 102 ballot registrations -- or primary applicants -- for every visa (Figure 1). Tonga took second place, with 37 primary applicants for each visa, and Timor-Leste was in third spot with 23 per visa.
Hidden contributions of ODA: the Australian Volunteer Program
Attitudes towards the Australian government’s foreign aid spending have always fluctuated. Yet most Australians support the idea of aid, especially within the Asia-Pacific region, and this support is fortified by a genuine commitment to Australia’s being a good humanitarian neighbour, not just to aid that serves Australia’s national interests. At the same time, the cost-effectiveness of aid spending relative to other priorities remains important to both taxpayers and policymakers.
Pacific labour mobility: let’s talk about sex
Improving the wellbeing of people engaged in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is a priority for the Australian Government. Despite this, significant barriers remain for PALM participants in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and information, including support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
Essay: PNG has had a horror year of conflict - but peace rarely comes through the barrel of a gun
In an article first published on The Conversation, MIRANDA FORSYTH and SINCLAIR DINNEN, of Australian National University, say the experience of Bougainville, an autonomous region of PNG which has become a poster-child for post-conflict peace-building, may provide some answers… Papua New Guinea has had a difficult year, beginning with serious rioting and looting in the capital, Port Moresby, and several other towns.
PNG has had a horror year of conflict - but peace rarely comes through the barrel of a gun
Papua New Guinea has had a difficult year, beginning with serious rioting and looting in the capital, Port Moresby, and several other towns. After a payroll glitch led to a stop-work action by police, the so-called Black Wednesday riots on January 10 resulted in burned-out stores and at least 20 deaths. In February, an inter-group conflict in the troubled Highlands province of Enga led to around 70 killings.
Seismic shifts coming for Fiji’s drug policy
Fiji’s current drug epidemic has been the focus of public attention across the nation, with ripple effects through other parts of the Pacific. Fiji’s Minister for Home Affairs, Pio Tikoduadua, recently described the current drug surge as a threat to the fabric of Fijian society that requires a multi-front offensive — headlined by a new narcotics and drug enforcement bureau. But it is worth asking whether the Fijian government understands the fundamental shift this approach represents.
Vietnam’s Land Law evolution
After another decade of land takings and conflicts, the National Assembly of Vietnam has passed new amendments for its Land Law. The law’s performance not only affects the regional rule of law movement but also holds real fiscal weight. Hanoi plans to invest heavily into the land-sensitive subject of its highspeed railway, metro and airport network. Experts have cast the new law as another reiteration of the ‘status quo’, which is the prioritisation of social stability.
Cambodia is still a long way away from a civil nuclear program
Cambodia runs on both renewable and non-renewable energy, a mix of hydropower, solar and biomass followed by coal and fuel oil. The share of renewables is forecasted to grow in 2024 but may not keep up with demand. Nuclear power offers the potential to help the country overcome environmental regulations and climate trends, but Cambodia is still a long away from a viable nuclear energy program. In 2020, Phnom Penh enacted a on dam development along the Mekong River and pledged to stop adding .
South Asia sides with China after Taiwan’s elections
Following Taiwan’s general elections in January 2024, where the Democratic Progressive Party won a third term, South Asian countries released a range of statements supporting China’s claim that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and on upholding ‘One China’ principle. The outpour of support showcases Beijing’s use of economic and political influence in the region to control the discourse over Taiwan.
The value of APEC at a time of growing international turmoil
As geopolitical tensions and concerns about the environment deepened, APEC’s 2023 agenda focused on fostering sustainable and inclusive development, highlighting its pivotal role as a forum for constructive discussion to promote international cooperation.
China’s proliferating Pacific police footprint
Following Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) devastating riots in early January 2024, Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko told journalists that in September 2023 China had offered to provide training, equipment and surveillance technology to the PNG police force. Further, the two countries are in the early stages of negotiations over potential security cooperation.
Stop the see-saw: how to address conflict in the PNG Highlands
by Sinclair Dinnen and Miranda Forsyth A question commonly asked about the inter-group conflict currently occurring in the PNG Highlands is whether or not it represents the continuation of longstanding patterns of violence or is something quite different. The answer, of course, is that it is both. While there are continuities — for instance, violence as a culturally accepted form of conflict resolution — there are also stark differences.
Stop the see-saw: how to address conflict in the PNG Highlands
A question commonly asked about the inter-group conflict currently occurring in the PNG Highlands is whether or not it represents the continuation of longstanding patterns of violence or is something quite different. The answer, of course, is that it is both. While there are continuities — for instance, violence as a culturally accepted form of conflict resolution — there are also stark differences. It’s instructive to compare today’s situation with a “snapshot” of inter-group violence in 1984.
Foreign officers are not the answer to PNG’s policing problems
With the aim of restoring confidence and discipline in the constabulary, PNG Prime Minister James Marape recently proposed recruiting around 20 foreign officers to take up leadership positions in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC). Some of these would work at police HQ in Port Moresby, while some would be provincial police commanders.
U.S. Government Hosts Business Study Tour for Solomon Islands Agribusinesses - Solomon Times Online
Six Solomon Islands businesses and the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) travelled to the United States this month, for a market linkages and business networking study tour.
Order-making in the shadow of the law: Community by-laws in Solomon Islands
By Sinclair Dinnen and Lincy Pedeverana It’s been 10 years since the publication of the "Justice Delivered Locally in Solomon Islands" research, documenting justice experiences in rural communities across five of the country’s nine provinces.
Order-making in the shadow of the law: community by-laws in Solomon Islands
It’s been ten years since the publication of the Justice Delivered Locally (JDL) in Solomon Islands research, documenting justice experiences in rural communities across five of the country’s nine provinces.
Following a whole food plant based diet
In our previous column, we discussed the dangers caused by the gradual and insidious build-up of cholesterol deposits (also called ‘plaque’) within the inner lining of the coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle, eventually leading to a heart attack or worse. METI has been promoting the whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet for the past decade for the arrest and eventual reversal of such acquired heart disease.
The crucial role for the Green Climate Fund – and why Australia should contribute
Countries will decide next month how much they will pledge to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The summit in Bonn, Germany could determine billions of dollars of financial support from rich polluting countries to developing nations – those which have contributed little to the causes of climate change yet will suffer the most from its impacts. Australia, despite having backed out of the Fund in 2018, now has a chance to play a crucial part.
Does Australia lack strategic imagination on aid and development?
Australia released a new International Development Policy last month and accepted all the recommendations of the Development Finance Review, which was released on the same day. These documents and the commentary that followed speak to an absence of debate and strategic imagination on Australia’s approach to aid and development. Commentary has been mostly positive.
Early sports specialisation and young athletes
Talofa Samoa and welcome back to your weekly Physiotherapy column! This week’s column is brought to you by Precision Physio Australia. Enjoy! Physical activity plays an important role in the healthy development of children, but a growing trend of early sports specialisation is causing concern. This trend is driven by the belief that early specialisation leads to peak performance and athletic success in adulthood. However, is there any truth to this notion?
Cabinet reshuffle for better or for worse?
There is a season and reason for everything under the sun. This week our tourism festivals to promote more visitors to Samoa opened last Sunday evening with various church choirs showing off their hymns’ compositions. The second important event that raised public interest was the announcement of a Cabinet Reshuffle. The full 15 Minister's positions including the PM in Cabinet as stipulated in the Constitutional Amendment 2020 is finally activated with the addition of two more new Ministers.
Crime and safety in the Pacific Islands: the use of victimisation surveys
While much of the recent focus in the Pacific region has been on the security implications of growing geopolitical competition, less attention has been paid to crime and personal safety and how these more parochial, everyday issues impact on the stability of Pacific Island countries and the wellbeing of their populations. Crime victimisation surveys are an important research tool for ascertaining perceptions of personal and community safety, including experiences of crime and violence.
Crime and safety in the Pacific Islands: the use of victimisation surveys
While much of the recent focus in the Pacific region has been on the security implications of growing geopolitical competition, less attention has been paid to crime and personal safety and how these more parochial, everyday issues impact on the stability of Pacific Island countries and the wellbeing of their populations. Crime victimisation surveys are an important research tool for ascertaining perceptions of personal and community safety, including experiences of crime and violence.
Samoa Observer | Keep it going
This week we are discussing ways to motivate our children. I know it’s already September and heading towards the last leg of the school year. Motivation, however, isn’t just for studies, it is for life. We can do this by helping them set clear goals, no matter what age. Provide positive feedback and encouragement, celebrating progress and creating a supportive environment. 1. Set clear goals: goal setting isn’t just for the beginning of the year, they are for every day.
The flickering light: Australia’s governance credentials damaged
Australia is generally considered a beacon of law, order and stability. It certainly outperforms its Pacific neighbours across a range of governance indicators, which suggest that it – along with New Zealand (which usually does better than its trans-Tasman neighbour) – is one of the region’s best governed nations.
Community building as state building in a Port Moresby suburb
Where do you start to build a state? We often imagine top-down processes of constitution writing and elaborate institutional frameworks of national governance. But what if we move beyond narrow institutionalist understandings to a much broader view of state building – if we see it as the creation of a normative order and shared political community, a locale for identity formation, and the provision of public goods to enable citizens to flourish?
Community building as state building in a Port Moresby suburb
Where do you start to build a state? We often imagine top-down processes of constitution writing and elaborate institutional frameworks of national governance. But what if we move beyond narrow institutionalist understandings to a much broader view of state building – if we see it as the creation of a normative order and shared political community, a locale for identity formation, and the provision of public goods to enable citizens to flourish?
Policing in the Pacific Islands
Skip to main content Authors: Danielle Watson School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia Loene Howes School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia Sinclair Dinnen Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Melissa Bull School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia Sara N.
Access to justice in Solomon Islands
A new survey into justice mechanisms in Solomon Islands shows that significant advancements have been made since the end of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, but also that much more needs to be done, Tom Sloan, Sinclair Dinnen, and Mark Rowe write. Accessing the state justice system has been a longstanding challenge in Solomon Islands.
Nation Making and Nation Breaking in the Pacific Islands: the Case of Papua New Guinea
These challenges are most evident in Papua New Guinea (PNG), whose population of more than 8 million comprises hundreds of local ethnic groups speaking over 800 different languages. PNG’s internal complexity and fragile national coherence are indicative of the difficulties confronting external efforts to exert influence and control in this part of the world, both with respect to individual countries and a wider region marked by extensive diversity.
Seven snapshots of a nation
These papers presenting a country snapshot of Papua New Guinea in 2017 were produced with the support of ExxonMobil. More
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Sinclair
Contact Sinclair, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack