Inter-agency approach to combat new trends: Abani

Caption: Deputy Chief Censor Jim Abani

By MATTHEW VARI  

Sunday, January 31, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

DEPUTY Chief Censor, Jim Abani, has urged all line agencies to adopt inter-agency approaches in addressing developments in addressing illegal entry of products and content deemed illegal that are entering the country.

His comment same amid the announcement of raids taking place in confiscating illegal pharmaceuticals posted on online marketing social forums platforms that did not have approval for public consumption.

“You can see the trend now where before people will order straight from overseas. Now people are going online and ordering these products from individuals.”

“According to the health department under their regulation section 9, it states that anybody whether an individual or a company who wants to import those products, anything to do with medicine must be approved by them.”

“Now we have been seeing that it is online, where from anywhere people are placing orders, and now we are starting to monitor and put these mechanisms in place in terms of complying and monitoring,” the deputy censor said.

“We have learnt that anything that is imported without a certificate or license from the Health Department. Then we will deem that as illegal because it is prohibited.”

He said recent undertaking to investigate the selling of sexual enhancement products was one such example that linked the censorship office with another agency like the health department.

“We will be collaborating as partners to ensure that our country is protected from unsolicited materials that are entering.”

He added that it was vital the office conducts awareness with line agencies in other sectors to be made known to prohibit items entering deemed under censorship as illegal.

“Some of those things that come through entry ports we have other organizations that forget that there are other agencies responsible for that.”

“Right now what we are trying to do is to bring those other agencies together so that we share our regulations, resources, manpower, and finance in terms of capacity building.”

“It is a big problem that we are facing in terms of the population increasing, and that increases the number of illegal activities also.”