Kokoda Track blockade cleared after police give protesters their marching orders

The Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea has been reopened after local workers who blockaded the historic trail were threatened with legal action.

Local tour guides and porters who blockaded the Kokoda Track to protest their employer Adventure Kokoda being stripped of its licence were moved on on Tuesday night.

The Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea has been reopened after local workers who blockaded the historic trail when the Australian tour company they worked for was stripped of its licence were threatened with legal action.

PNG authorities told the group of between 350 and 400 guides and porters, employed by Adventure Kokoda, to reopen the track after an almost three-day standoff which saw them form a human barricade barring trekkers from passing until their jobs were reinstated.

Hiri Koiari MP Keith Iduhu, whose electorate sits within Central Province and covers parts of the Kokoda Track which marks the site of the WWII battle, warned protesters that they could face legal action if the action continued. He described it as “unacceptable and demonstrates a lack of respect for the Kokoda communities”.

Mr Iduhu also issued a thinly veiled warning to Adventure Kokoda owner and former NSW MP Charlie Lynn, saying that tour operators found to have “incited violence” would face consequences.

“PNG takes a strong stance against any form of disruption to the Kokoda Track and will not hesitate to take necessary legal action against any parties involved,” Mr Iduhu said. “Any Australian operator found guilty of inciting violence among local communities will be dealt with accordingly.”

Mr Iduhu added that the track was vital to the local economy and “no operator is more important than the next”.

He said: “All operators, not just Kokoda Adventure, have people relying on their companies to create job opportunities – but any blockade or disruption not only negatively affects the reputation of the track, but the livelihood of the local villagers and communities”.

Adventure Kokoda had its trekking licence cancelled last month after the Kokoda Track Authority – which is partially funded by the Australian government through the Kokoda Initiative – accused Mr Lynn of “­deliberately attempting to evade payment of trekking permit fees to the KTA as required under PNG law”.

Protesters, who began the blockade on Saturday, called on the KTA to reinstall the company’s licence, take action to address welfare concerns for people living along the trail and compensation for the workers who had missed out on work.

Adventure Kokoda guide Dick Noel who took part in the protest said the group decided to disperse after police contacted them to inform them the blockade was illegal, though he did not believe the company’s licence had been reinstated.

“They gave us a warning that the barricade that we‘ve set up was illegal, that’s why we had to remove it,” he said.

“I’m worried, also the boys are worried, we are waiting to hear (if Adventure Kokoda will have its licence reinstated).”

Mr Lynn has defended his actions, saying that he emailed the KTA in February and March raising his concerns about the condition of the trail but when he did not receive a reply he decided to instead pay a portion of the fees to campsite owners.

“I am concerned about having to pay this amount of money directly to the KTA as we have received no communication from you this year and we therefore have no idea of the condition of campsites, toilets, or the Trail itself,” he said in one email.