Papua New Guinea’s first prime minister critically ill

Tribune Web Desk

Updated At : 10:26 PM Feb 23, 2021 IST

Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium

Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only Benefits

Yearly Premium ₹999 ₹349/Year

Yearly Premium $49 $24.99/Year

Canberra (Australia), February 23

Papua New Guinea’s first Prime Minister Michael Somare was in critical condition in a hospital over the weekend with pancreatic cancer, his family said.

The family revealed in a statement on Sunday that the 84-year-old was undergoing palliative care in the national capital, Port Moresby.

His daughter Betha Somare did not respond to a request for an update on his condition on Tuesday.

Somare was pivotal in the South Pacific nation’s move to independence from Australia and was the country’s first prime minister from 1975 to 1980.

He was prime minister for a total of 16 years over three separate stints before retiring from politics in 2017. —AP

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.

The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

Designed and developed by : SORTD

Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium

Suggested Articles