THE MV RABAUL QUEEN, LEST WE FORGET

Carolyne Maniot

The hardest thing for me was hearing Carolyne Maniot speak about her two sons in present tense.

“One is final year and one is second year, the final year is at polytech.”

Her sons – Alfred and Adrian – aged 20 and 23 were on board the MV Rabaul queen on their way to university when it capsized and sank in rough seas in 2012. 

“Its really painful to me when I lost my two sons, my final talk with the two was in Kimbe and they said the ship is over loaded and the sea is rough,” she said.

Adrian Maniot

She didn’t have family in Kimbe and couldn’t afford to pay for accommodation, so she couldn’t tell them to get off the ferry despite wanting to. 

It’s still not known exactly how many people died on the ferry from Buka to Lae – but it may have been in the hundreds.  

Adrian left behind two children who now live with their grandparents.

Seven years on Mrs Maniot says she feels like she doesn’t have justice. 

“They must receive justice, because Peter Sharp and Tony his captain, made a big hole in our hearts to this day we still cry.”

Alfred Maniot

She said her two sons were planning to finish school and take of her.

Like most Papua New Guineans, she and her husband don’t have life insurance.

“Our investment in our children has gone to waste just like that.”

 Thirty-year-old Theodore Yep was also on board the MV Rabaul Queen.

He survived, but his father Tommy says he is still traumatized.

“Yes, he did survive the effects on him too, he did lose his job, now he’s got no job, many of us are suffering in our own small way.”

Mr Yep was part of the group of family members who took the Australian ferry owner Peter Sharp, the shipmaster Anthony Tsiau and others to court for 175 counts of manslaughter.   

The courts later reduced it to 88 charges. 

In July last year Mr Sharp and Mr Tsiau were acquitted of manslaughter.

In August, Public Prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin announced that further charges would not be pursued.

Mr Yep says the family members of the victims are outraged.

 “The public prosecutor do the right thing explain to everyone why you did what you did, we just want to have some answers.”

But there may still be hope in the family members’ bids for justice.

PNG’s Attorney General Davis Steven has told local paper The Post Courier he will use his powers to re-open the investigation.

“I am now reviewing the circumstances in which the decision was made in the national court to accept the declaration filed by the public prosecutor under section 525 of the criminal code,” said Minister Davis.