Murder, treason and piracy are capital crimes

Murder, treason and piracy are capital crimes. In 1998, the political situation in PNG continued to be dominated by defections and shifts of allegiance, and hence cabinet changes. In December, Prime Minister Bill Skate, elected in 1997, announced the suspension of Parliament until July 1999 in reaction to the impending no-confidence vote and to the increasing frustration at the failure of the Parliament to pass bills presented before it. One bill that was passed in 1998 allowed for the reintroduction of the death penalty in January 1999 for crimes including willful murder and rape.