SYDNEY: An army officer who led a mutiny aimed at reinstating Papua New Guinea's ousted prime minister appeared in court on Sunday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
Colonel Yaura Sasa, who led last week's attempt to restore Sir Michael Somare to power, appeared in court in Port Moresby charged with mutiny, the ABC reported.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) police said earlier they had arrested Sasa at a lodge in the capital and were holding him at a police station in Boroko district.
"He was arrested last night," a police spokesman told Reuters by telephone. He gave no further details.
After the hearing, Sasa said he did not regret his actions, but said he wanted the situation to calm down, the ABC reported.
Sasa led the mutiny last Thursday in which a group of soldiers captured and briefly held the armed forces chief, Brigadier General Francis Agwi. He was released later that day.
The mutiny followed a long-running power struggle between Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Somare's supporters, who say that Somare was ousted as prime minister last year illegally.
The Supreme Court backed Somare in a ruling last month but the country's parliament has supported O'Neill, who also has the support of the police and military.
Sasa said last week he had been appointed as commander of the PNG Defence Force by Somare. He repeated on Sunday that he had been asked to carry out the attempted mutiny by Somare, the ABC reported.
Prime Minister O'Neill declared the mutiny over late on Thursday but a small group of soldiers has been refusing to leave a barracks in Port Moresby, demanding a full pardon.
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