The East New Britain Provincial Government (ENBPG) has launched a major relief supply exercise aimed at supplying immediate humanitarian assistance to the affected areas in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) caused by the recent volcanic eruption. The people of ENBP witnessed the event at Tropicana Vunapope beach front in Kokopo where delegates representing the country including Minister for Defense, Win Daki, Commander PNG Defense Force, Brigadier Goina, Director National Disaster Center, Lusette Mana, Police Commissioner, David Manning, Bougainville Affairs Minister, Manaseh Makiba, Correctional Service Commissioner and delegates from AROB representing the President led by Bougainville Regional Member and Minister for Internal Security Peter Tsimalili Jnr were present in the province to witness the event. On behalf of the leaders and the people of the province, ENB Governor, Michael Marum, welcomed the delegates stating that the province is privileged to have them in the province to witness and received the relief supplies to the affected people in AROB. He said when they heard about the eruption and the people affected, he and the other four respective members of the province made an agreement to gather food supplies including garden foods to send over to assist their brother and sisters in AROB. “On behalf of the 400, 000 people of East New Britain, we would like to say sorry to our fellow brothers and sisters in South Bougainville who were greatly affected by the volcano eruption as this is not a new disaster to us the people of East New Britain.” He expressed the experience of how it feels to lose homes, towns and other essential services and Bougainville have assisted the province back in 1994, therefore East New Britain will do the same to help them. “We are close to AROB and we are here to continue to give our support, we will all work together and honored to assist our families in AROB as they go through this difficult time in their lives”. The event also marked the launch of the PNG Government's Relief Support to the victims of Mt Bagana’s volcanic eruption and an inaugural occasion for a PNG Defense Force vessel to enter the coast line of AROB since the Bougainville Peace Agreement in 2001.