An armed man attacked an Australian mother and her teenage daughter during their holiday on P&O’s Pacific Encounter last month.
Leeson Hansen and her family were cruising to the South Pacific and Papua New Guinea, but things took a turn for the worst when they arrived in Rabaul, a small down in PNG known for its volcanoes and scuba diving sites.
Hansen’s wife Elizabeth and the couple’s two teenage children joined a small group of other tourists who disembarked the Pacific Encounter to explore the nearby Rabaul Page Park Market.
“An armed man jumped out of the side of the market and cut my 16-year-old daughter’s backpack off with a large knife, he then took a swipe at her with the knife which narrowly missed her chest due to her jumping back,’ Mr Hansen told the Courier Mail.
“My wife turned to see what was going on and he then sliced her hand open.
“The locals were yelling … but the guy sprinted off and my family were helped into a little van which drove them back to the ship.”
Hansen said his family did everything they could to stay safe by walking with other tourists and sticking to the main roads.
The staff onboard the Pacific Encounter treated Ms Hansen onboard and offered the teens counselling following the harrowing ordeal.
The Brisbane family arrived home five days later and Ms Hansen’s stitches were removed.
Hansen praised P&O for their diligence but has warned other holidaymakers that “these ports are not safe as we have been led to believe”.
“P&O have worked hard to follow up with trauma counselling for the kids but it really dampened a costly holiday,” he said.
A P&O Cruises Australia spokesman told The Daily Mail the cruise line had helped three passengers following an incident in Papua New Guinea.
He described the attack as an ‘isolated incident’ and said the company has been ‘in regular contact with the family’.
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary is investigating the alleged attack with local police.
