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O'Neill had told Australia
-- Papua New Guinea's former colonial master and its main provider of foreign aid
-- that "authorities were taking steps to manage the situation," Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard condemned the mutiny. "The military has no place in PNG politics," she said in a statement. "It is critical therefore that this situation be resolved peacefully as soon as possible, with the PNG Defense Force chain of command restored," she added. Somare was Papua New Guinea's first prime minister when it became independent in 1975, and was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Papua New Guinea's Parliament replaced him with O'Neill in August, while Somare was getting medical treatment outside the country. Last month, the country's Supreme Court and Governor-General Michael Ogio backed Somare, who the court ruled was illegally removed. But Ogio changed his mind days later, saying bad legal advice had led him to incorrectly reinstate Somare.
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