Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03

1997 in Papua New Guinea

Explore 5 historical events and records for Papua New Guinea in 1997.

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Historical records for Papua New Guinea in 1997

Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 5 of 5 unique records.

5Unique records

1 of 1Page

5Named events on this page

4Named people on this page

1Places on this page

March

27 March 1997

Acting Prime Minister Takes Office

Giheno, John · Port Moresby · Acting Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea · Government / Government of Papua New Guinea

John Giheno becomes acting Prime Minister during the Sandline crisis

27 March 1997

Second Premiership Suspended

Chan, Julius · Port Moresby · Former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea · Government / Government of Papua New Guinea

Chan steps aside during the Sandline affair and political crisis

June

2 June 1997

Prime Minister Restored

Chan, Julius · Port Moresby · Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea · Government / Government of Papua New Guinea

Chan resumes office briefly before the 1997 election transition

July

22 July 1997

Prime Minister Takes Office

Skate, Bill · Port Moresby · Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea · Government / Government of Papua New Guinea

Bill Skate becomes Prime Minister after the 1997 national election

November

20 November 1997

Governor-General Takes Office

Atopare, Silas · Port Moresby · Governor-General of Papua New Guinea · Government / Government of Papua New Guinea

Silas Atopare becomes Governor-General of Papua New Guinea

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How these records were prepared

Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.