Hagen cops stop all-out ethnic clash

MT Hagen police are working hard to prevent a full blown ethnic clash between the Jiwaka and Western Highlands people, The National reports.

Police are patrolling the streets in the city and bus stops where passengers bound for the Jiwaka region wait for public transport.

They are making sure people from the Jiwaka region coming into the city are not harassed by students from Western Highlands who have fled from Fr Peter (Fatima) Secondary School on Monday after a clash with the Jiwaka students.

The Minj, Banz and Kunjip bus stop was empty yesterday and only a few people were seen waiting to catch PMVs home.

Many PMV operators from Jiwaka are reportedly operating from their area to Chimbu and are refraining from coming into Mt Hagen.

The PMV operators are scared after students from Western Highlands, who ran away from Fatima secondary, had mobilised their people and tried to attack PMV operators at the bus stop and any Jiwaka people in Mt Hagen on Monday.

Highlands police divisional commander and Assistant Police Commissioner Simon Kauba said yesterday that the student unrest at Fatima only involved students from Hagen Central, Dei and Jiwaka.

Kauba said that the problem almost spread to other schools in the province but quick actions by the police and local communities prevented the problem from going out of hand.

He said the warring students had set a bad precedent and appealed to the concerned education authorities to quickly intervene and resolve the problem in Fatima.

Kauba said that it was important the school administration and education advisers carry out immediate investigation into the matter and resolve the problem once and for all.