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Monday, February 27, 2012

Parinjo killed in mob attack

By GABRIEL FITO and THOMAS HUKAHU

WEWAK police station commander Snr Insp Charles Parinjo was allegedly killed when he confronted a drunken mob obstructing traffic while on his way home last Saturday night, The National reports.
 The mob was obstructing traffic at a section of the West Coast highway at Kaindi and, in a bid to disperse them, Parinjo was attacked and killed.
He was heading home to Boikin village when the incident happened between 8pm and 8.30p“During the confrontation with the mob, Parinjo was hit by a PMV and dragged for several metres before being left to die,” East Sepik provincial law and order chairman Timothy Wani said.
Parinjo was rushed to the hospital by lawyer Michael S Wagambie.
An examination at Wewak General Hospital revealed Parinjo, who was pronounced dead on arrival, had suffered multiple injuries to his body.
Tension was high in the area yesterday as police sought out the suspects, Wani said.
He said police had burned down several houses near the scene of the killing.
A suspect was in custody while the search is continuing for others involved in the officer’s death.
Police from Aitape and Vanimo townships joined their Wewak counterparts in the manhunt yesterday.
Wani denounced the killing of the young senior officer who had stood “by the books” to enforce law and order without fear or favour.
“He was a respected policeman. He had done a lot in a short time to improve working conditions for police in the province,” he said.
“His killing should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
Wagambie, who was travelling with a group of people to Wewak from Hawaiin, said Parinjo’s death had happened near a local club that sold alcohol.
The group was confronted by a man armed with an iron rod when they stopped the vehicle.
The man was pulled away by bystanders who told Wagambie and his group to assist Parinjo.
Wagambie’s group put the injured Parinjo into their vehicle and took him to hospital.
Wagambie said the community’s failure to curb alcohol, homebrew and consumption of illicit drugs was behind many of the country’s problems.
“Homebrew particularly is the problem in communities. Failure to contain its production and consumption has resulted in violence, conflicts, deaths and related issues,” he said

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