5 prisoners killed, 7 seriously injured

By JAMES APA GUMUNO

FIVE prisoners were shot dead in Baisu jail outside Mt Hagen last Friday as warders resorted to the use of firearms to prevent a mass jailbreak, The National reports.
At least seven others received bullet wounds and had been rushed to hospital.
Those killed and injured were part of at least 55 prisoners who dashed for freedom at the jail last Friday afternoon.
Sources said 18 prisoners, including five killed, had been recaptured while 37 were still at large.
Correctional Services sources said the prisoners who broke out had earlier gathered with others and asked the guards to tell them if they would be transferred to other jails in the country.
The prisoners expressed concern about their health and safety following an outbreak of dysentery and suspected cholera.
A report published last week said three prisoners had died of dysentery.
It was understood that health authorities had inspected the jail and had declared the facility unsafe for human habitation. However, this could not be confirmed.
A correctional officer said the prisoners demanded a transfer, and escaped after seeing fellow prisoners die last week of dysentery-type illnesses, while many others fell seriously ill and were on medication.
He said the prisoners, who were outside the jail compound, demanded the two guards looking after the main jail compound to tell one of the senior officers to come and explain what was being done about the health condition at the jail.
They become angry when a senior correctional officer yelled out that “there is no money” to transfer them to other jails.
The senior officer then ordered the guards to round up the prisoners into their cells and lock them up, and this was when the prisoners reacted by overpowering the guards.
The officer said as the prisoners got over the last gates and headed out, they were shot at.
Many of those who were unaccounted for swam across the Waghi River.
On Saturday, 50 other prisoners from Baisu were transferred to Barawagi jail in Chimbu.
The plan was to transfer the remaining 183 to other jails in the Highlands region.
Mt Hagen metropolitan police commander Chief Insp John Kale confirmed the incident yesterday.
Kale said he would release a report on the breakout today.
The killing of the five prisoners was likely to raise human rights issues.
A senior correctional officer at Bomana said: “Warders have procedures to follow in the event of a breakout, and, when to use a firearm.
“I would expect that an inquiry will be held into these killings at the jail.”

Policeman shot dead in Port Moresby robbery

By JULIA DAIA BORE

 

A LONG-serving policeman and father of seven was shot dead at close range yesterday while escorting a company’s pay-run in Port Moresby, The National reports.

The shooting took place during the afternoon rush hour outside the Correctional Services headquarters at Hohola about 4.30pm.

He was named as Paul Waim, from Kerowagi, Chimbu, who was stationed at Moreguina, in Central’s Abau district.

Bystanders gathering around the vehicle to check on the policeman who was shot and could be seen lying across the two front seats. – Pictures courtesy of CS media

Waim and another policeman were escorting a rubber company depositing cash and pay run from the Abau district when they were attacked in the city.

Eyewitnesses said Waim and his colleague and others were in a utility vehicle driving slowly towards the busy Wards Drive from Islander Drive when their vehicle was intercepted by another utility vehicle near the Islander drain and the CS headquarters.

They said they saw the killers, armed with weapons, step out their vehicle, a silver-brown Toyota Hilux, and confronted the passengers in the intercepted utility.

One eyewitness said: “They came out with high-powered guns and shouted to the driver to leave the utility, screaming, ‘come out, you come’.

“Then, one of the men holding onto the weapon, appeared to be holding a pistol, fired six to seven continuous shots at the policeman.

“The gun was emptied on the policeman who was in uniform.”

The impact of the bullets threw Waim back, flat on the seat in the vehicle.

“The armed men then rushed into their vehicle and sped off toward Hohola.”

The sound of gunshots drew a large crowd who tried to help before the other policeman, apparently unhurt, drove his wounded colleague to Port Moresby General Hospital.

Another eyewitness said they also noticed the killers remove two weapons from the utility which the policemen were in before they fled the scene.

One eyewitnesses described the scene as “just straight out a movie” and that “things happened so swiftly, fast and unsuspicious”.

Port Moresby police could not be contacted to confirm whether any money was stolen.

Central police commander Chief Supt John Maru, who was at the Port Moresby General Hospital late yesterday to arrange for the release of the body, had called on companies seeking police escort to provide a separate vehicle from the vehicle carrying the money.

Maru also condemned the lack of resources and inadequate funding of the police force which he said was the reason why policemen in escort situations, such as yesterday’s, were left to carry out the escort, travelling in the same vehicle as that carrying the cash.