Rogue cop hits Morobe deputy governor

By GABRIEL LAHOC

Gaiwata showing his injuries

MOROBE Deputy Governor Morokoi Gaiwata and deputy provincial administrator for corporate services Geoving Belong were yesterday attacked by a hostile mob, which included police personnel, in front of the provincial government headquarters, The National reports.
The policeman, who is known to Gaiwata, was in the unruly mob which had converged on the headquarters to pre­sent a petition to Morobe Governor Luther Wenge about the worsening law and order situation in the city, notably Eriku.
Wenge and provincial administrator Kemas Tomala were not available, so Gaiwata and Belong came out of the building to address the visibly frustrated crowd and receive the petition, in the presence of police personnel who were clearly outnumbered.
Gaiwata, who is also president of Wa­ria local level government area in Bulolo district, said he was hit several times and humiliated in full public view along with Belong, and were forced down from the vehicle on which they were standing to address the crowd.
He said he knew the police officer.
“That police officer knew who I was and as he approached me he called out my name and blamed the government for not addressing police shortcomings before he struck me with a stick at my side.”
Police could not be reached for comment.

Fire destroys Lae shopping complex

By PISAI GUMAR

A FIRE razed a major shopping complex in Lae yesterday morning, The National reports.
The building at Air Corps Road near the Lae Main Market gutted a retail shop and food bar run by a Chinese and an alcohol distribution warehouse run by the landlord Titus Pamben, who also runs a bar known as “Two Eighty”.
The cause of the fire has not been established but the intensity threatened the neighbouring KK Kingston warehouse, Bank South Pacific, Big Rooster and InterOil service station.
Two fire trucks fought to put it out.
Members of the public, mainly street sellers and pickpockets, tried to seize the opportunity to help themselves but were held back by the police.
Opportunists tried to break into other shops within the vicinity but scuttled the idea when a group of heavily armed police arrived.
Vendors at the Lae main market were forced to leave early as city council officers closed the gates.
Major companies including Agmark, Orica PNG Ltd, TE PNG, PNG Oxygen, Papindo
headquarters and Seeto Kui, Super Value Shop, Mainland Plumbing, ANZ Bank, Niugini Electrical, Belltek Chemicals were placed on alert.

Violence hits Lae

By PISAI GUMAR and GABRIEL LAHOC

Smoke billowing from a burning building inside the Lae market yesterday as tension gripped the city after street sellers and peddlers were chase away by local youths following an increase in criminal activities.-Picture by RHYS GRIGGS

LAE city was torn by violence at noon yesterday when two separate incidents of rioting forced schools, government offices, banks and shops to close and public transportation to stop, The National reports.
More than a thousand Morobean youths had decided to take the law into their own hands to bring back peace onto the streets of Lae and chased street sellers and pick pockets around Top Town yesterday.
In the process, they stoned PMVs and shops owned by highlanders.
They also pledged to return to Top Town today as a much bigger force.
However, the damage was mi­nimal compared to previous riots, which were often headed by the street sellers.
Word has already been sent to the predominantly Morobe settlements at Hunter, Malahang and Bumayong and the Miles areas for all Morobean youths to assemble peacefully at the provincial headquarters today and demand lawful action against street sellers and thugs.
The street sellers and thugs, who are mainly of highlands origin, were increasingly becoming belligerent and blamed for serious crimes like rape in broad daylight in public places.
The Morobe youths had gathered at the provincial headquarters at Top Town before noon and demanded an audience with Governor Luther Wenge.
While they were waiting to be addressed, a fire broke out at a shop at the Lae market and hundreds of their nemesis, the street sellers and pick pockets, rushed to the burning building, sparking a riot.
However, police were at the scene quickly and owners of shops and offices acted just as fast to close their doors, preventing any looting.
The angry youths were addressed by Deputy Governor Morokoi Gaiwata and deputy provincial administrator for corporate services Geoving Belong. Wenge and provincial administrator Kemas Tomala did not attend.
Despite the presence of police, who were easily outnumbered, the crowd
chanted anti-highlands sentiments.
Traffic flow into town from the market area and Eriku were halted, with buses turning away passengers to avoid the angry mob.
The Morobe youths also attacked Chinese shops in Top Town because, they said, the Asian entrepreneurs supplied the street sellers with DVDs and gadgets like mobile phones and flash drives, and sunglasses to sell to the public.
More than three hours after the uprising, police had to chase opportunists who went around Top Town attempting to loot shops.

Wartoto fails transfer bid

By SAMUEL RAITANO

THE Waigani District Court has dismissed an application by Kokopo businessman Eremas Wartoto to have his case on allegations of misappropriation transferred to Kimbe or Kokopo, The National reports.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar said although the reasons for requesting the transfer were based on the cost of travel by the defendant, it was not convincing.
He said Wartoto was a regular business traveller and owner of a number of companies and should not find it difficult in having the case heard in Waigani.
The court also dismissed a verbal application by the police prosecutor to issue a warrant of arrest for Wartoto on allegations that he had left the country and produced an unstamped medical report from a hospital in Cairns.
Bidar ruled that the police brief was not ready and a warrant of arrest would not be issued without proper evidence in court.
Bidar directed Wartoto’s lawyer to obtain medical reports from his client.
It was found that Wartoto was in Cairns for medical treatment after suffering hypertension and being seriously fatigued.
An affidavit had been filed in court that medical advice to Wartoto required him to be in treatment for 30 days.
Wartoto is alleged to have misappropriated about K10 million.
An additional charge of misappropriation of K1.9 million is being investigated.
The findings will be incorporated into the police briefs.
Wartoto is expected to make his appearance in court on Dec 1.

Probe team to begin SABL hearing today

THE Commission of Inquiry into the special agriculture and business leases (SABL) in Pomio district, East New Bri­tain, will start today, The National reports.
The inquiry will be held at Vunapope in Kokopo.
Interested parties would give evidence on the validity of each SABL to address issues found in the preliminary hearings over the past months.
The inquiry team was in Palmalmal, West Pomio, last weekend visiting the Drina camp site where logging operations were taking place.
The team was accompanied by government officials and representatives of the project developer, Gilford Ltd.
It was understood that landowners from Mul, Bairaman and Launa, within the Pomata concession area, were already in Kokopo for the hearing until Friday.
The substantive hearings will determine whether land titles for SABLs were truly vested in customary landowners or whether there was alienation to outsiders and foreigners for periods of up to 99 years.
Commissioner Alois Jerewai will hear the SABL inquiries

Greenpeace visit illegal, says administrator

By PATRICK MAKIS

LAST week’s protest visit by Greenpeace to the Drina logging camp in Pomio, East New Britain, was illegal, The National reports.
The visit was not approved by the provincial authorities.
Pomio district administrator Pomaleu Langisan said Greenpeace had failed to seek formal approval from police and the provincial government before going to the district to stage its protests.
He said the Pomio district administration, as the imme­diate government authority on the ground, was unaware of the visit and he and senior officers were turned away by Greenpeace officials when they tried to board the vessel to find out why it had berthed in their waters.
He said the ship, instead, dispatched boats and a helicopter ferrying Greenpeace activists to the village of Mu where they met with landowners who were against the Memalo integrated development project.
Langisan said there was a near-confrontation between pro-Memalo landowners, who numbered nearly 1,000, and the NGO-backed people comprising about 100 supporters.
“I want to thank the members of the police task force who were on the ground at the time and managed to contain the situation, which could have resulted in fatalities,” he said.
Langisan condemned reports published in the Post-Courier, labelling them as biased and mainly concerned with the views of pro-NGO landowners and not truly reflective of the situation that day.
He said the Post-Courier reporter failed to report that the number of people in support of the project was greater than those in opposition.
“I invited the reporter, including other media personnel, to come ashore with me to the Drina logging camp so that they could get a better picture of what was happening on the ground but they refused,” he said.
“I can only understand why the reporting was biased because media officials were accommodated on board the Esperanza and were inclined to report in support of Greenpeace,” he said.
He called on Greenpeace and its supporters in the country to res­pect authorities and landowners when protesting sensitive issues such as the Memalo project.
The Memalo project covers three concession areas of Ralopal, Nakiura and Pomata and comes under the lease-lease back scheme, which would see logging activities conducted with the cultivation of oil palm forming the agriculture component of the project.

Local firm refers Post-Courier to media council

A COMPANY has referred the Post-Courier newspaper to the Independent Media Standards Committee of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea, The National reports.
Memalo Holdings yesterday delivered its letter to the PNG Media Council alleging a breach of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea code of ethics.
Company chairman John Parulria said his action arose from that newspaper’s coverage of Greenpeace activities which took place on Oct 23-24 in the Pomio area of East New Britain and published in three separate articles.
Parulria was alleging that the paper breached the media code of ethics on accuracy and balance and conflict of interest.
He alleged that the paper was not accurate when it reported that the landowners were unhappy and that the company had continued its logging operations despite a court order.
He said there was no court order and that the paper failed to include in its report the commentary of spokespeople from Memalo Holdings and the 121 clans it re­presented.
He further claimed that that only a few members of the clans were protesting with Greenpeace while the majority was for the project which was a fact that had been badly misconstrued by the newspaper.
Parulria also alleged that Post-Courier reporters received and benefited from transportation provided by Greenpeace from Rabaul to Jacquinot Bay.
“This is a formal complaint,” Parulria said in his letter “under the Independent Media Standards Committee guidelines. These matters are causing damage to an important enterprise and generating tensions among landowners. Memalo Holdings Ltd requests the Post-Courier to take appropriate action and reserves all its legal rights.”
The paper was required under the guidelines to respond to each alleged breach within 30 days.