Robert@PNG

Article as it appeared in today’s The National …

Threat of ethnic war brings city to standstill !!

PNG’s second city,
Lae, was thrown into chaos yesterday amid fears of yet another ethnic war
between people from two Highlands provinces.

By PETER KORUGL


PNG’s second city, Lae, was thrown into chaos yesterday amid fears of
yet another ethnic war between people from two Highlands provinces.
About 300 angry mud-smeared Engans wielding bush knives, sticks and iron
bars marched from Kamkumung to Eriku oval in Lae city to protest the
killing of one of their tribesmen by the driver and crew of a PMV bus
last Saturday.
Western Highlanders, who own most of the PMV buses operating in Lae,
withdrew their vehicles from the city roads yesterday fearing
retaliation and also to demand police intervention to retrieve 11
25-seater PMV buses that were forcefully taken from them by the Engans.
The city has been in fear for a week now following the raid by 1,000
Unitech students on Sept 30, which left four families without homes and
thousands of kina worth of properties destroyed.
Lae residents and Morobeans have, this week, called for the expulsion of
illegal settlers as a result of constant violence in and around the city
precincts.
Yesterday, tension was high about a possible ethnic clash between Engans
and Western Highlanders over the death of a man identified as Keken
Karapen of Kupin village in Wabag, Enga province.
Karapen succumbed to injuries he sustained during an argument over the
non-payment of a 50t bus fare last Saturday.
In a move reminiscent of Port Moresby early in August, PMV operators
pulled their buses off the road as early as 8am and stayed away all day
to await the outcome of a meeting between the two conflicting parties at
Eriku later in the day.
The shutdown on the public transport system affected schools, Government
departments and businesses as well as ordinary people who were not able
to do their shopping and marketing.
Many students turned up late for classes while employees turned up late
for work. Many of the students and workers preferred to stay at home as
they were not sure whether the PMVs would be back on the road in the
afternoon.
Lae police yesterday brokered a peace meeting between the two groups.
In that meeting, Engans demanded for K150,000 in compensation from the
Western Highlanders.
Both parties agreed to meet again next Saturday, and settle some of the
compensation demand.
Addressing the peace meeting, Lae Metropolitan commander Supt Simon
Kauba reminded everyone that Lae city did not belong to any particular
ethnic group.
He said it was not right for people to mobilise in provincial groups and
address problems.
“If you want to do that, go back home; you do not belong here.
“People from all over Papua New Guinea live here and, when you do these
things, everyone suffers. Many of them are the innocent people,” Mr
Kauba said.