Baki likens West New Britain as PNG following ethnic clashes

WEST New Britain province is a Papua New Guinea on its own, says police commissioner Gari Baki.
Mr Baki made this comments following the recent ethnic clashes in Kimbe which resulted in one man being seriously injured and people apprehend and detained by police.
“It is PNG on its own because this is where you have other people from other provinces living in the province, where one little thing can erupt into something big.
“But on the one hand, there is so much relaxation in the way we run the town, resulting in people coming and setting up settlements everywhere,” he said.
The incidents he was referring to were the shooting at Ganeboku village, his home area, and the ethnic clashes at Gigo settlement which resulted in one man being seriously injured on New Year’s day.
“The situation in Gigo is very quiet,” Mr Baki said, adding that in his home village, three suspects have been apprehended.
and a homemade gun was now in police custody.
He said the provincial police commander Thomas Reu had advised that police would be monitoring the situations in the two areas.
After Mr Baki was briefed by Mr Reu on the situation on the ground, Mr Baki reportedly held talks with Governor Peter Humphries on the issue of law and order in the province.
Mr Baki also discussed with Mr Humphries on the possibility of police officers assisting to conduct checks and closely screen people who were traveling into the country especially via the seaport.
He said the officers while screening ask the travelers on their reason for traveling into the province, their reasons for the trips and who they will reside with while being in the province.
“In that way it promotes this idea that the authority is controlling the movement in and out of the province,” Mr Baki said adding that police were closely monitoring the situation on the ground.