By GABRIEL FITO
TWO university students from the West Papua province of Indonesia were convicted and sentenced to two months in prison by the Vanimo District Court last week.
Senior provincial magistrate Thomas Morabang told The National that the duo from Tigi village travelled into PNG on a motorbike through the border post at Wutung undetected but police managed to catch up with them at Vanimo and arrest them.
They were arrested and charged with entering PNG without valid documents on Jan 4.
They appeared before the Vanimo District Court and were found guilty as charged and ordered to pay K1,000 each in default two months in prison.
Mr Morabang said the two men had no money to pay their fines so they were ordered to serve two months each at the Vanimo jail.
Meanwhile, the three Nigerians who were arrested and charged with the same offence last year are still waiting for their cases to be heard at the Vanimo District Court.
The three men also entered Vanimo through the border post at Wutung in April last year but were arrested and charged in August by police with illegal entry.
The three men have been only making brief appearances at the court because police and the Immigration Office in Vanimo have not provided an interpreter who could assist their court proceeding.
Mr Morabang said police and immigration officials should find an interpreter quickly because this case had been prolonged for sometime now.