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Villagers shut campus
By GABRIEL FITO
DISGRUNTLED landowners from Saure village in Wewak, East Sepik province
yesterday shut down St Benedict’s Teachers College and demand payment of
a K900,000 land compensation claim.
The Saure villagers yesterday took over the Divine Word University
Faculty of Education Kaindi campus and set up road blocks.
They said they wanted to express their discontent over the handling of
their compensation demand by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.
Landowners spokesmen Paul Mawi and Clement Momo told The National
yesterday the campus would remain close until Sir Michael personally
dealt with them.
They said they had not been compensated fairly for the use of their land
since the school started operating some 29 years ago.
Mr Mawi said they wanted Sir Michael to explain to them why the
commercial banks in Wewak had rejected the K900,000 cheque issued to
them by the Department of Finance and Treasury in Port Moresby last
year.
They claimed that after the first cheque was paid to them, a second
cheque for that amount was paid to certain Moses Songoromo and his
associates, who managed to cash it.
“We want to know who had authorised the release of the second cheque.
“Sir Michael is the only person who would be in a better position to
know all this because it was he who authorised former Secretary Thaddeus
Kambanei to write out our cheque when (Mr) Momo and I were in Port
Moresby early last year.
“We will see that the campus remained close until Sir Michael personally
shows up and give us our money.
“We will not listen to any officers from the provincial administration,
the Department of Education or even a minister or anyone,” Mr Mawi said.
They have also appealed to police to immediately arrest those people
responsible for the attack on crimes director Superintendent Mark Anaiwe
at Wewak airport last Saturday night.
Mr Mawi said police must work fast on their investigation and recover
personal items stolen from Mr Anaiwe.
Among the items taken was a lap top computer which contained files on
the K900,000 funding which Mr Mawi claimed was allegedly stolen from the
Saure people.
Disgruntled Saure landowners manning a roadblock at the Kaindi junction
yesterday morning.
 
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