Police warn PMV operators in ENB
POLICE in East New Britain has warned the public motor vehicle (PMV) bus operators and owners that as the enforcing agency, it will implement the decision of the government of the day.
The PMV bus operators have resumed operation late yesterday afternoon after police urged them to go back to work.
The acting Kokopo police station commander David Yapu said whatever decision the ICCC made on behalf of the National Government and the provincial transport board was final.
The ICCC recently approved a 10 toea increase for the bus fares for all routes in the province.
Mr Yapu told the PMV operators to respect that decision.
He said any PMV operator disobeying the order would result in cancellation of PMV permit and police would take appropriation action against them.
He said if the interim PMV association led by the interim president Steven Rafflin was not satisfied with the increase, there were other avenues to pursue the case.
Mr Yapu told the PMV operators that police would not hesitate to deal with the ring leaders if the situations cause public unrest.

Missing seven back home
SEVEN people who were reported missing after heading for Nissan Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville a month ago arrived in Buka last Tuesday.
They included five senior public servants and two students.
A small ceremony was held to formally welcome them home.
Acting chief administrator Raymond Masono thanked the Government and people of the Milne Bay for their support and care for the seven after their ordeal at sea.
The seven left on a banana boat on Dec 1 and encountered bad weather.
They landed on Misima Island 29 days later.
Mr Masono said he sent two officers to Milne Bay to escort the seven back and to thank the provincial government by killing a pig and giving shell money to the people for their help.

Group warns PNG Ports
A GROUP claiming to be the principal landowner of Kimbe town in West New Britain has warned PNG Ports Corporation not to extend the wharf or increase port user fees.
Morokea Integrated Land, which includes Ruango and Kulungi villages, claimed that it represented the traditional owners of the area where the port was located and wanted the ownership issue resolved.
Its secretary, Gerard Kura, said the wharf was built in 1969, but as the traditional landowners they had no knowledge that their fishing ground would be leased to the corporation.
He said the direct benefits of the wharf were shared by the State, the corporation, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd, Kimbe Bay Shipping, WNB Commerce and others.
He said the State and corporation had ignored the villagers and not paid any compensation.

New police plan reduces crime rate
Lae crime has reduced significantly in the past five weeks due to a new strategic move by its police task force unit.
Lae metropolitan chief Supt Nema Mondiai said the task force had been re-directing its attention more on tackling crime in the “more troubled” spots of the city.
The task force unit under its recently appointed task force commander Clement Dalla had been concentrating more in slicing the crime level in dangerous areas such as 1-9 Mile, East/West Taraka, Butibum Road and Malahang Back Road.
The number of petty crimes, especially pick-pocketing, which was a norm at main bus stops had gone down reasonably, while other much serious crimes in the main suburbs of Lae had been contained by the police.

PMV shooting incident probed
Police officers found guilty of firing on a PMV bus in Kundiawa Simbu province earlier this month would be dealt with accordingly.
Simbu provincial police commander Supt Joseph Tondop issued this warning following a report in The National alleging police on night duty in Kundiawa fired on a 25-seater PMV bus travelling from Lae to Mt Hagen.
Supt Tondop confirmed that those on duty that night were being investigated by an internal investigation unit (IIU), adding that any of these officers found guilty would be dealt with accordingly.
He said a proper investigation would be carried out to determine the cause of the incident, as policemen would not blindly fire at the travelling public.
“Only a proper investigation would dig up the truth, IIU was conducting the investigation now,” Supt Tondop said.