Settlers relocated to curb crime

By CHRIS TABEL
THE relocation of Kambaramba settlers from the fringes of the Divine Word University by the Madang provincial government was to curb crime.
DWU vice-president Br Andrew Simpson said this yesterday in the lead up to the university’s 11th graduation ceremony.
He said the land was State-owned and leased to the university through the Catholic church.
Br Simpson said that the relocation and eviction exercise carried out by police was not an initiative of the university.
Gavstoa settlers – one of the biggest and oldest settlements in the province – have also been given notice by the Madang government to vacate the land.
Br Simpson said the university would divide the land into blocks to build accommodation for the institution’s ancillary staff this week.
He said the quick move by the university to put claim on the land was because past experiences had seen settlers moving back on unoccupied land.
He sympathised with the settlers saying that they had their rights, however, added that the institutions have had bad experiences with crime problems over the years which had become intolerable.
After being served a two-day eviction notice a fortnight ago, the Kambaramba community leaders expressed concerns that they have been settlers on the land for the last 30 years, adding that the settlement has been around since the 1970s, and home to several generation settlers.

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