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‘Spirits high’ after looters ‘clean’ truck
By PETER KORUGL
HUNDRED of people were drunk last Sunday in the Waghi valley of the
Western Highlands province from liquor looted from a truck.
Reports yesterday say the East West-owned truck got bogged at Aviamp,
several kilometers outside Mount Hagen and villagers looted the liquor
from one of the two containers on the truck.
The looting has prompted the Goroka-based trucking company to pull its
trucks off the highway between Goroka and the rest of the Highlands
until the highway was fixed.
“Due to the deteriorating conditions of the road between Goroka and Mt
Hagen, one of our trucks has been looted at Aviamp outside Mt Hagen.
“The Government in its ignorance to maintain and fix the worst affected
areas has seen another disaster inflicted on the trucking company, its
cargo and the customer.
“This has forced us to advice you all that a temporary delay of service
will be in place,” Operations manager of East West Transport Hane Badu
said in a letter to its clients.
Trade Winds Liquor Limited in Lae said the truck was carrying over
K100,000 worth of spirits and these were looted.
“That is a lot of liquor and there were a lot of drunken people in the
valley —- from Minj to Banz, Avi, Kondopina and Aviamp,” Trade Winds
Liquor branch manager Amos Tepi said yesterday.
Reports say scores of villagers turned up in large numbers last Sunday
when the truck was bogged down and cut through the containers with axes
and looted the cargo.
One of the containers had groceries, which were also looted, while the
other container was filled with liquor bound for a Mt Hagen-based
client.
This is not the first time that liquor had been looted from trucks
travelling on the Highlands Highway.
A few years ago, a truck ran off the Koronigle Bridge in Kerowagi into
the river with its load of liquor.
Villagers braved the strong currents and cut their way into the
containers and looted the liquor, which was sold very cheaply to
travellers and other villagers.
A lot of people were injured and homes were razed among the communities
as a result of drunken brawls and disorderly behaviour.
Last Sunday, The National was told that villagers at Aviamp attacked
police to loot the truck.
Police said the villagers threw stones and sticks at them, which damaged
their vehicle — a 10-seater Land Cruiser.
Police said they were attacked around 8pm.
They said they wanted to retaliate but it was dark and they were not
sure where the missiles were coming from.
They said they did not want to take the risk of firing as there were too
many houses nearby.
After police withdrew, the attackers cut open the containers and removed
the liquor.
Police said they have reports that drunkards abducted and raped two
girls yesterday morning.
Police also said many villagers were injured after a drunken brawl, and
had to seek treatment at Kudjip Nazarene and Mount Hagen Hospitals.
A villager, Mr Philip Rui told The National yesterday that local
villagers tried their best to provide security for the truck but they
were out numbered by people, who came to loot the containers.
Mr Rui said they came from Kindeng, Anglimp, Minj, Kudjip and Banz and
numbered about 2,000.
Sources said the looters also removed the batteries, spare tyres,
smashed the headlights, destroyed the seats and drained the diesel from
the truck’s two tanks.
He said the cost of the damages done to their truck is about K15,000.
 
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