Bougainville not ready for outsiders: Bemu

By SHEILA LASIBORI
THE Autonomous Region of Bougainville is not ready to take in people from other parts of the country, outgoing Assistant Police Commissioner Joseph Bemu said.
“This is not the time for the rest of Papua New Guinea to come into Bougainville,” Mr Bemu said.
Mr Bemu said this was because essential government services on the island were still in their deteriorated and destroyed stages and needed to be fixed before considerations could be made for people from other parts of the country to return to the island.
He said law and order on the island was slowly picking up, although much of the infrastructure,in terms of police stations, houses and barracks, were yet to be fixed.
Mr Bemu said in the short term, it would cost the ABG about K5million to rebuild some of the destroyed infrastructure and restore services.
Mr Bemu said 100 locals were recruited and trained as police officers during the restoration of peace on the island and that there was still a need to recruit more Bougainvilleans. However, he said this would be done by Bougainvilleans and at their own pace.
Meanwhile, Mr Bemu last Friday quit the police force after 35 years of service.

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