THE Imita villagers have put aside their differences and will not remove the plaque installed by the Australian volunteers on Imita Ridge along the Kokoda track in the Central province.
Koiari Holdings Ltd officer Allan Miria said: “We have met and advised them that the plaque that accounts for an event that took place on the ridge during the World War II will attract a lot of international tourists.
“This will boost the local economy if more tourists walk along the famous rugged 96km track that runs between Oro and Central provinces.”
Mr Miria said that the villagers who were arguing did not know that their chiefs had signed the agreement in 2003.
The villagers argued with a Kokoda Memorial Foundation volunteer Lens Thompson at Owers Corner near the Sogeri plateau not to install the plaque and threatened to remove it.
They claimed that they were not aware of any agreement signed in 2003 to install the plaque.
The 12 volunteers, led by their director Eric Winn, were here to install the plaques at Ioribaiwa village and Imita ridge.
These plaques will relate for events that occurred in these places during the Second World War.