MP’s home raided

By GYNNIE KERO and  CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
POLICE will question an MP in Milne Bay over the removal of sea cucumbers by locals from a foreign vessel, according to provincial police commander Joseph Morehari.
The sea cucumbers were found by National Fisheries Authority and police officers on Tuesday during a raid of the home of Samurai-Murua MP Gordon Wesley on Skeleton Island.
Morehari said they found the sea cucumbers drying in his yard and took them back to Alotau.
The sea cucumbers were allegedly removed by locals – on Wesley’s orders – from a foreign vessel last week and taken to his village.
“The agencies jointly raided the MP’s home on Tuesday and found the sea cucumbers drying in his yard at Tubetube village,” he said.
He said Wesley and the LLG president would be questioned later.
Last night, Wesley confirmed to The National that his home on Skeleton Island was raided on Tuesday and the sea cucumbers removed.
Wesley said he was at Alotau when armed police went to the island – about 25km from Alotau – and took the sea cucumbers.
“I was in Alotau. I already told them that they should have come to me,” he said.
“I gave the directive for them (locals) to use my boat and get the sea cucumbers from the illegal vessel. We held the stock (at my home) because we want to see the reports of the first two stocks (before releasing them to police).”
He condemned police for going to his home fully armed.
“People are not criminals. The people use their time, resources, even without being insured or protected to carry out the arrest (of the Vietnamese fishing vessel),” he said.
“NFA said (maritime) surveillance is everyone’s business. The people were not paid or armed to carry this out.”
NFA managing director John Kasu earlier told The National that what Wesley did was “illegal”.
Kasu said the sea cucumbers were court exhibits and should not have been taken off the Vietnamese vessel.
Morehari said locals who also removed food and other items such as computers from the Vietnamese boat to the MP’s village would be questioned.
Morehari estimated the value of the sea cucumber at about K1 million. The Vietnamese boat was detained by police with the help of the locals on Samarai Island on Oct 6 for harvesting sea cucumbers illegally.
He said Wesley had ordered the locals to confiscate the 18 drums of sea cucumbers on board.
Morehari said the Vietnamese boat was brought to Alotau and impounded at Sanderson Bay.