400 families homeless

 MORE than 400 families from Chimbu living in Anglimp, Jiwaka, are homeless after their homes were razed on Sunday.

Food gardens and cash crops were also destroyed.

The families from the Bongugl tribe of Gembogl district are residing in makeshift homes awaiting leaders from the area to resolve the issue peacefully.

Properties worth thousands of kina were lost and many of them received minor injuries after attacks by Kuli-Kindembe and Delimbe tribes, who are the landowners from the area.

James Umba, who spoke on behalf of the families, said the problem arose when a share of a compensation payment received for a Chimbu girl killed by a vehicle was not given to the landowners.

“A group of men came on Saturday night and torched our homes and a second group came the next morning, bashed us and destroyed our food gardens and coffee trees,” he said.

Vincent Amis said 380 coffee trees were destroyed including pandanus, bananas and immature yarr trees.

He said the families had been living on the land since 1963 and should not be treated like foreigners.

He said they blocked the access road to the village of the people who attacked them and told to come out and arrange a peaceful mediation.

“We are still waiting for them. We are no longer foreigners, we are landowners too as we have children through inter-marriages,” he said.

“We cannot go back to Chimbu. This is our home, our land and our province,” he said.