Landowners give share of K50,000

 By ISAAC NICHOLAS

A GULF landowner group has given K50,000 of its business development grant as counterpart funding to Correctional Service for its community corrective centre. 

Martha Kaia and Paul Kiripa of Kaian village in Kikori made the presentation to CS Minister Tony Aimo and CS Commissioner Richard Sikani in Port Moresby last Thursday.

Kaia said the Kaian people of Kikori would be promoting tourism and would like to have inmates helping out in developing the community.

She said the district had also been identified by the national government in its medium term development plans as an economic growth centre.

Kaia said the law and justice sector was important for the district in attracting tourist and other investors into the district.

“This is the first of its kind contribution that we are investing for the future of the people of Kikori.”

She said prostitution, arms smuggling and other illicit trade were present because of the absence of any law agency in the community.

Kaia said the landowners had decided to allocate the money as well as land for CS to build the facility.

Aimo and Sikani welcomed the gesture from the people.

Aimo said this year was the year of implementation and the department had identified four major projects to be the priority.

He said these were the establishment of the Prison Industries Authority, the rollout of rural lock-up or community corrective centres, CS 10-year prison infrastructure demolition and reconstruction programme; and implementation of the 85 recommendations of the National Security Advisory Council after the escape of William Kapris and others at the Bomana maximum security unit.