Aussies see violence in Hela as hinderance to recovery

THE long path to recovery from February’s devastating earthquake in Hela is being hampered by intermittent fighting, said the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby yesterday.
In a statement, the high commission said restoring peace and stability was important for setting a solid foundation for recovery and reconstruction.
The leadership of two Hela clans who were once at war but have pledged to renounce violence – at a law and order workshop in the Fugwa Basin area – has lifted hopes that a peace settlement negotiated in April will hold.
The leaders were among 32 people attending a three-day workshop at Fugwa Primary School that provided information about law and justice agencies, family and sexual violence, juvenile justice, illicit drugs and tribal fighting.
Hela law and justice manager James Tapale, who led the workshop, said the presence of
the two the two clans was encouraging.
The two clans surrendered guns and other weapons during law and order awareness sessions conducted by Tapale at Kereneipa Market in April following an appeal by community leaders for an end to the fighting.
“It’s two months since our public awareness activity and there has not been any further tribal fighting in the Fugwa area,” Tapale said.
He stressed the need for continued follow-ups to ensure peace is sustained.
For many of the attendees, that was the first time they had been to an awareness programme where law and order issues were raised. The workshop involved discussions of the causes and consequences of tribal fighting and violence.
“Some said their life was not safe; they lived with fear, their family was not settled, houses were burnt down, gardens destroyed, trees cut down and to be safe, they ran
away and hid in the woods,” Tapale said.
The participants were urged to embrace alternatives to violence in the resolution of disputes, including mediation and reporting incidents to police.
In addition to the workshop, Tapale conducted law and justice awareness-raising sessions at three primary and one secondary school in the Fugwa Basin, and aims to expand his work to other parts of the province.