Betel nut ban after deaths

The National Main Stories

By AILEEN KWARAGU
A TEMPORARY betel-nut ban has been imposed by the Gulf government following the killing of at least four people along the Hiritano highway in Central and trans-island highway in Gulf last week.
Gulf deputy administrator Lester Sauka told The National that the killings were all related to betel nut trading.
Sauka said most visitors to Kerema were from the Highland provinces who were betel nut buyers. The ban will be imposed to restore order.
“We decided to send out a notice to inform the people because we want normalcy in the province.
“But the ban will be for at least two weeks,” he said.
“The murders are all believed to be related to betel nut trading because the bus involved was travelling from Gulf with bags of betel nut.”
He said he was not aware of the details of the killings but those involved were betel nut traders from Western Highlands and Enga.
Sauka said Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta had authorised the ban between Gulf and Port Moresby supported by acting administrator Emmanuel Xavier and police commander Chief Inspt Mariah Johns. He said checkpoints would be set up at Aro and Lese by police to enforce the ban.

21 comments

  • Why not ban it for good. NCDC should do likewise. It’s the laziest form of gainful employment. Banned it for good so people can go back to toil the soil.
    Condolences to those who lost their lives for a useless nut.

  • Lazman

    Betel nut is the biggest employer in PNG. Bigger than Oil search and Britain Oil Palm put together.

    Empoying over 100,000 in PNG. That money has paid for my school fees and thousands of graduates from university and other trades who have gone on to be leaders of our society.

    I shared your views 20 years ago when I had little life experience.

    Dont cut the hand that feeds you.

    dont cut paste opinons from a lazy head……..go and live life and make your own honest opinions from the truth you see.

    Betel nut has been here for 50,000 years and will be here for another 50,000 years long before you and I are gone.

    All we can do is manage it.

    Its bit like Satan. We cant get rid of him…..ALL WE CAN DO IS MANAGE IT TO AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL.

    • Its filthy snd unhygienic and it doesnt employ anyone. Sitting on you arse whole day long to sell drugs that cause cancer and at the same time create filth, dirt and rubbish is not good for society. Just ban it.

      • Total ban on sales of betelnuts in the towns and cities through out PNG . Empower people to till land for cash crops such as vanilla, cocoa, coffee and of course fishing ,animal farming and INTO SME initiated by the government. These are more respectable to enhance and sustain lives with genuine living.

  • Good and bad, therefore, regulate it.
    No buyers from elsewhere in PNG should go to Kerema or Hiritano Highway to buy betelnut.
    Instead, regulate it in such a manner where there should be a middle men to transport betelnut to POM for purchasing. The middle men should be from Kerema or Hiritano Highway (olsem ol yet – so bai nogat trouble). They bring the betelnut to POM at reasonable price for buyers to purchase. Regulate it, so all should be well. Gulf and Central Provincial Administrations should be the ones regulating this betelnut.
    Many people have died already since a long time ago and the recent ones now (my sincere condolences to the lives lost). The government (Gulf & Central) must step in to regulate it before many lives will be lost.

  • Yes, why can’t the government just ban the betelnuts for good. I mean off course its a commodity for people who are unemployed but there is always an alternative to replace this nut.

    Alotau police never do anything to control it. Betelnuts & smoking should be restricted at the bus stop.

    Here in Alotau, the main town bus stop area is one of the worst locations in town because people are still selling betelnuts at the bus area, cigarettes, gas lighters and so many different kinds of things.

    Its untidy, ugly, disorganized, chaotic, & very messy. Even public drunkenness is encountered, especially during fortnights.

    Maybe the government can increase prices of copra, coco, coconut so that people will focus on getting their minds on these commodities rather than betelnuts. This diversion will surely leave betelnuts out for good.

    Just a thought

    MBP, Samarai

    • I personally not agree with you (KEVRON) because betel nut has no mouth to bite or hand to kill ,it is us the human beings how have attitude problems which result to this.So may Government of the day should have some alternatives ways to solve this problems rather than putting bans to betel nuts.

  • Ok good. What about the murders? Are there any investigations into it? Will there be any arrests? Or these case will just be wrapped up with no investigations like all other deaths in PNG.

  • Bettle nut is here to stay. I agree, there should be a policy to regulate the beetle nut business. It’s a thriving business that the government agencies deliberately avoid to discuss a way forward. Our people have made buai an informal national cash crop only within our country. There is a need to do a detail assessment on this and advice the government going forward. My condolences to those that lost their lives because of buai business.

  • Step up betel nuts buying point somewhere in Moresby. Stopim ol Highlanders long go long Kerema na baim buai.Ol growers ken kam salem long Moresby is easy to avoid such killings.

  • It was is just a matter of time before something of this nature would happen. The highlanders bus & truck drivers have no respect for road rules, the buyers have no respect or village rules and so sooner or later people would have enough. It’s has happened in Lae and Madang and it is now happening on Central. These people (not all highlanders) are disrespectful, bullies and think it is there right to do whatever they want especially in Mobs. It has to stop. Cancel all Highlands owned PMVs and do not issue them licences to operate on the Hiritano

  • The betelnut problems have upset a few Papuan New Guineans life, and it needs fresh ideas for handling the issues it’s creating.

    It’s very important that we learn the power to avoid and develop creative solutions to its problems.

    ”There is not any medicine you’ll take which will replace what you’ll do for your own health.”
    BETELNUT HAS PRODUCE MANY UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA ALREADY.

  • Ban it then regulate it… both the provincial governments and and the people will benefit…it’s evident that no matter what the price is people will still pay…. that will bring some order to the chaos….bring the power back to the people of Gulf and Central- empowerment to the growers and land owners…..

  • For most unemployed Papua New Guineans living in the city, betel nut or as we call it, ‘BUAI’ is
    the main source of income for them and their family. I”m sure there are other ways of making money but betel nut is a fast seller. Therefore, if it is banned in the city, it will be a struggle for these betel nut vendors and their families to provide for their daily needs.
    On the other end, betel nut stain and skin thrown everywhere in the city gives a bad image of our city and has also caused the deaths of some citizens and will cause more deaths unless and until we find better solutions to solve and manage this betel nut issue.

  • We should be educating our chewers to give up becos of costs, health, rubbish etc…than sellers Will start to loose interest in selling them…let’s educate both sellers and chewers….

  • I agree with Robin and others. While I sympathize with those who make a living out of it, I am concern that the habit of chewing is going out of hand. Certain areas of the Towns and Cities are becoming a filthy dump because of the sick attitudes of the chewers. People have lost life due to betel nut trade related deaths.

    I strongly support the idea of having the trade of this crop regulated as soon as possible. This is the most favorable approach to managing this nut and some of the problems related to this nuts trade. Countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, India, China etc…have regulated and established betel nuts to be a traded commodity.

    According to Chinese Betel Nut Export Market, the betel nuts are currently going for USD 6.90 – USD 7.60 per kilogram (that is K24.25 – K26.71 per kilogram). That means if you export a 10kg bag of betel nut, you will be expecting a minimum return of around K242.50. If 100 kg (10 bags of 10kg betel nuts), you can expect a minimum return of K2,425. Not that bad.

  • Most often we blame the products for creating problems for people. Have we thought of the real cause of problems in our society? Look carefully and you will see that it’s the people who are the real culprits. People have to change their mentality and general attitudes toward how they manage what they do in their every day living with respect for others, their environment and themselves. People have put money before every other things so we see unhealthy, sickly looking people plying their trade at the detriment of the society and the country.

  • Talking is cheap, folks. Life is all about survival. If you’re talking about buai ban, who will implement the law? Because those very people who suppose to implement and enforce the law take it as an opportunity to earn an extra buck. So I think the only better option is that the government should help them sell or chew buai responsibly or give them something else to replace buai. If not, buai ban will not be effective and it’s a waste of time talking about it!

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