Brutal treatment of suspects

 ABOUT 30 men were chopped on their Achilles tendon  as they lay facing down allegedly by two policemen while others stood guard, a policeman said yesterday.

The policeman, who provided pictures of the injured civilians, expressed his 

shock and horror at the injuries done to the men, mostly from the Morobe settlement at 9-Mile outside Port Moresby.

“I cried as I was taking pictures of the wounded men at Gordon police barracks,” he said.

“The Gordon police cells looked like an abattoir with bloodied men lying in their blood.”

The incident had its beginning in a fight at 8-Mile settlement outside Port Moresby following the slaying of a young Morobean youth by suspects.

The body was placed in the middle of a field for all to see which incited the community and led to the burning down of seven houses belonging to people from the suspects’ ethnic origin.

Police, led by Gordon police station commander Insp John Tarur, were called in to ease tensions and on Sunday.

A group carrying bush knives were told by police to walk to Gordon police station because they were too many to transport. 

The group volunteered to walk peacefully, according to our police informant.

At the end of the Jackson’s Airport two police cars drove alongside and ordered everyone to lie face down on the ground, he said.

And that is when two policemen in uniform proceeded to chop the men behind their heels with bush knives. 

Our informant said almost 30 men were wounded in this manner.

Although NCD metropolitan commander Supt Andy Bawa had ordered the arrest of the group, none were charged and due to their injuries, were instead released to the hospital for treatment.