Burial put on hold

By HELEN TARAWA
THE funeral for the late journalist Rosalyn Albaniel Evara which was to have been held yesterday in Port Moresby has been postponed indefinitely pending a proper autopsy on her.
Her Alabaniel family yesterday thanked the government for intervening in her case to ensure that the cause of her death was properly determined.
The autopsy is expected to be conducted today.
Evara, 41, was the business editor of the Post Courier newspaper. She passed away on Sunday, Oct 15 at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
A death certificate showed that she was brought to the hospital after she had collapsed that afternoon. She had been complaining of headaches the previous day.
During her funeral service on Monday in Port Moresby, her aunt Mary Albaniel showed the congregation images of her body with injury marks on it. She claimed that her niece had been a victim of violence.
It prompted National Capital District  Governor Powes Parkop to request police to seek a court order to stop the burial planned for yesterday so that a post-mortem could be carried out properly.
Mary Albaniel told The National yesterday at the family home at Gabutu in Port Moresby that they were leaving it to the State to deal with the matter.
She said a police officer from the homicide unit yesterday urged Rosalyn’s relatives who had set up three separate haus krai to come together for Rosalyn’s sake.
“Because there was a commotion between the sides, police took her body to the funeral home,” she said.
“We are camping here because we don’t want confrontation.
“It’s a police matter now and we have been advised to stay away from the others.”  Her uncle Louis Albaniel said: “We have been told to stay away from the other factions, so we have declared this place as the haus krai in case people want to come here.
“Family members are eagerly waiting for the post-mortem to be completed and we will lay her to rest and continue with the rest of the work.”
It was also reported yesterday that the late journalist had told a colleague recently that she had been a victim of violence.
The colleague had questioned her why she was not eating and looking well during a recent trip she took with other local journalists.