Chaos in Tari

By DAPHNE WANI, JAMES GUMUNO and LUKE KAMA
FIVE people, including a woman from Tari in Hela, are confirmed dead as a result of tribal fighting last week.
Hela police commander Martin Lakari said eight houses were burnt down, food gardens destroyed and animals slaughtered during the attacks.
He told The National that fighting began on Wednesday. It followed the killing of village councillor Hebe Yaparia, from the Yalupate ward in the Tari urban local level government area, on March 16.
“Now the mobile squads are already on the ground and re-strategise the operation to come up with a workable plan to put down the lawlessness in Tari,” Lakari said.
“All available manpower have been deployed into the strategic locations to conduct road blocks preventing warriors from coming into town. I urge the leaders of all fighting clans to lay down arms and restore peace.”
He said the general situation in Tari yesterday was quiet but still tense.
Meanwhile public servants in Tari have left because of the violence.
A senior public servant told The National from the Koroba-Kopiago electorate that all public servants left last weekend because they feared for their lives.
The source said the perpetrators had no respect for human lives.
“We the public servants are nothing to them. We are not armed like policemen. They can shoot us dead like rats,” he said.
He fled with his family on Good Friday and said he would only return to Tari when it was safe.
Hela Governor Philip Undialu said the approach to the handling of the law and order issues in Hela, should be completely changed.
“I am calling on the Government and the police and defence force command to give special powers to personnel deployed in Hela the power to shoot to kill.
“Time after time we declare a state of emergency and put moratorium to surrender guns in Hela. Yet we still cannot address the issue.”
Undialu said warlords were still hanging around continuing to instigate problems.
“Enough is enough. A stringent approach must be put in place to address the issue. They (police officers and soldiers) must be given the power to shoot to kill.”