Check legality of foreign-owned shops

By LEONNIE WAYANG-SEVUA
A COMMUNITY leader in Lae, Morobe, is demanding the issue of foreigners taking over business opportunities reserved for Papua New Guineans be addressed immediately or people will take actions.
Ben Jeremiah called on Governor Kelly Naru to set up a team to scrutinise foreign-owned small retail businesses in Lae to ensure they were operating legally.
“I urge Naru to set up a team to thoroughly check small retail shops operated by foreigners.
“The team must check to see if they have relevant documents to be living and operating such businesses that are reserved for us locals,” Jeremiah said.
He said it was disgraceful to see foreigners taking over business opportunities reserved for nationals.
“Don’t tell me we have to set up protests or burn down these foreign-owned retail shops before the authorities can address the matter.”
He said many small retail shops in Lae were operated by foreigners who did not know how to speak English.
Jeremiah called on Naru to create schemes with commercial banks in Lae to enable people to acquire loans when they wanted to get into small retail businesses.