Court stops evictions in Milne Bay

The National Main Stories

By CHARLES MOI
THE Waigani National Court has stopped Alotau MP Charles Abel, the Milne Bay government and police from carrying out a planned eviction and repatriation exercise in Alotau until further orders of the court.
The settlers successfully obtained an ex-parte interim injunction from the National Court last Thursday.
Abel, Milne Bay administrator Ashan Numa, Milne Bay law and order committee chairman Peter Boena, Police Commissioner David Manning, police special services division commander David Tasion and Milne Bay police commander Supt Peter Barkie are respondents in the case.
Steven Paul Nesai, Paulus Mumna and Samuel Luguna, on behalf of the settlers, are plaintiffs in the writ.
According to a copy of the order obtained by The National, the court ordered that pending the determination of the substantive matter, the respondents, their agents and employees are restrained from:

  • TAKING any step whatsoever to evict or repatriate any of the plaintiffs from their current homes;
  • THREATENING, harassing and intimidating in whatsoever manner the plaintiffs and their families; and,
  • ENTERING the homes and premises of each of the plaintiffs to evict or repatriate them in the absence of any orders or warrants issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The settlements, compounds and villages that the respondents are restrained from repatriating or evicting are Power House/AOG, Habours, Rabaraba, Goodenough, Watertank Goilanai (customary land), Gawa, Hideaway, Duau, Mobil/IPL1, Mobil/IPL2, Kewa, Yabwau, PTB, NBC, Red Hill, Denewa (customary land), Kuboma, Masurina, Niugini, Kitava (customary land), Siona 1 and 2 (customary land), Musa (customary land), Suau (customary land), Daga (customary land), Morima KB (customary land) and Hihiyaola (customary land).
The court said the respondents could apply to set aside these orders within three days.
The parties were ordered to return to court on July 6 for inter-parte hearing.