Death, destruction all over K1

By DOROTHY MARK
A MAN was hit on the head with an iron bar and later died and more than K50,000 worth of properties were damaged in a dispute over K1 in Madang at the weekend.
The young man from Kagua, Southern Highlands, who was helping collect fares inside a PMV bus operating between Madang town and North Coast on Saturday, decided to keep K1 for himself after the collection.
The crew of the bus wasn’t happy and an argument and fight broke out. The crew was overpowered by the man. The driver, who came to the rescue of the crew, hit the man on the head with a piece of iron. He died a few hours later.
On Sunday, the dead man’s relatives from Kagua mobilised and attacked a PMV from Nebilyer.
The bus was chased from Handy Mart Service Station to the Jiwaka Guesthouse by armed men who had their faces painted black.
Guesthouse owner Joseph Kauge said the men broke the lock to the gate of his guesthouse and smashed the windscreen of the Nebilyer Range PMV bus inside. His personal properties were also damaged.
“I am not part of the trouble and I am concerned why my family and I were attacked and our properties damaged,” he said.
Nebilyer Range PMV driver Johannes Namba, known to many as APS, said the Kagua man was killed by a Tambul man, not a Nebilyer man.
“They knew who the alleged murderer was, yet they ignored that and attacked my bus,” he said.
John Buri, a Western Highlands leader in Madang, said the Jiwaka bus was attacked and smashed and the driver’s ankle was slashed in front of his premises.
“They even threw stones at my house and damaged some of my properties,” he said.
Madang acting police station commander Senior Inspector Jacob Bando said they were investigating the matter and appealed to both sides to stay calm and avoid more problems.