District staff threatened

By JIMMY KALEBE
MANY public servants involved in the Tewai-Siassi electorate counting at Sialum station in Morobe two weeks ago have received threats, according to an official.
District chief executive officer Sam Engam said most of them were public servants serving in the district.
“They received threats from supporters of some losing candidates after the declaration of Dr Kobby Bomareo,” he said.
Engam said a number of properties were destroyed and houses torched since Monday.
He did not get an update from the Siassi but said public servants had vacated the station.
Engam confirmed that district offices at Sialum was vandalised.
“Three staff houses were broken into and properties either destroyed or stolen,” he said.
The offences on Monday night were election-related and police in Morobe planned to investigate.
Morobe police commander Superintendent Jacob Singura said was that funding to send a team to investigate the incident was a problem.
While raising this issue with Engam, he said they were more than willing to help fund police to go to Sialum to carry out investigations.
“We are willing to make
funds available for police to come here to conduct the investigations but the funds that we had, were all used up during the election,” he said.
Engam appealed to the people of Sialum and Siassi to stop damaging public properties.
“Election will come and go, these properties and public servants are here to serve the interests of the entire Tewai-Siassi.”