Eviction will proceed: Tubal

THE East New Britain provincial administration will resume its eviction exercise in Rabaul following a court’s decision to dismiss an application by some settlers to stop it.
Provincial administrator Akuila Tubal said they had until early next year to move out and the Law and Order Committee would help in the eviction.
“We will give them time but I hope the people are also listening. We need to communicate with them with regard to where they should go,” he told a forum at the Rabaul district’s
joint district planning and budget priority committee (JDP&BPC)   
He said although there had been discussions as to where the settlers would be relocated, they still needed input from the districts and  LLGs.
Early this year, in their application to stop the eviction exercise, the settlers claimed that they had children who were still schooling and  some of them had been mistreated by police.
Last month, the application was dismissed after the plaintiffs failed to turn up in court several times.
Mr Tubal said some of the huts that the settlers were living in were not fit for human beings.
He said the parents should be prosecuted for allowing their children to live in such unhealthy environments.
“As we speak, people are continuing to build in these areas. The authorities need to be proactive and work with the district on how we can progress from now on.”
Last week, the Rabaul Chamber of Commerce also expressed concerns that some of the settlements were becoming breeding grounds for criminal elements.
It is believed that the provincial government also intends to evict settlers in other places like Kokopo, Kerevat and Pomio to open  up more space for development.