Four more die in tribal fight

Main Stories

By MARJORIE FINKEO
FOUR more people died two weeks ago in a tribal fight which since it began last March had claimed 30 lives in Dei, Western Highlands.
Provincial police commander Chief Inspector Jacob Kamiak said 15 of the dead were from the Rogulgas tribe, and 15 people from the Kimgas tribe. The two tribes live in Pamgulum village.
Kamiak said the clash between the two tribes began last year over a coffee plantation called Guman, reportedly the third largest coffee estate in PNG.
Members of the two tribes rowed over the ownership of the land on which the plantation was located.
“It is a guerrilla-type of fight. They use mobile phones, radio and vehicles to get information,” he said.
Of the 30 killed, two were women.
Kamiak said the tribes did not fear or respect police officers when they tried to stop the fighting.
Officers were even attacked and chased away. “We are there to stop the fighting, restore peace. But they are not (listening to) us,” he said.
Meanwhile, early this month, police managed to broker a peace deal between two clans in Mul-Baiyer.
Clan members after talks signed a peace agreement witnessed by police and provincial authorities.

2 comments

Comments are closed.