Four soldiers injured in Hela
FOUR members of the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) working in Tari, Hela are injured following a confrontation with locals from Keme village in the Wage rural local level government area of Komo-Margarima.
According to a statement from PNGDF, the confrontation took place at around 1pm on Friday.
A section from Delta company from the 2nd Battalion Royal Pacific Island Regiment was tasked to assist the police mobile squad 09, the Margarima and Nipa police to recover a 10-seat vehicle alleged to have been stolen earlier.
The team arrived at the village around midday, prompting all the villages to run away.
Members of the security forces requested the community to return the key but nothing was forthcoming, prompting them to resort to alternative ways to start the vehicle.
At around 1pm after the vehicle was recovered, locals from Keme village had already dug two big ditches across the road at the junction and also in front of Hulara bridge in an attempt to block off the road and ambush members of security forces while heading to the main road.
“On the way out, one of the vehicles was bogged down.
“While attempting to remove the car, the villages open-fired at the convoy with an M16 and two SLR, as well as multiple home-made guns, bows and arrows and stones and rolled rocks from the slopes leading all the way towards Hulara bridge, injuring four members of the PNGDF,” the statement said.
These injuries range from swollen jaw, arrow wound, swollen ribs due to blunt trauma and upper back injury.
The vehicles that the members were travelling in were also damaged, ranging from a flat spare tyre, multiple rock marks and cracks on the bodies of the vehicle, broken front windscreen, broken right side window and the back glass of the car.
Police members gave verbal warning to the locals.
But they (locals) failed to comply, forcing the security forces to fire shots in self-defence to disperse the attackers who were on high grounds.
5 comments
This very people (Southern Higlanders) of this nation, rich in minerals and resources which their province have an impact in the nations economy , I personally don’t see a reason why they should act and behave in such manner.
Damaging government property, attacking security forces and also killing their own tribsmans in tribal fights . Is it because of their custom and culture why they act and behave in such manner, is it bacause of their so call leaders in the parliament.
It is time they should change for a better future,
Their leaders should seriously look into solving issue’s arising, which leads to increasing in number of deaths in their province. Seems like this province has the highest number of people dieing every now and then.
These people are always having big problems.Where and how in the world did they get these factory made guns from.They always take PNG law into their own hands.At the moment,Hela people are facing the Police and PNG Deference force,so what will be the next force to face. Just evict the whole province to a war zone like Afghanistan so that they can be satisfied.Please Prime Minister do something about it,they are spoiling the good image of your leadership.
Those Tari people are primitive barbarian bush kanakas, with no common sense, intelligence, conscience and moral values. Wherever the go they spread fear and violence and death. In the own home province there is total anarchy. They have no respect for the rule of law, or even for government services, law enforcing authorities and disciplinary forces present in their province to maintain peace and order. The PM is from there but his people.dont seem to take pride in him. He should.also do more and say more to change their attitude and behaviour. Enough is enough. Otherwise send the whole.army in so that they can experience the force and power of the law. Enough is enough
There’s always two sides of a story. And also a reaction to a action.
They won’t do such actions with no good reasons. There must be a reason why they did that. Let’s get stories from both sides.
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