Govt, police and military should be accountable for members’ fight: CEO

By DALE LUMA
BRIAN Bell Group chief executive officer Cameron Mackellar says the Government, the police and defence force should be accountable for the fight between members of the two disciplined forces in Port Moresby on Monday.
A number of businesses operating in Boroko, including the Brian Bell’s Boroko Plaza, were affected by the violence and had to close for a period of time.
“The whole situation between the police and army was deplorable and put many civilians at risk as they all fled for their lives,” Mackellar said.
“The Government, head of the police and head of army need to be accountable for this matter and the grotesque violence which was seen by many of us and captured on so many smartphones, presently being shared around the world on social media.
“The whole situation was completely avoidable and has brought shame on PNG.
“Let’s hope the perpetrators are brought to swift justice and we never see this type of incident again. “Our business was certainly impacted by the dramatic situation and we like all businesses in Boroko closed for a period of time when the situation unfolded.”
Mackellar said they would feel the effects for several days because many people would avoid Boroko.
National Superannuation Fund chief executive officer Ian Tarutia said they had to close around noon and sent members to the Waigani office.
“We were informed of a skirmish between feuding parties,” he said.
“As a safety precaution, we shut our Boroko office.
“None of our members and staff were affected.”
Westpac said their operations at the Boroko branch was not affected.