Hagen resident condemns killing of Australian man

 By JAMES APA GUMUNO

A MT Hagen resident has condemned the murder of an Australian in the Western Highlands province city.

Douglas Ivarato said the killing of Purdy Robert Peter, 63, of Melbourne, Australia was deplorable.

Peter was visiting Mt Hagen with his Filipino girlfriend who was also raped at Kagamuga during the early hours of Monday.

Ivarato said in March 2003, as Australia pilot Captain Allan Moulyan was shot dead in the city after he was robbed of K50.

Following that incident, Western Highlands leaders made a vow to have no more killings in the city and even built a monument where Moulyan was shot.

He said the leaders also invited the family members of Moulyan to Mt Hagen and promised them in public that there would be no killing of Australians in the province.

He said two Australians had lost their lives for no good reasons in the city which portrayed a negative image of the province in general.

“Why are we doing bad things to Australian when their government is helping us like building a new modern K7.5 million market, extending Kagamuga airport, building new wards at the Mt Hagen hospital, and funding other big projects in the province?” he said.

“We must appreciate the services the Australians are providing us and we must in turn look after their citizens  who visit or are living and working in the province,” he said.

Provincial police commander Supt Martin Lakari said no arrests had been made so far.

He called on people with any information linked to the killing to report it to police.