Highlanders await response

By PISAI GUMAR
THE affected Western Highlanders in a recent issue at the Back Road in Lae have set up a tent as the haus krai at Kamkumung rugby league oval to await answers from responsible Morobe provincial authorities.
More than 70 houses, a church, Coaster buses, trade stores and road side tyre repairs were burnt to ashes last Thursday and continued early Friday morning.
The incident left almost 1,200 families and relatives scattered and roaming around Lae city in search of proper shelters while those that have relatives also become a burden to their relatives.
As a result, the Kamkumung rugby oval was the only proper meeting place the homeless had to discuss possible steps.
The homeless and relatives contributed whatever they had and bought some tarpaulin which several shelters were erected on yesterday to help them take refuge and await possible result from Morobe Governor Luther Wenge and provincial administration after presenting a petition.
The victims said that they were currently doing accurate calculation to find out the worth of assets that was lost in fire, but losses were estimated at some millions.
The Western Highlands leaders said that they had no knowledge about what  led to the death of a youth from Kabwum whose body was discovered last Thursday morning.
However, upon suspicions, the youths from the area mobilised and attacked the Highlanders, mostly those from Mt Hagen, some of them losing permanent houses, Coaster PMV buses and timber milling and selling business.
The petition Wenge, administrator Kemaseng Tomala and police hierarchies, assistant police commissioner Giossi Labi, provincial police commander Peter Guinness and Lae metropolitan commader Supt Nema Mondiai was in the process.
After the petition, all Highlands businesses in Lae will stop services – especially PMV, shops, fuel services and kai bars – for an indefinite period until a possible response by Governor Wenge and others was given, the leaders said.