Hunt for answers continues

By GABRIEL LAHOC
IT is now exactly a month since the worst maritime disaster in Papua New Guinea happened when the inter-island ferry, Rabaul Queen, operated by Star Shipping, sank in bad weather and rough seas off the Finschhafen coast in Morobe province.
Until today, the exact and number of passengers and crew members is not yet confirmed by authorities.
The families of the over 180 missing passengers and crew say their most dire need is
for Rabaul Shipping and the government to give
them satisfactory answers on how the disaster happened.
Rev Wala Baru Arua, a retired reverend of the United church in Central province is now the chairman of a group made up of family members of those still missing.
The group wanted:
lThe missing persons list to be scrutinised
and finalised to include everyone on board that voyage;
lThe salvaging of the ship from the ocean floor;
lCompensation from the operator and at least some benefit from the government’s allocation of K8 million for the disaster; and
lA major improvement in the way the government agencies performed their duties to ensure the safety and lives of travelling Papua New Guinea citizens are not compromised.