Lae residents give up tools used to produce homebrew

By JAMES GUMUNO
A GROUP of residents living near Mt Hagen handed over equipment they were using to produce homebrew to police on Tuesday.
The residents from Enga, Southern Highlands, Western Highlands and Morobe live at the Council Camp squatter settlement.
It was the initiative of Chief Inspector Tim Korada and Hagen police station commander Senior Inspector John Maguna.
Resident Pang Samyano from Tambul district said he had been producing and selling homebrew since 1993 to support his family.
Samyano has three wives and 16 children – two are attending Hagen Secondary School, four attending Hagen Tee Primary School, three in elementary school and the seven youngest are still at home.
“I have no job. Producing homebrew is my job to support my families and send my kids to school,” said.
Samyano said people had come to Mt Hagen in the 1950s from other provinces to work for the Hagen council.
Their grandchildren are still living there today and have been ignored in terms of basic services.
Carol Stone, a mother-of-six from Baiyer district said her husband was unemployed and they produced homebrew to support the family and send their children to school.
“I am now handing over my gas cylinders to the police. I want the provincial government and local MP to help us engage in other activities to earn a living,” she said.
Maguna thanked the residents for what they did.