Locals block road to Lae

By DOROTHY MARK
PEOPLE relying on public transport to travel between Madang and Lae have been affected by the disruption to services caused by threats from locals living along the highway.
It followed the alleged killing of a man which then led to the burning of homes along the highway.
Owners and drivers of buses operating between the two provinces met at the Jomba police station in Madang yesterday seeking police assistance to resolve the matter.
Bus driver Noel Carl said certain parts of the highway between Madang and Usino were blocked by locals whose houses and roadside markets were torched on Sunday.
About 20 homes were burnt following the death of a man from East Sepik who also owned a bus service operating between Madang and Lae.
Carl said locals blocked roads and threatened to attack buses if they were not compensated for the loss of their homes.
The deceased was attacked when he was returning to Lae after attending to a mechanical problem on one of his buses at Naru in Usino, Madang. The incident occurred around midnight on Saturday.
He died at the Modilon Hospital at around 4am on Sunday.
His friends and relatives in Madang then burnt a number of homes and roadside markets along the fairway.
Madang police commander Superintendent Jacob Singura had planned to hold mediation talks between the people at Naru and the relatives of the deceased yesterday.