Locals misbehave at border

 By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK

Unruly behaviour by Papua New Guineans in the Indonesian border towns have irked authorities from both countries.

 They are clamping down on visitors, a Western provincial government official says.

Morehead LLG finance officer Daliki Diasala said villagers along the southern part of the PNG-Indonesian border were getting drunk and misbehaving in Sota in Indonesia. The villagers get goods from business houses on false pretence and are discouraging business houses to do business with genuine customers like us,” he said. 

“We need to go across to buy basic food items like rice and flour due to this extreme drought period.  Such unruly behaviour from a minority group of people will force the Indonesian authorities to stop us from going across.”

Diasala said  a councilor has approached him and to have a forum at the Morehead station for a ruling to be made by the LLG. 

“They want a schedule to be drawn up to control the movement of people with traditional border crossing permits and non–permit holders,” he said.

“They want villagers with permits from Wando, Balamuk, Wean Wewerave, Bula Iokwa, Vearua and Kiriwo to go across.”