Madang college suspends classes after students fight

By DOROTHY MARK
CLASSES were suspended at the Madang Teachers College yesterday after a fight broke out between students from Sepik and Highlands.
Madang provincial police commander Inspector Ben Neneo said it was “alcohol-related” and involved the incoming and outgoing school presidents.
The outgoing president is a fourth-year student from the Highlands region. The incoming one is from Maprik in East Sepik.
Classes were suspended and traffic came to a standstill when the fight spilled onto the North Coast road beside the college campus. Highland students chased the Sepik students out of the campus and into an old coconut plantation nearby.
Neneo said the trouble began on Saturday when supporters of the two presidents wanted to confront each other over an incident. But it fizzled out after the two groups decided to maintain peace in campus. They were to have further peace talks yesterday morning.
Neneo said trouble flared when a Sepik student entered the mess yesterday morning and smashed a cup on a Western Highlands student who had to be taken to hospital.
Neneo said police calmed things down and brought the students to the police station.
There were no charges laid because the Highlands students did not want to press charges, he said.
The students said their job “practical” was approaching and they did not want to miss it.
Both groups agreed to resolve the matter today.