Mapiria’s body goes home to rest

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

THE body of the late businessman and former chairman of the National Gaming Control Board, Daniel Mapiria, will leave for his Hunanda village in south Koroba, Southern Highlands, today.

Mapiria died after a long illness last month.

Relatives, tribesmen and church members gathered on Saturday at the Revival Centres of Papua New Guinea church ground and held a short funeral service. Two cows and six pigs were slaughtered yesterday for a feast to remove the mourning house.  

Mapiria created history of sorts when, last month, he staged his own funeral feast where 22 pigs and more than 200 chickens were killed and a large amount of money pledged for his medical fees.

Mapiria’s son, Jeff, said contributions towards the mourning house and repatriation of his father’s body totalled more than K56,000.

He said the Hela Transitional Authority gave another K25,000 to send the body home to Hunanda. 

The casket would be flown to Tari Airport and travel by road to Hunanda village.

When alive, Mapiria was a former chairman of the gaming board, adviser to former prime minister Paias Wingti, patron of the People’s Democratic Movement political party and managing director of JP Engineering.

He was 65 years old at the time of his death and is survived by six children.