Mayor appeals for information

By ROSELYN ELLISON
KOKOPO city authority mayor Issidor Bonga is appealing to all ward members to help East New Britain (ENB) police to capture the robbers who shot dead an Asian store owner on March 22.
“Please help the police with information on the identities or whereabouts of the robbers,” he added.
Bonga said the public should unite and work with the police to investigate and close the case with arrests because “the robbers are dangerous, they can strike anytime and anywhere, and the victim can be a foreigner or a local”.
“These Chinese or Asian shops (41 in Kokopo) also provide job opportunities to locals and the murder-robbery is now a public security threat.”
He said the police were doing all it could possibly do to solve the murder but ward members and the public should also cooperate and work together for the safety of the town.
Speaking on behalf of the authority and the people of Kokopo and his family, Bonga conveyed his sincere condolences to the Chinese community in the province on the passing of their colleague.
He described the murder-robbery as inhumane and that the case must see a closure for the safety of all in Kokopo.
On March 22, Weng Zugu, 58, from China’s Fujian city, who was the owner of TBT Supermarket in Takubar, was shot dead in the head by armed robbers.
The 10 robbers, armed with two homemade guns and other weapons such as bush knives raided the shop at about 8.30am and held up workers.