Mayor plans to stop homebrew, drug use

 By ELLEN TIAMU

LAE Lord Mayor Koim Trilu says he is looking at banning homebrew and illicit drugs in the city. 

His comment follows the stabbing of a man at One Block at East Taraka on Friday evening as he was returning home from work.

The victim was taken to Angau Memorial Hospital with wounds to the neck and later released.

 Trilu, who lives at East Taraka, said crime in the area has escalated and was aided by homebrew and use of illicit drugs such as marijuana and he wanted a complete stop to them. 

The Taraka police station in Lae needs to be re-commissioned following an upsurge in crime in the area, Trilu said.

It is understood that the metropolitan commander Supt Iven Lakatani visited the site of the old police station yesterday with the view to re-commissioning a new building.

East and West Taraka consists of settlements covering a wide area opposite the University of Technology campus and, according to the Trilu, it was a hub for homebrew and drugs.

Trilu met with community leaders on Saturday to discuss the stabbing and consensus was reached to totally evict lawbreakers in the area.

“Drugs, homebrew and steam are the major cause of fighting, deaths, injuries and destruction in settlements and lives of young children and schoolchildren are being affected by these illegal substances,” he said.

“Because of shortage of land in Lae, industries are now building near settlements areas and trouble must stop in these areas.”

Trilu said young people could easily find ways of earning a living instead of turning to crime and using unemployment as an excuse to indulge in illegal activities.

He pinpointed One Block as one area where he had banned darts for money and beer and the sale of alcohol due to a high level of violence. 

“People get drunk and become a menace to the community and motorists and police and the city council have warned that beer clubs would be closed if lawlessness was a result of drinking,” Trilu said.

East Taraka falls under the electoral boundary of Lae open while West Taraka is part of Huon-Gulf electorate.