Naemon killed just before appointment

GEORGE Naemon, the chairman of Morobe lands and physical planning board, was to have been appointed Lae city manager this week, but died by the blade of a bayonet last Saturday night, it was revealed yesterday.
Morobe Governor Luther Wenge,  who wept at the haus krai in Lae on Monday evening, told a large crowd that Morobe had lost a great man from East Sepik who was committed to his job.
Mr Wenge said Mr Naemon even went right down to do the job himself in order to clean up Lae city and ensure that town planning procedures and rules were followed.
Mr Naemon was fit and energetic,Mr Wenge said, and added: “We were going to adopt him as a son of Morobe.”
He said he was very impressed with Mr Naemon’s performance that his government had decided to appoint him city manager.
That decision was to have been effected this week, the governor said.
Mr Wenge made a commitment to personally accompany the body of the late Mr Naemon to his Kwahwie village in Yangoru, East Sepik province, in a helicopter to be chartered by the Morobe provincial government.
Meanwhile, the owner of a liquor outlet (140 Club) at the Tent city re-settlement suburb has been arrested and locked up at the Lae police station in relation to the murder.
Locked up with him was his eldest son and his younger brother.
They are all from Kiarivu village, Yangoru, East Sepik province.
A Lae police spokesman said they were investigating the alleged murder of Mr Naemon by a group of people from Yangoru.
He said two others were on the run and police would soon bring them in for questioning.
Mr Naemon was with some of his relatives at Tapiok Club, also in Tent City, when they were attacked at about 8.30pm on Saturday and he was struck by a bayonet to at the neck and head and he succumbed to heavy bleeding soon after.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Mr Naemon was formerly employed as the chief technical officer at the University of Technology’s mechanical engineering department.
The late Mr Naemon leaves behind several children and his wife.