Namatanai people wary of conmen

National, Normal
Source:

The National,Thursday19 January 2012

TWO elders in the Kandas region of West Coast Namatanai, New Ireland, claim East New Britain people are victims of a group of conmen.
The two elders who did not want to be named said they were angry that certain elements were getting money from unsuspecting outsiders with promises of land and other development benefits.
They claimed East New Britain people were victims of a group of “Kandas conmen” who were asking for money from Tolais to trace their origins to the Kandas region and, at the same, time promising to make the Tolais chiefs of clans in Kandas.
“The actions of the conmen have brought anger, shame and disgrace to the usually laid-back Kandas people,” they said.
The elders said the same group of conmen recently attended the opening of a haus boi in Gazelle district where they were made chiefs although they were ordinary clan members in Kandas.
“We aim to put a stop to their activities,” they said.