Plane allowed to land on humanitarian grounds, says cop

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
WEST Sepik police commander Chief Insp Moses Ibsagi says they allowed a plane from Port Moresby to land at the Vanimo Airport on humanitarian grounds on Sunday.
“We are not supposed to allow the 14 passengers to come out of that plane,” he said.
“In fact, there should not be any flights to and fro border provinces like ours, East Sepik and Western province.
“So these passengers should not be complaining on Facebook about how we are looking after them in Vanimo.”
Chief Insp Ibsagi said after passengers had arrived in Vanimo from Port Moresby, they complained that they were living in a run-down building.
“The plane came at the time when there were reports that a person of interest (POI) was confirmed positive in Port Moresby.
“Also, State of Emergency (SOE) controller David Manning didn’t uplift the ban on flights coming to Vanimo.” Chief Insp Ibsagi said passengers were kept at a logging company’s office that was abandoned outside Vanimo town four months ago.
“That’s the only convenient place to keep them free-of-charge because the provincial Covid-19 task force has no funds to put them up in a lodge or hotel like how the POIs were being kept in isolation in hotels in Port Moresby.
“The lodge /hotels in Vanimo will not provide services until we make upfront payment.
“The task force is also running out of funds.
“In fact, I’m using police funds to buy fuel for my vehicles to go on Covid-19 operations in the province.”
Insp Ibsagi said the passengers would be in quarantine at that abandoned building for 14 days.
“But they were not being detained as prisoners.
“They are still free to move around and talk as long as it is within that company’s premises and they should appreciate that.”