Police: Ban not effective

By BRADLEY MARIORI
HOMEBREW is a problem which has not been addressed properly in East Sepik, provincial police commander Supt Albert Beli says.
He said the production and consumption of homebrew and cheap alcoholic drinks were causing a lot of problems despite a ban on alcohol in the province during the election period.
“We’ll talk to the Chinese business community here and find out why yeast has been sold in the province,” Supt Beli said.
Yeast has been banned in the province but some shops and businesses are still selling it.
“Cheap beer can be found on the streets which shows that businesses are still trading liquor.
“After meeting with the provincial government team, we will go about to deal with businesses that are not complying.”
Supt Beli said some policemen were not reporting illegal activities.
“For areas that are defying instructions, I will send the policemen in, they will ransack your place and you also must pack up and leave if you are a foreigner.
“If you’re a local, we’ll tie you up on the car’s bumper and display you because you are so ignorant. “When the government says no, you listen. It’s just two months.
“This is not a total ban. If you misuse the privilege, a total ban is likely to happen.
“All settlements in and around here are made up of people of East Sepik, not others.
“Many more will die if we do not listen and report illegal activities and practices in the communities,” he said.