Police confiscate gun

 POLICE in Hela have confiscated a  gun,  cartridges and bullets hidden in a mattress air-freighted  from Port Moresby by Air Niugini.
After a tip-off, police in Hela under provincial police commander Supt Mark Yangen monitored the unloading of the cargo yesterday.
They then followed a vehicle suspected of carrying the weapons heading for Pajaka, in Tari-Pori district.
Two men are being questioned at the Tari police station.
Yangen said Pajaka was infamous for the fight between two tribes that claimed more than 20 lives in 2002.
“I am confused how these deadly weapons were brought into a province that is home to the PNG LNG project despite security guards and security scanning machines at the country’s international airport,” he said.
He called on police in Port Moresby to carry out an immediate investigation into the matter as this might not be the first time such weapons had been sneaked through.
“The security manager should be sacked,” he said.
“I believe that bribery is involved in the corrupt practice and this type of deal has resulted in  sophisticated weapons ending up in the highlands region.”
“The question the security manager should answer is whether the scanning machines are working. How did the suspects bribe the security guards or how the weapons entered Air Niugini despite the presence of security officers.”
He said a lot of tribal fights involved the use of high-powered weapons which caused massive destruction.
Yangen said police in Hela would continue to monitor and check all flights.