Police sent to contain Sialum fight

By JIMMY KALEBE
MOROBE police commander Chief Supt Jacob Singura says a police team has been sent to contain fighting in Sialum, Tewai-Siassi.
He said the team was airlifted by a chopper on Monday to Sialum but could not confirm how long the team will be there on the ground in Sialum.
“The mobile squad 15 with criminal investigation division (CID) officers have been sent to Sialum since Monday and they are now on the ground in Sialum,” Singura said.
Singura thanked the Morobe provincial government for releasing funds for the operation to ensure peace is restored among the people who have been fighting each other since the beginning of the year.
Reports from sources at Sialum, the fighting started because of land dispute and other underlying related issues like stealing, land grabbing and others.
According to Sialum LLG deputy president Billy Bawentine, many of those that took part in the fight were youths and school age children.
He said the most affected people were the women and children as well as the elderly people who have to leave their villages and camped out somewhere safer in the mountains, at Sialum LLG headquarters or even at neighboring villages.
“With the deployment of the police team from Lae now into the area, we believe this would bring some normalcy back to the people of Sialum,” Bawentine said.
He raised concerns that the presence of the police team is only temporary.
He wants a permanent solution with police based in Sialum with a vehicle as well as firepower.