Police warn against violence

POLICE have warned University of Technology (Unitech) students in Lae, Morobe, not to resort to violence during their 48-hours protest which started yesterday.
Lae metropolitan commander Supt Iven Lakatani yesterday said police would not tolerate any unlawful and rowdy behaviour by the students.
“You (students) can do whatever you want on campus so long as it is peaceful,” he said.
In a media conference at the Top Town police station, Lakatani urged the students not to destroy university properties or become intoxicated with alcohol and act disorderly.
“The properties will remain when you are gone,” he said.
He urged the students to stay on campus and not to come out and take any action as members of the public might use the opportunity to cause problems in the city.
Lakatani added that the students’ representative council (SRC) had earlier promised him that boycotting of classes would be peaceful and held only on campus.
He has dispatched his superintendent of operations Insp Fred Kaiwa with a group of policemen to the university to monitor the situation to ensure it does not get out of hand.
The students demanded at a forum yesterday that sacked vice-chancellor Dr Albert Schram be brought back to PNG within the next 48 hours to resume duties. They would take action if the government refused to allow him to return by the set deadline.
Their leaders refused to say what action they would take.