Porebada farewells men killed in clash

POREBADA village in Central province yesterday farewelled four of its young men killed after a land dispute clash with neighbouring Boera village over a month ago.
In a funeral service witnessed by hundreds of mourning Porebadans, Deputy Prime Minister Sir Puka Temu commended the strong leadership of Porebada village for containing their tension and being mature throughout the ordeal.
“I am proud of the way the committee in leadership has been handling this issue for over a month now and as a leader from the Central province, it gives me great pleasure in knowing that Central people are a peace loving people,” Sir Puka said.   
“It is only appropriate that we see a proper ser-vice and burial for the four young men done in an honorable manner.
“On behalf of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and the Government, I would like to convey our deepest condolences to the families of those bereaved,” Sir Puka said.
He said, overall, he was happy that the Government had been able to step in and cater for all the funeral expenses, transport and refreshments during the haus krai but said there was still more to be done after the burial.
Sir Puka said he was requesting for a dialogue to be developed between the villages of Porebada and Boera so the peace process could take shape.
He said this would require the leadership in both villages to form committees that would work together with the Government and their respective MPs.
 PNG United church moderator Rev Samson Lowa challenged the leaders and Christians in Porebada during the service to maintain their faith in God for the sake of peace in the land.
“As Christians we need to uphold the values of Christianity and apply them in our daily lives and to learn to seek God’s guidance in every aspect of our lives so that we are able to make wiser decisions in life,” Rev Lowa said.
He supported Sir Puka’s call for strong leadership to be established so that the peace process would flow from the leaders right down to the children.