Relatives’ demand for K500,000 compo stands

 By GABRIEL LAHOC

CHIMBU relatives of Michael Kewa, who was killed in a road incident two weekends ago, insist that the their recent petition and compensation demand of K500,000 from the Western Highlands PMV operator  stands.

The relatives from Kerowagi district were visited yesterday morning by Morobe Governor Kelly Naru who sat with them for an hour comforting them, discouraging them from retaliating and reassuring them of recent plans in place by the provincial government before leaving them with K500 in cash as his contribution to haus krai (house of mourning).

Kewa’s relatives said the earlier petition presented by Morobean leaders last week at Bumayong to the Deputy Governor Morokoi Gaiwata and leaders from the provincial government were alright, but they as the family kin were not consulted.

They claimed Kewa was murdered in cold blood while still in a fast moving PMV.

They also claimed his head was smashed with a wheel-spanner in front of his wife and child when he went to the aid of two women who were being harassed by the PMV crew. The driver was aware of the situation.

They told Naru that as fellow highlanders who practise a similar culture of compensation payments, the Western Highlands operator of that PMV has until tomorrow to meet their demand of half-a-million kina and called for a crackdown on illegal and poor service delivery by the Western Highlands PMV operators in Lae.