Relief supplies for quake-hit villages stolen

UNDISCLOSED amounts of relief supplies stored at two warehouses in Mendi, Southern Highlands, were ransacked last Thursday night.
Southern Highlands deputy administrator Fiebik Kilip confirmed the warehouses were broken into by opportunists taking advantage of the mayhem caused in the town by alleged political supporters.
However, response from the PNG Defence Force personnel saved some of the stock.
“Their plan (opportunists) was to empty the warehouses,” Kilip said.
“The relief supplies were for villages affected by the earthquake in Mt Bosave and Kutubu LLGs in the Nipa-Kutubu district. Some villages such as Alina, Bakuale, Homa Pawa and others needed relief supplies,” he said.
Kilip said rice, noodles, canned fish, cooking oil and water were taken from the warehouse.
Provincial disaster office coordinator Peter Wari suspected some people responsible for the supplies in the warehouse were allegedly involved in the ransacking
“There are thousands of people there, mostly in the Nipa-Kutubu electorate, who need relief aid before the reconstruction phase comes into full effect,” Wari said.