Sarawaget Range deaths

IT is with sadness that I have been following your coverage of people losing their lives while trying to travel from Pindiu and Lae by trekking over the Sarawaget Range in Morobe.
What was supposed to have been a Christian walk to celebration ended in tragedy for those who died, as well as those who lost their loved ones?
As a thought, I have two proposals to make to the Government and the National Disaster Unit.
Firstly, it must be made mandatory that such long walks to celebrations over our rugged terrains, including youths tracking Kokoda to celebrate an occasion in Port Moresby, should have their walk approved by a committee in their province before they commence their walk.
Among requirements to approve such walks, there should be at least two experienced trekkers with them, a detailed plan drawn up on how they would travel and they should show proof that they have sufficient equipment (food, rainproof clothing and footwear) before starting their walk.
My second proposal is for the Government to set up a search and rescue unit or division and fund firms such as Manolos Aviation, which should also help in aviation training, to enable the rescue unit to be inserted in any place in the nation at any time should there be a tragedy or natural disaster within one or two hours.
The search and rescue unit can work in close collaboration with the PNG Defence Force land and sea units as well as the Fire Service.
I am sure former soldiers and many young Papua New Guineans will be willing to be part of such a unit.
We have had many disasters in recent years and it is really sad to see that we in PNG do not have specialised search and rescue units which can respond to SOS calls within hours of the calls when there are landslides, boat accidents or trapped trekkers in peril.
But then this call for the setting up of a search and rescue unit is long overdue!
I have mentioned the need for a national search and rescue unit or division to be set up too after the mv Rabaul Queen disaster in Feb 2, 2012, where more than 146 lives were lost at sea.
But it seems such calls were not heeded.
It would be nice to have such a rescue unit set up and, if possible, it should have branches in the main centres of Port Moresby, Lae, Mt Hagen and Rabaul to cover the four regions and help with search and rescue operations.
We thank Manolos Aviation chief executive and pilot Jurgen Ruh and his support staff for going out of their way to rescue lives and transport the bodies of those who died in the Sarawaget Range tragedy.
They have been angels in this time of need and should be commended and supported for their efforts.

PNG Tauna