Search operation stops

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
POLICE have wound up a search operation along the Western and Hela border for criminals who had attempted to take hostages at a remote logging camp, acting Southern region police commander Chief Supt Rigga Neggi says.
He said a joint police team comprising members of the South Fly command and a Port Moresby-based mobile squad pursued the armed criminals from the Kamusi logging camp in Western for more than six hours by foot to Mt Bosavi at the border with Hela after men, allegedly from Hela, raided the logging camp in Western resulting in a gunfight with police in the early hours of June 7.
Chief Supt Neggi said after the gun battle an officer, Snr Sgt Daniel Yapri, had gone missing but was found five days later in the jungle.
“He got lost in confusion during that gun fight when criminasl raided the camp in the dark,” he said.
Chief Supt Neggi said three of the criminals were reported killed during the gun battle.
“Villagers along the track at the border of Western and Hela told us that initially 12 criminals used that track to go down to the camp to raid it,” he said.
“But when they returned after the gun fight, the villagers saw only nine criminals returning to Hela.
“We believe that three others were killed and left in the jungle.”
Chief Supt Neggi said a policeman involved in the gun battle reported that he saw two criminals limping heavily with serious injuries and being helped by their friends when they retreated from the confrontation with police.
He said police also reported a significant blood trail along the escape route and concluded that the badly injured criminals may have died.
Earlier on, acting South Fly commander Snr Insp Ewai Segi expressed concern at the continuous threat of hostage taking at the Kamusi logging camp.
“These are the usual threats made by local thugs whenever the management of the logging companies bring in the police to arrest them for instigating violence against the logging operations,” he said.
“These are ongoing threats and we are not taking them lightly.
“In May last year, the Mt Hagen-based mobile squad conducted an operation and arrested suspects involved in taking a total of 16 local and expatriate staff from these logging camps.
“They were released after the company management paid some ransom to the suspects.
“So far, 20 suspects accused of kidnaping these victims have been arrested and have already been dealt with by the courts over the past years.”