Seventeen murderers on the loose

By DOROTHY MARK
SEVENTEEN of the 87 men convicted for mass murder in Raicoast, Madang, have escaped from the Beon prison and remain at large, police said.
Madang police commander Chief Inspector Ben Neneo confirmed the breakout on Tuesday but could not elaborate and said police had been alerted.
Of the 87, eight were given death sentences while 79 were given life sentences after the Madang National Court convicted them.
Of the 17 who had escaped, four were on death row and were supposed to board a flight to Port Moresby to be kept at Bomana prison.
The police report noted that they escaped in small groups since September.
On Sept 2 Thomson Mungo, Mera Kiki and Oscar Usi escaped and on Oct 9 Kundoke Piye escaped alone.
On Oct 18 Sepi Yamba, Simon Puma, Winson Duma and Simon Towera disappeared.
Beon commander Andrew Polis said they cut through a fence and made their way out in the early hours before Duma and Towera were to board their flight to Port Moresby to serve time at Bomana prison.
On Nov 14, Kiriso Wake, Eddie Ingema, Louimack Amani and Akepe Tuko escaped and Isono Kau, Oraiyo Max, Tony Yuro, Wesley Kaisom and James Oniro escaped on Tuesday. They were convicted for the brutal killing of seven people in Sakiko village near Ramu Sugar township on 14 April, 2014.
Among the people killed were two little boys, one three and one five.