Starvation hits Baker gang

The National Main Stories

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THIRTEEN starving Tommy Baker gangsters have surrendered to police in Milne Bay’s Alotau, commander Supt Peter Barkie says.
“They had been on the run in the mountainous bushes and ran out of food,” he added.
This brings to 64 the total number of Tommy Baker Gang members who have been either captured or shot dead since they attacked the police and petrol-bombed the water police barracks on April 29 and 30.
“They surrendered on Wednesday in Yapog village as they had enough of hiding from the police.
“And it was the good work with the community that encouraged the gang members, who are only teenagers, to surrender.
“To date, 18 gang members have surrendered since the launching of the 60-day police manhunt for the gang members which will end tomorrow (July 2). And we have received information from Awayama and Gwavili villages that youths from the villages are also willing to surrender.
“They are also are starving like the youths in Yapog village. These youths lived in settlements in Alotau town and are not used to hiding in jungles and eating garden food. So they feel disorientated. Also, their immediate families have already been repatriated under the voluntarily repatriation exercise,” he added.
Supt Barkie said yesterday that it was an effective strategy to remove the settlements in Alotau town “because the gang members hide there and their relatives feed them”.
“These settlements are the recruitment ground for the Tommy Baker Gang. All the attacks on the police and township since December 2020 were launched from the settlements. And it was impossible for police to shoot at criminals during a shootout at the settlements because criminals were using the settlers as human shields.
“The criminals were exchanging gunfire next to houses and from a crowd making it impossible for police to return fire,” he said, adding that together with the provincial administration, most of the settlements were removed under voluntarily repatriation exercises.
Supt Barkie stressed that the settlements were a security threat to the Government and the people of Milne Bay.
“We allowed the settlements to grow. Now we have told the ones who do not want to leave that if they are shot or killed during the crossfire, there will be no investigations,” he added.

8 comments

  • The issue of getting the court to restain settlers evacuation is alittle illogical and a abit fishy in my view.
    What we really need now is to pick out genuine settlers and resettle them or make their living abit more conducive. If housing is an issue in urban centers then I believe there are many public servants among them.

  • All settlements that are illegal must be removed and everyone must return to their village. If you want to live in Alotau then you must be employed fully time and have money to rent or own a house or you from a nearby village. Otherwise go back to your village and earn your living making garden and fishing and live an honest and peaceful life.

  • Why can’t the government use the same strategy to remove all illegal (not genuine ones with land titles) settlements in all towns and cities across the country?

    How much do these illegal squatter settlers contribute towards the economic growth of the nation or in what ways do they contribute in “taking back PNG?”

    Someone in the know should provide some facts and figures so we know the value of their contribution to the nation apart from being the breeding ground for criminals.

  • There are so many houses and apartments but yet gavman no laik lo givim gutpla housing allowance lo mepla. Yupla laik rausim ol settlement okay apim housing allowance!!! nogat wanpla man sa rentim house or rum wantem K100. Ino longtime ol meri ba joinm ol gang too, by then graun ba pinis.

    • If you cannot afford to rent a house then go back to your village where you can build your house cheaply on your land. It is not the government responsible to take care of you. That is your own responsibility.

  • If you cannot afford to rent a house then go back to your village where you can build your house cheaply on your land. It is not the government responsibly to take care of you. That is your own responsibility.

  • Settlement is a national issue, urban migration for better service is causing ol man blo peles to move into urban settings. We are witnessing failed economic management over 45 years.Economic developments are not happening in our rural settings.The rural population are entitiled to such development,unfortunately it has never taken place.So our people will continue to come into towns and cities.Not to mention housing shortages .Businesses and Government are responsible to provide such accomodation for their staff.It should become compulsory .Businesses are making money but not providing accomodation for their staff.These people also residing in the settlements including Public servants.

    Until the Govt fix the root cause then the settlement issue will be addressed or be properly organized into proper urban settings.

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