Students face charges after fire cracker brawl

TEN schoolboys are now facing charges following a riot which caused unrest in a community in Maprik, East Sepik, a source says.
The riot was caused after a disagreement over the use of firecrackers during World Environment Day celebrations at the Balupwina Primary School, Kuminimbis village in Maprik on June 5.
The firing of the fire cracker caused a scuffle among a group of students and the ensuing melee involved bystanders.
The riot almost caused the closure of the school.
Five of the boys were called out during a community mediation on June 18 headed by the Maprik police station commander Damian Kari and MS 13 commander Tennyson Joseph.
Kari said the actions of the students were unlawful and dangerous as they were in possession of illegal items (firecracker) and posed a threat to fellow students (some as young as seven) and the public.
Kari said the boys’ actions had disrupted celebrations and could have injured innocent students.
He said appropriate action would be taken against the students, taking into account their ages.
School headmistress Maryanne Jimbanau said it was not the first time an incident had been experienced involving unruly students.
She said the school was in the heart of the community and was one of the few services provided in their part of Maprik, however the misbehaving students and some youth from the community were a threat to the teachers and women.
Jimbanau added that the recent incident was indicative of an ongoing issue in the community.
Joseph said they had reason to believe that alcohol was a contributing factor to the disturbance.
He said many law and order incidents were caused by people who were drunk.
“This needs to be addressed immediately; alcohol related incidents are not to be taken lightly because they can cause violenceand death.” Joseph said.