Students set up barricade on Jiwaka h’way

THE Jiwaka section of the Highlands Highway was blocked for six hours yesterday by students.
The entire students from Anglimp Secondary barricaded the road with big logs at the AnglimpRoad junction, causing a standstill.
Vehicles going down to other parts of Jiwaka, Chimbu, Goroka, Law and Madang were stranded in Mt Hagen and those travelling into Mt Hagen, Enga, Southern Highlands and Hela were stranded in Minj and Kundiawa.
Provincial police commander, superintendent Joseph Tondop intervened yesterday at about 4pm to talk to students and cleared the roadblock.
“The entire students blocked the road with big logs and sat on the road,” he said.
Tondop said that between 10am and 4pm no vehicles passed through the road.
The students said that they were not happy with the manner in which police in the nation’s capital used guns against the University of Papua New Guinea students.
They also called on the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to step down and face the law.
“After I told them that what they do is wrong and criminal in nature, they cleared the roadblock,” Tondop said.
He said the general situation in the province was quiet but they will continue to monitor the situation.