Team tries to work out peaceful eviction

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 23rd April 2013

 A LAW and order committee team is trying to work out how to peacefully evict the Bumatu people from the Buang local level government in Bulolo district.

This is in compliance with a 1978 court order requiring that they move out and leave the area to the people of Labu-Tale in the Huon Gulf district.

Despite efforts made in previous years to convince them about the validity and the legal implication of the court order, they have refused to move.

Last week, an assessment was conducted last week on the Labu-Tale people by a provincial law and order committee team.

Provincial law and order committee chairman and president of Wampar local level government Peter Namus yesterday said the eviction would take place as soon as funding was made available.

“We are addressing it, assessment has been done and an eviction will still take place,” Namus said.

The Labu people have in the past four years been raising their concern over the delay in the eviction process. They however agreed to follow the advice of the provincial government and police not to take the law into their own hands.

They have been complaining of intimidation and threats by the people of Bumatu almost on a weekly basis.

Three years ago, the Bumatus kidnapped a New Ireland man and his Labu-Tale wife in their garden upriver and killed them. They then conducted a dawn raid on the Maus-Buang community and torched all houses. 

They however left the primary school untouched.

A year later, they kidnapped a Labu-Tale man and killed him.

Yesterday, a group of Bumatu man was seen at Maus-Buang by two Labu lads who fled to warn the Labu-Tale villagers.