Threats of more violence in Lae

NOEL Anjo is the head of a group calling itself the PNG Millennium Good Governance Organisation.
Around 2006, several groups now known as the NCD Youth Informal Sector Association, Eda Hanua Moresby Inc and PNG Awareness Front got together and elected him chairman of their combined group –calling it the Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Societies Group.
Anjo conducted a protest march from Gordon through Waigani on May 12, 2009, to present a petition to NCD Governor Powes Parkop.
The petition sought the declaration of a state of emergency during which a stock-take of reserve jobs and businesses would be held particularly scrutinising jobs and businesses currently in the hands of foreigners, mostly Asians.
Through this action, the protesters also demanded that tighter controls be made on the influx of foreigners coming in to do business or take up positions.
This march turned rowdy and nasty and attempts were made by protesters to vandalise and loot several shops run by Asians. There was actual looting reported at one shop in Gordon.
This was on the Tuesday. By Friday and that weekend, major riots and looting were reported in Lae, Madang, Kainantu and Goroka. By Monday, it had spread to Wewak, Vanimo and Mt Hagen where police had to shoot to disperse people. At least one person was reported injured.
Parliament met and appointed a bipartisan committee to investigate the riots headed by chairman Jamie Maxtone-Graham. The K3 million budget for the committee never materialised and, after an initial meeting lasting a fortnight in Port Moresby, the committee rested and had been in recess ever since. Graham was replaced by David Arore and, with his appointment, it is expected that the chairmanship is now vacant.
Have the ill-feeling and ill-will against Asian-owned businesses, particularly in the informal sector and in small and medium businesses, died down?
It has not. Indeed, it is increasing and now there is the added angst against a parliament which seems to disregard this very real anger felt by citizens – the steady stream of foreigners heading for PNG. They are taking up businesses and now increasingly land such that we predict there is a bigger, more violent uprising in the not-too-distant future.
Should that occur, the blame should fall directly on every member of parliament who seemed to have forgotten this issue because not a word has been raised about it on the floor. A committee dedicated to investigating and reporting on this matter had gone on permanent recess, it would appear.
We turn now to Lae early this month.
On Thursday, Nov 3, citizens of Lae city converged at the Top Town offices of the provincial government in the morning to protest ongoing daylight robberies, rape and assaults at the Eriku shopping centre.
The public had been complaining for months about the problem there to police, to the government – national and provincial – city hall and in the media with hardly a response.
Finally, they decided to protest and, as normally happens in almost all such marches, emotions rose and frustrations ran high.
The peaceful march turned violent and spread throughout the city and into the suburbs and suburban villages.
Six people have been reported dead and a fighting zone has been declared.
Police, who had hitherto been silent, turned nasty with police riot squad reinforcements from Mt Hagen, Wabag and Port Moresby. Many of those dead were alleged by relatives to have been shot by police.
Three weeks later, it is happening all over again in Lae.
Despite the declaration of a fighting zone over Lae and surrounding areas until January, nothing seems to have changed.
Bodies are dumped in the middle of the road in the middle of the night. There are reports of illegal roadblocks, kidnappings, assaults, rapes and threats.
There is, as yet, no preliminary report on the uprising in Lae.
It seems the situation is back to normal – which means a lack of law and order.
Yet, again, we see a knee-jerk, crisis-management type reaction by government turn to nothing by the lack of commitment to a lasting solution. Nobody seems to have taken any interest although there have been a number of meetings at the provincial government level.
We predict that violence will flare up again in Lae. When that happens, it will be fuelled by anger at the authorities for failing to find lasting solutions.
And, it is all because PNG singularly lacks the ability to sustain a programme or commitment to the end.