Thugs rule Hagen market

 THE main Mt Hagen market in Western Highlands is becoming a hounding ground for criminals.

President of the Hagen rural local level government council which runs the market issued a public warning that all kinds of criminal activities were taking place at the market.

President Wai Rapa said that if this trend continued, he would close the market.

He said this during the provincial assembly meeting in Mt Hagen last Wednesday.

Rapa said illegal activities like pick-pocket, youths illegally collecting fees from vendors, fighting and bag-snatching were very common.

He said these activities were carried out by the landowners, the Jikas and Moges.

He said the security guards at the market, on many occasions, tried to stop such activities but had been outnumbered by the city hooligans.

Rapa said that there was a total break down of law and order in the city.

He said the locals who were supposed to take pride in their city and look after the people coming in every day were not doing it.

He said concerned leaders in the city needed to educate their people on how to respect other people and care for public facilities.

“Economic activity is booming due to the LNG project and was threatened by this,” Rapa said.