Two convicted in a week for vending in public place

By HEZRON KISING
A SECOND person in Lae was convicted for illegal vending in a public place in a week, one facing six months’ jail if he does not pay a K500 fine and the other copping a six-month prison term suspended for a year while on a good behaviour bond.
“Street vending or sales of goods at public places in Lae city is illegal, senior magistrate Tera Dawai told Bagley Charlie, 19, from Ungai-Bena district in Eastern Highlands, after finding him guilty of selling betel nuts near the main market bus stop on Tuesday. He was spotted through a newly installed closed circuit television (CCTV) camera.
On Friday Dawai sentenced Monica Tawa, 43, to six months’ prison for a similar offence in the same market area. The sentence was suspended for a year to ensure Tawa behaved.
“Every day I imprison three to five people in this court room with offences related to street vending, yet people still break the law and get caught by law enforcers,” Dawai said.
“This is like the “Hydra (Lernaean) a many headed serpent in the Greek mythology -if you cut one head off, two will grow to replace it. I travel by PMV every day to and from work and I notice that people do not really listen to authorities of the day that governs them in terms of law and order, which is a great concern.”