Villagers clash over land

AN ongoing land dispute and a recent death caused a fight between two villages of Lowaiyah and Lapep Lahan in the Mbunai area of the Penabu-Nalisopat local level government in Lorengau, Manus.
According to Manus police commander Chief Insp David Yapu, the fight started on Thursday between 7am and 8am. Yapu told The National over the weekend that the fight erupted over an outstanding land dispute and a recent death of a person by person through alleged sorcery.
“With these two outstanding issues people from these two villages took the law into their own hands,” he said. Yapu said during the fight three bush material houses were burned down as well as gardens and other food crops destroyed.
However, he said no injuries were reported.
Yapu said fighting also disrupted classes at Mbunai Primary School where classes were temporarily suspended. A team of local police and mobile squad 10 members were deployed to the area since last Thursday to monitor the situation.
Yapu said both parties were warned by police to stop the fight and resolve their grievances in a peaceful manner.
Police arrested 15 people.