Villagers cross border for food

The National Main Stories

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
VILLAGERS in a remote area of West Sepik are crossing the border to access goods and services, provincial police commander Chief Insp Moses Ibsagi says.
They have told police not to stop them as it was the only way to obtain food.
“Kwek villagers in Walsa local level government, Green River, continued defying SOE (state of emergency) orders and crossing into the border town of Senggi in Papua Province, which is about 20kms from the border.
“It takes about an hour for the villagers to walk to Senggi compared to about eight hours to drive to Vanimo.
“They told me at Kwek village last Thursday during my patrol along the border that I must not stop them because the PNG Government doesn’t look after them.
“They say that the Indonesian government always cares for them.
“And I told them that if they are infected with Covid-19, the PNG Government will be responsible for them and not the Indonesian government.
“I told them that Indonesia is heavily infected with Covid-19 and they will have no time to care for them (PNG villagers). But they still insisted to cross into Indonesia despite the National Government banning the crossing along the border.
“So I deployed four police officers on Monday to Kwek to tell them to respect the Government’s lockdown orders.”
Insp Ibsagi said that he sympathised with them as there were no government services such as police, health or education there.
“There are no shops for them to buy basic food such as rice, sugar and salt,” he said.
“I’m urging the Vanimo-Green district development authority to budget K1million to provide food for these villagers so that they do not cross into Senggi to buy food during this time.”
Indonesia has about 7,000 Covid-19 cases with about 600 deaths.

16 comments

  • More emphasis must be put on border villages. If they have enough food, they will not cross the border. Large sum of money was budgeted for covid 19, and how mush money has reach this people, nothing. Supply this villages with food so that they will station only in their village.

  • Belden Nama needs to attend to his people, rather than mesmerizing too much into addressing national issues. Stay with you people and gently address their need in such a time of unprecedented difficulties confronted and I sure that is the reason why he is elected as the political leader. Your people need you and share some crumbs fall from you table if you can share all with your own people when they needed you most or else you maybe responsible for disaster ahead.
    I think you have duty to God and your people (Vanimo Green) and think about it, my friend.

  • Restriction must put in place for boarder villages not to cross boarder even though if they running out of food. Food ration must be given by their local MP. Otherwise we all be victim to this deadly virus.

  • Vanimo Green MP Belden Nama is too busy in Waigani to score political interests while his people suffering for basic goods and services.

  • But if they still need to cross / or disobey, then they must not have contact with other villages around them on PNG side so any possible contamination does not get out from there/ stays in their village and can be contained there.

  • If the police are to be deployed, then the government of PNG should assist the villagers with food somehow. They need food that is why there are crossing the border.

  • Please just stop them from crossing as our lives will be at stake if one contracts it. They should be able to live off fresh garden food.

  • Belden Namah really needs to consider this case and provide for his electorate. He pops up makes alot of noise on media to get peopl’s attetion . Just have him read this news and do something significant for his people …Na INAP LO PAIRAP OLSEM POP CORN LO MEDIA… Get back and see your people .

  • Simply listen to their cries and help them to live happy lives. where are all their leaders? Are they blind and deaf? You need to get down on your knees to support your very people. Why not use some of the District Services Improvement Funds to buy them basic foods. COME ON LEADERS!

  • Mr Nama failed to address his people along the border. If James Donald is doing it in North Fly border areas why can’t he be doing it in Vanimo Green and stop his people from crossing the border. That is the very reason why you are elected and they need you in this very situation. Your people are vulnerable to Covid-19 and potential source to supply Covid-19 to rest of PNG while in pursuit of food crossing the border.

  • PNG Government be proactive. Meet the rising need of these people before it’s too late. Its is always wiser to take a proactive approach than the reactive one.

  • Hope this story is not politically motivated. If it is true, then some leaders seriously need to clean their backyards before pointing fingers. Vanimo Green MP is right in emphasising on lawlessness in Tari Pori and Hela but he also needs to simply address the total absentism of basic service delivery and starvation in his electorate. Thank you National generally for a balanced and fair reporting.

  • Some leaders are gifted in handling national issues but they give little attention to their districts and provinces. Others are better off within their districts/provinces but are very silent and sometimes ignorant on issues of national interest. Namah is one of the good opposition leaders but is not a PM material. He’s generally doing well as an Opposition MP but greater emphasis should also be given to his people.

  • It will be same to PNGeans living in towns and cities, People have not prepared for this unexpected cronovirus.Not everyone saved and have enough to feed their families,those who were laid off from jobs, who is checking all the companies so that everyone paid with their entitlements?
    So if no one is doing then it is a BIG LIE to our good tax payers.

  • BN, something you need checking out. Is it politically motivated or real. If it’s really, then commit some funds to help your people. Sooner or later there’s going to be an outbreak in your own yard. West Papua recorded COVID-19 deaths so far. Em time blo yu now, show PNG what you can do.

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