Yama urges government to speed up Sorcery Act

MADANG Governor Peter Yama has called on the Government to fast-track the Sorcery Act to avoid the mass arrests and convictions of people as witnessed this week.
He said the sentencing of 96 people to life imprisonment and death in one court hearing was a great concern for the province because it was a record.
“This situation could have been controlled if the Sorcery Act was in place,” he said.
“What’s done has been done but we must now work on the Sorcery Act from where we left off. As leaders of our people, we must create the avenue quickly to control sorcery-related fights so that it benefits our people in the future.
“I have always said Madang people are peaceful and loving people and what was done could have been controlled.”
The villagers from the Naho Rawa local level government were convicted of the murder of seven people at Sakiko village near Ramu Sugar town, in Raicoast district, on April 14, 2014.
Yama, who is in the Philippines, said the law had taken its course and the court judgement must be fully respected.
He said the group were tired of the number of sorcery-related killing in the Naho Rawa area and went on to do what they did. But they killed defenceless people.
Yama said people having complaints against suspected sorcerers should lodge their complaints with police.
He urged the people of Naho Rawa, Raicoast and Madang to accept the ruling and respect the law.