PNG: Two dead & 100 houses burnt in tribal clash
Updated
Papua New Guinea police are investigating allegations that police officers were involved in a tribal clash over land in Morobe province that's left two men dead and 500 villagers homeless. Firman Nanol reports it's claimed four policemen using high powered weapons shot two men and burnt down 100 houses, shops and a community school.
Presenter: Firman Nanol
Speakers: Constable Yauasin Robert, Morobe police Crimes Investigator
NANOL: PNG's Morobe province police detectives have confirmed two men died after being shot by 4 policemen, who allegedly assisted another tribal group.
More than 500 villagers from Salus village in Morobe's Bulolo district claim men from their enemy tribe, Lababia villagers killed the two men and raided their village with the help of the policemen.
They allege one of the policeman from Lababia village shot one of their men, whose body was cut and chopped up into pieces and buried.
Morobe police Crimes Investigator Constable Yauasin Robert says the fight started when men from Lababia village who have had an ongoing land dispute with the Salus villagers broke a Salus villager's fishing net, for fishing in their river.
He says the Salus villagers attacked the Lababia villagers and burnt several of their houses last week.
Constable Robert says Lababia villagers retaliated this week accompanied by 4 Mobile Squad policemen based in Bulolo and torched 100 houses, a community school and a church and killed the two men. .
He says the body of one of the dead man was dug out from the grave and exhumed and found deep knife cuts and gun pellets wounds to his head.
ROBERT: One body was dug out, it has wounds all over his left side starting from the mouth and one of his left wrists were chopped off, his shoulder was also wounded by a knife wound. So the villagers mentioned that he received pellet wounds and later he tried to crawl into ?? from there he was in a sitting position when they found his body.
NANOL: It has also been alleged that one of the policeman is from Lababia village, which has an ongoing land dispute with the Salus villagers was involved in the raid and supported his clans men.
He says the villagers were planing to sue the PNG government and police over the raid.
ROBERT: One of the policeman is from that area, Lababia, when those villagers from Lababia went with them I think they took sides with them and then from there they met all the properties, all houses were burnt down, more than 100 all were houses, six trade stores, chapel building with pastor's house, two elementary schools with two teachers houses were burnt down, because all their houses were burnt down maybe they were trying to help the case before the court or they were trying to make an open allegation against police.
NANOL: More than 500 people are now in mourning over the destruction of their houses and village, which happened while they were in their gardens.
PNG's Morobe Police Criminal Investigation Division was unable to exhume the body of the other man who was also killed in the raid.
The PNG police hierarchy has been informed and are investigating the involvement of the policemen.
The PNG government has had in the past paid out millions of dollars in court settlements paying for compensation for illegal police raids and actions.
