Kwarabri village of East Yangoru LLG in the East Sepik Province surrendered and made peace with the police on Friday in what the Yangoru-Saussia MP, Hon. Richard described as the biggest surrender and peace program in the history of the district. The village said sorry to their local MP Hon. Maru, the police, and the district for all the law-order issues they have caused leading up to the gun battle between them and the police in late June this year which led to one of their youths being killed and five wounded. The village, led by Paramount Chief Joseph Legimani surrendered two gas bottles for brewing steam, 21 guns, and 24 people to the police in the presence of Hon. Maru and the East Sepik Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Christopher Tamari. From the 24 people, one was an escapee and 23 were suspects who were involved in the clash with police, four of whom were women. They also gave K2000 to the police as ‘palpal’ or ‘belkol’ money.
According to State Lawyer, Enoch Manihambu, it took him and the leaders of Kwarabri about two months to convince these 24 people to surrender, and also to have the village to surrender their guns.
Because of the gun battle between Kwarabri and the police, the Yangoru-Saussia District Development Authority (DDA) brought over Mobile Squad 15 from Bulolo in Morobe Province who have been doing a very good job so far.
“We had to bring the Mobile Squad because of the issue that you (Kwarabri) created. It did not cost us thousands but millions of Kina. The funds for other services and developments for the district is being diverted into law-and-order. So, be serious about this surrender and peace program. I do not want to hear of any more law-and-order issues in Kwarabri,” said Hon. Maru.
Hon. Maru announced to the people of Kwarabri and everyone who gathered to attend the program that the Mobile Squad was there to stay.
“The first 16 rooms at the new Yangoru Mobile Barracks have been completed so I have requested PPC Superintendent Tamari for 16 new permanent troops for Yangoru-Saussia to be brought to the district so we can cut down on the cost of bringing in foreign troops. We will have all 45 policemen and women in the district once all the houses in the Mobile Barracks are completed. This is part of our strive to bring down law-and-order issues in the district so we can bring in more services and attract investors and more services in the district. Development will fall and rise on the back of law and order so as the MP I have decided that Mobile Squad is here to stay. I have no intention to give time to the people to go back to lawlessness and destroy Government properties and disturb the people at our district headquarters and the district as a whole. Our communities and the district are fed up with all the law-and-order issues. I have no toleration for crime,” said Hon. Maru.
“We have a submission to build a new district hospital at our district, we want to build phase two of School of Excellence, we want to build supermarkets next year, we want to bring in Post Office, and a second bank (after BSP) will be coming in the next two weeks to establish their branch. But how can we bring in such services when we have law-and-order issues? My intention is this in the future I do not want any law-and-order problems in Yangoru-Saussia, in particular at the district headquarters because it has the potential to become a town in the future as we are situated in the middle of the province,” said Hon. Maru.
Hon. Maru thanked the 24 people who surrendered for doing the right thing to surrender to the police.
“Thank you for surrendering. You will now be in the custody of the policy. Police is not allowed to beat any of you because you have done the right thing to surrender with the assurance that you will be dealt with properly in a human way and I want that to happen. You will take taken by the police, processed, charged, and the court system will deal with you,” said Hon. Maru.
Hon. Maru encouraged other communities in the district to follow the fine example set by Kwarabri village.
“Stop brewing and drinking steam, hand in your guns, and come forwards and surrender. Free your community from the past and make a new start. Let us clean up Yangoru-Saussia and prepare ourselves to embrace new services and development which the DDA and the National Government wants to bring here,” said Hon. Maru.
