Following up on the ethnic clash at Sialum compound in Lae yesterday, another fight erupted again this morning with police being deployed into the area.
According to Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jnr, there were reports of causalities from this morning’s fight but has yet to confirm the number of casualties with the Police investigators at the hospital.
The two parties were already preparing a peace reconciliation of which the Sialums had already brought food stuff and cows to precede however, another unfortunate incident instigated the fight to erupt again.
Wagambie Jnr condemns the action of the individuals who instigated the situation resulting in the fight erupting again.
“I have directed that Police will locate and arrest those that have started the fight and those that committed crimes which includes the recent murder and arson adding that I want to make it clear that this is a police case. Police will deal with the perpetrators. I have made this clear to the acting Provincial Administration and committee to deal with this. Police will do their work,” Wagambie says.
He says leaders of both groups must try as much as possible to assist in bringing back normalcy as people want peace and this conflict has resurfaced after a lot of effort that was put into bringing back peace and normalcy in Lae.
He adds that police are still in the area and will deal with perpetrators from both sides.
Wagambie Jnr says, if people who live in settlements cannot abide by the law and live peacefully, he sees no reason why they should remain in that area and that Government must seriously look at evicting and repatriating these groups of people in settlements back to their respective provinces.
“A few groups of people are causing problems must not deprive the rights of the larger population of Lae,” he says.