Goilala

Aroma Coast and Cloudy Bay LLGs completed polling on the weekend while one polling team for Amazon Bay LLG finished off today to complete polling for Abau.

Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato says that for Rigo Open, Rigo coast and central have completed polling while Rigo inland will be done by Wednesday, July 5.

All three LLGs in the Goilala electorate, Guari, Woitape and Tapini are expected to complete polling on July 6^th.

For Kairuku-Hiri Open, Hiri and Mekeo LLGs polling ends today.

NCD metropolitan superintendent, Ben Turi, told Loop PNG that last week, a young man from Samarai, Milne Bay Province, was killed after he attempted to defend his father from getting mugged by youths from a nearby settlement. This was at the Waigani/Morata bus stop.

“They were bashing up the old man when he stepped in to protect him,” says Turi.

The settlers turned around and attacked the victim with bush knives and stones. Unfortunately, the young man succumbed to his injuries.

The commitments are to be implemented within the three-year term of the revised mining memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed last week.

The commitment has been broken down into the following infrastructure projects:

Martin Kepon Ratu's family was caught off guard at 5 this morning when some aggrieved Goilala people in the community attacked them in what was believed to be a retaliation.

According to police personnel on ground, the incident started when the body of a young man from Goilala was discovered in the early hours of this morning.

However, Ratu says his family has fallen victim to baseless assumptions.

"We were still asleep when the fight started. We had no idea they were going to attack because we did not know what started the fight,” the businessman stated.

Today, it was Rupila, a major village with an estimated population of 1,000, about 40km from Tapini station and situated closer to the border of Morobe Province.

Rupila is now the seventh major village in the district to have a VSAT, enabling locals access to telecommunication.

Not only that, but according to VSAT project owner Steven Clay, the project also rolls out national television stations – NBC and EM TV, on the same platform.

The training will wrap up by tomorrow as polling in Goilala area is set to begin this week.

Initially polling was supposed  to begin today, but training was halted due to the late payment to airlift officials into the polling area.

Meantime, the PNG Electoral Commission anticipates the polling to start by the end of this week.

Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen tells PNG Loop that a total of 33 candidates are vying for the vacant Goilala open seat following the death of the late MP Daniel Mona earlier this year.