Hiritano Highway

Ambulance attacked on Hiritano Highway

Slingshots and metal projectiles were hurled at the vehicle late last night, resulting in significant damage.

St John Ambulance Chief Executive Officer, Matt Cannon, personally reviewed the damage and the dash camera footage of the attack.

Describing the footage as “horrible”, he expressed disgust at the cowardly actions towards personnel clearly identified as providing help.

PMV operators frustrated with roadblocks

They have no problem with the roadblock itself, but rather, with the spot fine demands allegedly forced on them by law enforcers.

Gulf PMV operators’ chairman Paul Paiva says police officers have been setting up roadblocks along the highway, and in turn, demand PMV drivers and crews to pay spot fines.

He says some locations of roadblocks include Kerema town, Bereina junction, Malalaua station, Doa Station and Laloki junction of Gulf and Central provinces.

Central villages under water

 Roads have not been accessible for people in Kairuku, while some villages along the Magi highway, watched their houses being washed away.

Heavy rains have affected villages in Central province, with floods blocking off roads while food gardens and homes are submerged.

In Gaire village, people resorted to paddling on boats between houses after continuous rain saw a rise in the water level to above knee length.

Six houses were washed away in Gabagaba village, leaving families displacd. 

No tolerance for rogue officers: PPC Central

PPC Papoto was speaking in response to the recent police harassment allegations by PMV operators along the Hiritano Highway.

He explained that he will be looking at this case personally and make the appropriate charges once officers are identified.

Earlier this week, PMV operators raised the issue of illegal road checks and large fines charged by police in unmarked vehicles.

Passengers afraid

Josephine Ine'e, an emotional mother from Inawi in Mekeo, told media that many of them who reside in Port Moresby are hesitant to make the trip home because they are afraid of the constant abuse by police who stop trucks and search their cargo along the roads.

The operators were on hand to express frustration about constant abuse received by the personnel who at times are in unmarked vehicles and half uniform or plain civilian clothes.

Hiritano PMV operators question police

Operators from the route 400 and 600 gathered at the main bus stop at Waigani to speak to media after continuous harassment by police personnel in unmarked vehicles along their routes.

Josephine Salmang, an operator from route 400 which runs from Kairuku to Port Moresby, spoke about how difficult it is to make ends meet each time police hold up her drivers and demand road fines from as much as K100 to K300. There are no receipts issued with the cops standing at odd locations during odd hours along the highway.

Court finds enough evidence in betel nut robbery

The court found that the two police officers; 31 year old Timothy Rorepa of Kira village, Kagua, Southern Highlands province and George Ikalom, 25 of Takabur village, Kokopo, East New Britain, in the presence of other officers, used violence while armed with a magnum pistol and rifle to confiscate betel nut bags from Emil Aufe, Opu Laoma  and two others.

The four Mekeo men were transporting their betel nut along the Hiritano Highway when the bags were confiscated during a roadblock along Agevairu between March 31 and April 1,2015.

Seven people busted for drugs

The suspects were caught by police during a road block at Eight-Mile in Port Moresby after traveling along the Hiritano Highway from Tapini on a PMV.

Gordon’s police confirmed that the men and woman were carrying dried marijuana stuffed in three 50kg bags of vegetables.

Police say they had walked from their village in Goilala before getting on the PMV along the highway.

The drugs were taken to the Gordons Police Station along with the criminals before they were brought to the drug unit to be weighed.

The suspects are now in police custody.

Awesa assures Central MPs of roads completion

He said this after being asked in Parliement by Kairuku-Hiri Member, Peter Isoaimo, and Goilala MP, Willam Samb, on the deteriorating state of roads in their respective districts and if the Government was going to address them.

Isoaimo referred to the Hiri Portion of then Hiritano Highway from Laloki bridge to Vei’Mauri bridge as well as the Bereina-Veifa’a junctions and the Waima-Kivori road leading to Gulf Province.

He asked if funds were also diverted.

Woman guilty of murdering husband

The Waigani National Court convicted Lucy Jacob after it found sufficient evidence she stabbed her husband on his chest with a knife, which led to his death.

All witnesses who gave evidence in court said the couple had been arguing that afternoon while traveling in a PMV.

It was also put before the court that the couple had been consuming hard stuff and coffee punch on that PMV since they left the Erima Service Station.

The court however, accepted that she stabbed her late husband with the knife with intent to cause bodily harm to him after he tried to beat her up.