PPC Laimo Asi

Last seen on Friday, her body was discovered around midday today (Feb 25) near a drain at Kinakon, outside Port Moresby. 

Her emotional sister, Gloria Touai, said she could not believe that this was her sister lying there.

She said she last spoke with her sister on Friday, when the victim told her she would be visiting her older child.

The late Barbara and her friends had then gone to an outdoor club called the White House, which is located in the same area. 

The mother-of-two, from Goilala, has been identified by her relatives.

According to the grieving relatives, the deceased, who lived at 14-Mile, had been missing since Friday.

Meantime, the Central provincial police commander, Laimo Asi, confirmed the discovery of the body, adding that they believe she was murdered, as her face has been disfigured.

“Details into her death will have to be established through the investigation process,” stated the PPC.

The deceased’s relatives are currently on site, collecting money to bring the body down to the hospital.

Provincial commander Laimo Asi said they have identified certain leaders who have been rejecting candidates, who are not from their village, from conducting campaigns in their areas.

“This attitude is bad and not healthy for the community. How could a so-called leader do such bias practice in your community? We all come from the same district.”

The provincial police commander says such practices are the beginning of bad leadership and corrupt attitude.

PPC Asi says this issue has been an on-going one as most of this cops are not being dealt with when they are reported.

Asi says the roadblocks set up at Laloki and Doa will be manned by his officers who will not tolerate such cops who break the law.

He futher appealed to the police officers as well as the buai buyers not to "agitate" the situation and respect the moves for this "shut-down" approach his command has taken.

The highway will no longer allow frequent passage of buses and truck loads of buyers into the area to intercept local sellers who travel into the city to sell buai.

Central police commander Laimo Asi says in the past four years, since the setup of the Agevairua buai market, the community has been plagued by outsiders coming in and bring in a hosts of issues.

“Women and children have been living in fear to go about their daily routine as the outsiders have been abusive as well as intimidating them in their own villages,” Asi says.

PPC Laimo Asi says he is taking measures to try to deal with the influx of buai traders into the province by enforcing a road block along the Laloki and Doah areas.

As of last Friday, police personnel at the road block have turned back trucks and bus loads of buai buyers, while allowing the trucks with sellers to go into the city to sell their buai.

Police have been stationed at the check points since Friday and will be there until such a time Asi says the issues associated with the buai trade are dealt with.