East Sepik Tertiary Students Association at the University of Papua New Guinea are raising funds towards assisting the fire victims of the recent tribal clash in Wewak, East Sepik Province.
The fight between the local Mengar villagers and the Basis settlers erupted a week ago, from a volleyball game that went out of hand, escalating to destruction of properties and loss of lives.
Yesterday at the UPNG Forum Square, a small number of East Sepik students set up table to kick-start their appeal for disaster relief for their people in Wewak.
According to the appeal leader, third-year Banking and Finance student, Stanford Walehau, the assistance will go to the Basis community whose houses have been burnt to the ground.
Walehau said the fight that broke out between the two ethnic communities over a volleyball game has seen a massive damage in the community with a number of deaths and people escaping with only their clothes on. Thus, the students are showing compassion to those affected with the appeal they are doing.
The students hope to raise at least K100,000 in cash and kind before the end of their first phase of the fundraising within 7 days.
They are making a strong call to their own Sepik wantoks in Port Moresby to note the areas in which the students will be putting up their appeal stands within the city limits as of today (Friday June 17).
Starting with the Forum Square as a venue for appeal, they will move to Vision City, Stop & Shop Central Waigani, Boroko Foodworld at Gordon and Waterfront Food World and the Medical Faculty at Taurama.
The fighting and unrest has also caused the campaigning to pause, so the students are putting a general appeal to the candidates of Wewak seats and others to come together and find ways to restore peace and harmony to the community so the campaign will continue.
