Prime Minister James Marape is determined to go after the people who mercilessly slaughtered over 20 people in a revenge attack, in his home province of Hela.
The news of the massacre on Monday morning went viral on social media, which the Prime Minister descried as the saddest day of his life, that many children and mothers were innocently murdered in Munima and Karida villages in his electorate in Tari.
Twenty-three bodies were chopped into pieces and were later collected by health workers in Karida village, Tari, and put in mosquito nets following a revenge attack by gunmen from Haguai, Liwi and Okiru.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Prime Minister James Marape said he is not afraid to use the strongest measures in law on people who kill innocent people and hide behind the mask of community.
The incident comes after he was questioned on the floor of parliament last week regarding the death penalty.
“I’m coming for you,” he said to Haguai, Okiru and Liwi villagers, plus others in Tari who are alleged to have been living off killing others.
“My electorate in Hela Province hosts LNG and power transmission line for Porgera gold mine and since 2012, I have been requesting for more permanent Police yet Konedobu police headquarters has not supported me,” stated the PM.
“How can a province of 400,000 people function with policing law and order with under 60 policemen, and occasional operational military and police that does no more than band aid maintenance.
“In memory of the innocent who continue to die at the hands of gun toting criminals, your time is up.
“Before I had someone else to report to, now I have no one else to report to but the innocent you kill.
“To all who have guns and kill and hide behind the mask of community, learn from what I will do to criminals who killed innocent people, I am not afraid to use strongest measures in law on you. Last week I responded to question on death penalty on the floor of parliament, it is already a law.”
(Tow of the bodies [blurred] wrapped in mosquito net – Picture by Pills Pimua Kolo – Facebook)