Madang town

Town mayor, Peter Yalsy said youths when employed would keep them busy and out of trouble.

He was responding to the increasing law and order issues in the province. 

Yalsy said in other centres where there are factories, farms, poultries, and big companies operating there is less trouble because the people are busy working to earn their living. 

He said in Madang, there are many companies but they are not recruiting many young people to work that is why youths are roaming the streets and involving themselves in unlawful activities.

Madang Provincial Police Commander, Acting Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang said according to police report, it was alleged that last Saturday at around 10pm armed criminals held up a Chinese family at their residence at Masingun.

The criminals used a harmer and broke open the gate and entered the residence to rob the expatriate family K60,000 in cash and valuable items.

PPC Rubiang said the police went to the scene but robbers had escaped. The police later searched for the criminals after a tip off.

Feeder roads need major upgrades. That’s according to drivers who frequently use them. One vehicle owner who asked to remain anonymous, said leaders who were ordered by the National Court Judge to work on the roads, have not done any physical work for the streets within the town.

According to Madang Police, the passengers were taken to the Mero Dump along the highway and robbed at gunpoint, while four male passengers were wounded.  

Madang Provincial Police Commander, Acting Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang, said police were alerted and arrived at the scene but the criminals had escaped.

He said the police officers then transported the wounded passengers to the Modilon General Hospital for medical treatment.

Madang Provincial Police Commander Acting Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang said police were present to contain the situation by cautioning drunkards sending them home. 

"The cause of these were all cheap alcohol related. I had been stressing more on the sale and consumption of these cheap alcohol that people who own liquor shops in the province are selling. I want the authorities to address the issue of cheap sales of liquor,” Rubiang said.

The town is usually packed with locals from all over the province, however, this is not the case as many of these frequent town goers cannot travel in; even the bus stops to the main highway were absent of PMV trucks – especially the Bogia bus stop.

The bridge, which collapsed on Thursday, January 04^th is a link that serves many villagers from parts of Sumkar, Karkar and locals from East Sepik who travel via dinghies from Angoram to Bogia and other boat stops.

The once beautiful Madang Town has lost its way, but this is about to change.

Madang MP Bryan Kramer is adamant to take matters into his own hands, with his first order of business to address this issue and additional matters that have dragged the reputation of the town down and continue to destroy the lives of the people.

“My first order of business is to cancel the land title – public land belongs to the people; it doesn’t belong to the private sector,” says Kramer.

“My second agenda will be to address pick pocketing and loitering as well.”

Their fear arose from last Friday’s flooding of the central business district (CBD) in the heart of Madang town.

Heavy downpour experienced on Thursday resulted in craters, resembling little pools, appearing along recently-sealed roads in town. This was a definite eyesore for residents.

With the recent wet season, the problem is likely to get worse.

The situation has prompted the chairman of the Madang Town Landowners Association, Talad Lukas, to call on relevant authorities to seriously find a lasting solution to the problem.

The new billboard placement also coincides with the swearing-in of a first-ever Madang Provincial Climate Change Committee.

The billboard sits inside the fence of Works Department compound promotes the mitigation them which reads “Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Communities to Climate Change-related floods in the North Coast and Island Regions of PNG”

A team from the Climate Change Development Authority was in Madang to officiate at the swearing-in of the new committee.

Madang Provincial Police Commander Jacob Singura told Loop PNG that the conflict had started due to an incident that occurred two weeks ago when a 25-seater was supposedly held up by Sepiks youths along the Nagada/ RD Tuna road. This resulted in a Western Highlander man being badly beaten up and rushed to the Modilon General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.