About 100 Papua New Guinea security personnel have arrived in Porgera, Enga Province, amid the fighting that saw 17 dead, 100 families displaced and homes destroyed over the weekend.

The arrival of the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) in Porgera on late Sunday evening has eased the tension inside the mining township.

On Sunday about 5pm, more than 15 ten-seater vehicles with PNGDF soldiers arrived in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, to be deployed to Porgera.

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The contingent arrived late in Porgera with only a few war cries heard around the township.

Police Commissioner David Manning said: “A significant number of police and military personnel will be on the ground to address the issue at Porgera”.

When asked if armoured vehicles may be deployed to Porgera, Manning said: “The vehicles will not be deployed for this incident, an assessment of the situation on the ground is requiring a quicker response and that is the option I took.”

Mobile Squad 5 arrives
Mobile Squad 5 has arrived in Porgera to assist PNGDF with provincial police commander Chief Inspector Epenes Nili.

Police in Enga are seeking assistance from the Enga provincial government.

“The provincial government will be assisting with logistics and other necessary assistance,” Chief Inspector Nili said.

“Mobile Squad 5 arrived in Wabag late yesterday afternoon.

“They got organised last night and departed to Porgera at 4am.”

He said the situation had cooled down.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Papua New Guinean church workers working behind the scenes to help the terrorised people of the Nankina valley in Madang’s Rai Coast district are now themselves at risk after they were named in a news report.

The missionaries (names withheld) called on the police to send in more manpower to apprehend the “Het Wara” gang, saying their members who are on the ground would now be targeted by the gangsters.

This plea comes shortly after reports came in from sources on the ground that the house of one of the church members was burnt by the gang.

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One of the missionaries told the Post-Courier that they had not wanted to be named or take credit for what they were doing out of concern for the security of their members on the ground.

“Knowing how this gang operates, they will definitely go after our members when the police leave,” said the missionary.

“Over the course of two years, this gang has killed people who stood up to them, who reported them to authorities or who tried to get help.

“So we appeal to the government and the police, please send in more manpower, end their reign of terror.”

35 homes burnt down
Meanwhile, reports from the area indicate that the gang is continuing to terrorise villagers despite a contingent of policemen flying into the area this week. A total of 35 homes have been burnt down so far, with three men killed and several others severely injured.

There are also reports of an unconfirmed number of women and girls being abducted and raped by the gang in the last three weeks.

Madang police were deployed to the area on Sunday and 10 Northern mobile group policemen were deployed yesterday to beef up manpower to hunt down the gang.

The group was flown in yesterday morning to join the team of 11 from Madang.

Team leader Steven Yalamu told the Post-Courier that the team from Lae arrived safely and were all now based at Tibu.

21 policemen on the ground
“Currently, we have 21 men on the ground but we are looking at bringing in more manpower to hunt down these criminals who have been preying on their own people,” Detective Inspector Yalamu said.

“Also the place is so rugged and mountainous that we have to wait for a helicopter to fly us to where the gang is at now.

“The gang is still active and is moving, attacking other villages that are further away from where we are, but I’d like to remind them that the hand of the law is long and we will still catch up with them.”

Peace and normalcy has been restored at Tibu village where police are now based.

Yalamu called on all Tibu villagers who may still be hiding in the bush to return to their homes and village.

“I also call on all villagers in the area to work with us to apprehend this gang.”

Republished with permission.