POLICE and two tribes at 8-Mile are looking for a man who fatally wounded another in a drunken brawl at the Port Moresby settlement early yesterday.
National Capital District Met Supt Gideon Ikumu said the tribesmen of the wounded man, who died on arrival at the Port Moresby General Hospital, took revenge and burnt seven houses belonging to the assailant’s tribe.
“There was a drunken brawl in the early hours of yesterday when a man allegedly wounded another man,” Ikumu said.
“The wounded man was taken to the Port Moresby General Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.
“The suspect’s (assailant) tribesmen then began mobilising to start up another fight but quick response from policemen and community leaders calmed them down.”
The Met Supt said the conflicting parties gathered and talked and the leaders of the suspect’s tribe were sent throughout the city to look for the suspect.
“In fact, everyone in that settlement, including the rest of the suspect’s tribesmen, are out looking for the suspect,” Ikumu said.
“The deceased’s tribesmen were advised to stay indoors.”
Met Supt Ikumu said police units were at the settlement and monitoring the situation while waiting for the family and community leaders to bring in the suspect to the Gordon Police Station.”
This clash is among several ethnic clashes and killings that have occurred in the capital city this year.
In March an Engan man was injured after he was stabbed through his abdomen with a piece of iron from a fight between people from Enga and Goilala in Central.
Two men from Goilala suffered gunshot wounds on their hand and leg.
“I am very disappointed and disgusted with the attitude of the settlers who have refused to heed our advice to keep peace and let us investigate the attacks and murders,” NCD/Central commander ACP Anthony Wagambie Jr said in March.
On April 30, a man from Goilala was hacked to death by two knife-wielding men allegedly from Tari, Hela, at Koki in the Moresby-South electorate.
Moresby South MP Justin Tkatchenko and National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop earlier issued warnings to the settlers that if they continued to fight among themselves, they would not hesitate to remove the settlements.
Police Minister William Onglo also said earlier that the country was fighting three huge battles – the fast-multiplying Covid-19 pandemic, a spiralling economy and escalating law and order issues.
“Law and order is everyone’s business and any under-lying causes into the ethnic clashes need to be identified and resolved by the leaders of the communities,” Onglo had said.
“The law has to work due to the breakdown in law and order around the country.”
Onglo conceded that the understrength police force had only 6,531 uniformed officers and with limited resources, it could not cover the entire crime spots.
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