Cockfighting ops busted

 

February 1, 2022Main Stories

Police rounding up the men and a woman at Sumomini, West Sepik.

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA in Vanimo
POLICE have busted an illegal cockfighting operation run by expatriates in the mountains of Vanimo-Green’s Sumomini in West Sepik on Sunday afternoon.
About 30 men from Indonesia, Malaysia and China, and a woman from Indonesia, had been taking bets on the cockfights were arrested.
Police Commissioner David Manning was informed of the bust by policemen in Vanimo on Sunday afternoon after they returned from the mountains.
Manning told The National that the cockerels were specially bred and conditioned for increased stamina and strength to get them more aggressive.
“The cockerels are injected with drugs brought in by their owners.
“The birds are then fitted with razors, known as gaffs, and the ‘armed’ cockerels are then put into a ring, called cockpit, to fight until one is maimed or dead.
“I have told the policemen to ensure that the expatriates are dealt with under our laws.
““Blood sport in Papua New Guinea is illegal.
“This is animal cruelty and this sort of gambling is not allowed in the country.
“If found guilty, I would expect them to be deported.”

About K16,000 was taken from the 27 men and a woman at Sumomini.

Chief Migration Officer Stanis Hulahau told The National that: “Our involvement was purely coincidental as we were in the area to conduct our spot checks.”
“I was reliably informed of the illegal activity and supported policemen to bust the illegal cockfighting operation,” he said.
“As part of the partnership with police, our team is now going through work permits, which were collected at the scene.
“If it is found that they have breached laws under the Migration Act 1978 and Employment of Non-Citizen Act 2007, they will be penalised accordingly.”
About 26 men, a lone woman from Indonesia, Malaysia and China had been taking bets on the cockfights at the illegal gambling ring deep in the mountains of Vanimo-Green.
From the 27, 22 have been formally arrested and charged at 3.25pm yesterday for their involvement in illegal gambling (cockfighting) and also animal cruelty.
Both charges are under the Summary Offences Act.
Five of the suspects failed to present themselves.
Seized from the suspects were K16,000, a samurai sword and a bayonet, both offensive weapons.
The gambling saw five companies betting against each other with bets going as high as K10,000 and as low as K1,000 for each rooster.
Down a road through the bush, the fighting ring was built with little market stalls surrounding the pit littered the end of the dusty deserted road.
A local, Charlie Wamo, who identified himself as the landowner, said the ring was set up by workers of the logging and oil palm companies for entertainment in 2020.
One of the workers told immigration that the ring was set up after a circular had been circulated within their company premises that gambling would not be entertained.