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TWENTY-FOUR PEOPLE have died – including two pregnant women with their unborn children – in tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea’s lawless highlands.
The deaths happened in the Hela province, a rugged region in the west of the country, in a three-day spasm of violence between rival tribes.
Highland clans have fought each other in Papua New Guinea for centuries, but an influx of automatic weapons has made clashes more deadly and escalated the cycle of violence.
“Twenty-four people are confirmed dead, killed in three days, but could be more today,” the Hela provincial administrator William Bando told AFP. “We are still waiting for today’s brief from our officials on the ground.”
Bando has called for at least 100 police to be deployed to reinforce some 40 local officers.
The attack
In the Karida attack, fighters are said to have hacked and shot six women and eight children – as well as two pregnant women and their unborn children – in a 30-minute rampage.
A local health worker said it was hard to recognise some of the body parts and posted images of remains bundled together using mosquito nets as makeshift body bags.
Images provided by local police showed the corpses of two children of school age, one with severe head injuries.
Local media has reported the attack appeared to be in retaliation for the ambush and murder for six people the day before.
However, is not clear what prompted the attack, but many fights are fuelled by old rivalries prompted by rape or theft, or disputes over tribal boundaries.
In light of the incident, Prime Minister James Marape, whose constituency includes the district where the killings occurred, has vowed more security deployments.
“Today is one of the saddest day of my life,” he said in a statement. “Many children and mothers innocently murdered in Munima and Karida villages of my electorate.”
“Gun-toting criminals, your time is up,” Marape said.
Learn from what I will do to criminals who killed innocent people, I am not afraid to use strongest measures in law on you.
He noted that the death penalty was “already a law”.
Marape has not yet provided details of the security deployments but he has appeared exasperated by the current resources available.
“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,” he said.
Includes reporting by - © AFP 2019
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I’ll believe it when I see it
It’s not going to happen. Europes grudge against ireland on corporation tax is not our manufacturing sector, it’s the tax haven IFSC. Why are so many European banks setup there… To avoid tax. Sadly it’s a sector the will be axed as countries try to fight their defecit. Just look at Banco Di Italia in IFSC.. Italy wants this bank to operate in italy not ireland. The storm is brewing. I can’t see many new jobs coming.
He is full of sh!t. He has had his day in the sun, the next twelve months will expose him for the puppet he is.
Here here!
Jesus Enda, I thought you would have learnt about the pitfalls of promises last week!
Great news! Enda Kenny is really delivering the goods.
Is former footballer and teacher enda kenny running the IFSC now?
Sure that’s great the newly graduated nurses/teachers will have no trouble getting a job now!!!!!
Perhaps they should have chosen another career rather than planning to live of the state.. without IFSC jobs in private sector how do you paid for nurses & teachers etc…
So there are thousands of IT jobs still not filled in Dublin due to skills shortage and because the whole of Ireland doesn’t really want to live in Dublin, yet they will probably create another 1000 of those 10,000 in IT.
Great if they can create 1000 more jobs there never mind 10.000.
Ah come on Emma! Like he delivered ‘the goods’ to Roscommon? You should know by now that a politician promising anything is a sure sign of desperation. And if the jobs are delivered, Enda will have had little to do with it.
I put as much trust in Enda’s word on this, as I did on his election Roscommon Hospital speech.
I cant see 10,000 jobs being created to man post boxes in the IFSC. Sure why wouldn’t foreign companies have an address here, where else will let them launder there money and escape taxes in their own country. Why do you think France and germany are after us to higher our corporation tax. It’s to stop companies from laundering money and cooking the books in Ireland.
Every multi-national company are here because of it. I hope people don’t really think it’s because of our highly skilled workforce and our financial regulation and our accountability. We are actually party to the rip off of many countries.
No job for you so.
Cruel but very true. iFSC is a post box avenue for tax evasion. No real manufacuring
Manufacturing? It’s a financial services centre. Maybe you should go down to the IFSC and have a look at some of the ‘post boxes’ and the thousands of employees walking in and out of them everyday
To quote Clay Davis from the Wire “I’ll take any motherf**ker’s money if he givin’ it away!”
Yea man I agree take the money, I’m not on a moral high ground. We need to be realistic Enda Kenny is a liar, just like fiana fail they come from the same flawed system
Sorry for the spammy nature of this post, delete if inappropriate
Have look here at Enda’s speech and the full report. The Taoiseach is happy to brush aside any concerns about the business of the IFSC and would like Ireland remain “off shore tart” for big banking.
People complain that there are no jobs, when a chance for 10k of jobs is to be created, you still moan! Jeez, no pleasing some people!
blah blah blah blah blah jobs jobs jobs ……just like muppet bruttons ploy 8 jobs,EDNA YOU ARE A DISGRACE
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