Cop: Tommy Baker and his gangsters are terrorists

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Cop: Tommy Baker and his gangsters are terrorists

PORT MORESBY: Police want Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s most wanted notorious killer and criminal Tommy Maeva Baker and his gang members to be treated as a militia group or terrorists.

Milne Bay commander Supt Peter Barkie said the Government should treat the matter as a threat to national security, not just as a criminal case.

Read details of the news break as published by The National:

National security threat

July 1, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
MILNE Bay police commander Supt Peter Barkie says the Government should treat wanted criminal Tommy Baker and his gang as a national security issue, not just a criminal one.
“They have to be treated like a militia group or as terrorists. The Government has to treat the gang in the same manner as it treats tribal fighters in the Highlands region,” he added.

Supt Barkie said the gang had attacked and destroyed Government security facilities like the police barracks.
“They have exchanged heavy gunfire with the police. The fight against the gang cannot be taken lightly. Also, the gang has moved into the mountainous jungle after the mobile squad had successfully raided Baker’s hideouts near the town.
“Since they have moved into the jungle, you need the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Defence Force soldiers to go in and flush them out. Also, we need helicopters for surveillance operations in the jungles to conduct successful raids on these hideouts which are also used as training camps,” he added.
Supt Barkie also said yesterday that the gang was outsmarting police by using technology to monitor mobile squad movements in Alotau.
“The gang is using technology like drones and mobile phones to check the movement of the police vehicles. Mobile squad members on patrol have noticed drones in the sky and are suspicious that their movement have been monitored,” he added.
Supt Barkie said that during the 60-day manhunt, the settlements were relocated under voluntarily repatriation exercises.
“These settlements are a security threat to the Government and the people of Milne Bay. We allowed the settlements to grow. Now we have told the ones who did not want to leave that if they are shot or killed during crossfire, there will be no investigation because they have refused to move.
“Also, we had Baker gang members surrendering with the help of the community. We can achieve more but we are short of funds. We are doing everything under the sun to work. The policemen who arrived on April 30 for the manhunt had yet to get their allowances. And if it drags on, it will affect the morale of the men.
“But we are hopeful the Government will give us some funds soon. But I congratulate the troops for maintaining discipline despite no allowances.”

Families survived attack

July 1, 2021The NationalMain Stories

THIRTEEN families of water policemen miraculously survived the April 30 pre-dawn attack by the Tommy Maeva Baker gang that lobbed petrol bombs into their barracks in Milne Bay’s Alotau, water police boat operator Japheth Kenneth says.
“We were sleeping in the IPL barracks when the gang threw four petrol bombs into our houses at about 3am, exploding and starting raging flames,” he said.
Kenneth said yesterday that at about 9pm on April 29, the gang comprising about 100 youths and the mobile squad policemen were engaged in a sporadic gunfight for about eight hours in the Daga compound.
“The gang attempted to attack the Masurina Business Centre to gain entry into Masurina security guard armoury,” he said.
“However, police exchanged gunfire with them.
“The mobile squad members also called to tell us to remain alert as the gang might attack us.
“We were only five members of the water police and had only three firearms and two bush knives.
“While the shootout was raging at Masurina Business Centre, we stayed up till 2.30am on April 30 and we thought that we will not be attacked.
“So we went to bed.
“And then at 3am, about 50 youths descended from the jungle hills behind the barracks, threw the petrol bombs into our barracks, exploding into flames.
“We woke up and called everyone to evacuate.
“It was hard for us men to fight back as we were only five against 50 of them.
“They had the advantage as they hid in the jungle and shot at us.
“And we believed that they were prepared for the attack as they must have monitored us when we were on guard.
“When we dropped our guard, they attacked, so they had the advantage of surprise, uphill position and darkness.
“And so I rounded up the mothers and children while our men returned fire just to distract them from our loved ones who ran down to the wharf.
“I put them in the dinghy and took them out to the sea for safety,” he recalled.
Kenneth said that at about 4am, the mobile squad policemen came to support the water policemen and chased the youths further up into the mountain.

Police facing funding issues like any other dept, says Onglo

July 1, 2021The NationalNational

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
POLICE Minister William Onglo says his department is having funding issues like every other Government departments.
He was responding to questions raised on funding for police operations in Alotau and other provinces that has seen officers removed from their place of lodgings due to the non-payment of bills.
Last week, Prime Minister James Marape said that he was aware of the issues of funding, especially on operations.
“When I returned from Porgera, police who were out in the operations field, raised concern on their allowances,” he said.
“We have given commitment to those and are being addressed.”
Onglo said while there were other issues affecting the country besides the Covid-19 pandemic, the Police Department was doing its best to assess the situation and ensure that resources within the constabulary were taken care of.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has derailed our economy as well as other countries’ economies,” he told The National.
“We are looking through what is currently in our department’s budget and we are working to secure the funds needed to assist operations currently happening across the country.
“We will support our men and women on the ground and I ask for their patience as we continue to push for funds within our budget.”
Milne Bay commander Supt Peter Barkie said the police team from Port Moresby that had arrived in April had not been paid their allowances.
“The Government is not supporting them despite announcing a K2.2 million to fund the 60-day operation which will end on Friday,” Onglo said
“The provincial government is not supporting them, with the accommodation bill for the team gone up to K177,960.
“The Government is aware that more money is needed for an overhaul of the infrastructure and resources within the constabulary, and as the minister responsible, my department and I are looking at addressing that.”
However, he said law and order was everyone’s responsibility.
“If we all make law and order as everybody’s issue, then we don’t need a lot to run the police force,” he said.
“I understand that we are a developing country and there are a lot to do in this area and it must be taken as every citizen’s responsibility.”

Pandemic, crimes crippling tourist operators in Milne Bay

July 1, 2021The NationalNational

THE Covid-19 pandemic, escalating violence and criminal activities in Milne Bay are paralysing tourist operators and the industry, Conflict Islands Resort general manager Edward Cardwell says.
“We used to deploy about 100 locals and have an average of 12 cruise liners visiting our resort on Panasesa Island,” he said.
“And each of the cruise ships arrive with about 2,000 tourists.
“These locals are from Panaeati, Panapompom and other 21 islands in the Conflict Groups of Islands in Samarai-Murua.
“But due to the Covid-19, there are no more cruise ships and so no employment for these locals since the last cruise ship visit last March.
“Now we have skeletal staff of nine to maintain the resort.”
Cardwell said yesterday that criminal activities were now having an effect on the hospitality and tourism industry. We are always on alert and everyone has hand held radios to communicate with each other,” he said.
“We have people keeping a watch on security all over the island 24/7 on any boats, dinghies or even traditional sailing canoes that approach the island as dinghies always pose a security threat to us.”
Cardwell said that it was an unfortunate incident on Sunday when two dinghies loaded with drums of fuel for Transport Minister William Samb and Culture and Tourism Minister Isi Henry Leonard were shot at by their armed guards and chased away.
Cardwell, who has been on the island since 2016, said: “Luckily we have not been held up since being robbed by pirates in 2019.
“But it is just a matter of time.
“Probably when the Port Moresby-based mobile squad leaves after their 60-days operation is over.”