Garden Hills squatters attack police

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Garden Hills squatters attack police

PORT MORESBY: Police were forced to fire warning shots when Garden Hills squatters attacked them with stones and arrows yesterday.

An exercise to evict them from a church land entered its third day and Metropolitan Supt Gideon Ikumu said police had to respond with gunshots when those being evicted attacked policemen monitoring the court-ordered eviction.

The news break was reported by The National:

Eviction anger

December 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

Police were present at the eviction as families moved their properties away from the eviction at Garden Hill. – Nationalpics by KENNEDY BANI

By CHRISTINE PAKAKOTA and SYLVESTER WEMURU
POLICE fired warning shots when they were attacked with stones and arrows by squatters at Garden Hills in Port Moresby, as an exercise to evict them from a church land entered its third day yesterday.
Metropolitan Superintendent Gideon Ikumu told The National that police had to respond with gunshots when those being evicted attacked officers monitoring the court-ordered eviction.
He said police managed to bring the situation under control after again explaining to the community leaders that police were just executing a court order obtained by the church which owned the land.
Met Supt Ikumu said the settlers were told that no one could stop the eviction except the court or the church group which owned the land – the Assemblies of God Boroko Association Incorporated.
Church chairman Dr Thaddeus Kambanei said the squatters had been given more than a year to move out of the land.
Met Supt Ikumu said some of the squatters had moved out while some were still hanging around looking after what was left of their belongings.
Police expect to complete the eviction by the weekend.
A notice from the National Capital District/Central police command said: “The eviction exercise at Garden Hill will continue.
“There is no restraining order from the court. Court orders must be respected.

Settlers moving their properties away from the eviction at Garden Hill.

“Anyone who attempts to or stops the eviction exercise based on legally obtained court orders is liable to be held in contempt of court.”
A police officer at the scene said in the morning, some squatters got angry after reading a statement from Prime Minister James Marape instructing the Lands Department to find a land in the city to resettle them.
A woman who asked not to be named said Marape should have acted sooner to help them, well before the eviction exercise.
She said it was lucky that the school holidays had begun and the children were around to help her move their belongings.
“Some of us living here work for the Government as teachers, nurses and police officers, and some working in the private sector, and have contributed to the development of this nation,” she said.
“We cannot afford to buy a house or a land because they are too expensive.
“If we want to own a house or a piece of land, we have to spend money to get that.
“Our pay also does not guarantee us to do that so we have to reside in the settlement and go to work.”
The policeman said it was sad to see women and children carrying their belongings and leaving the homes they had been living in for some time.
“We (police) have nothing to do with the developer or the settlers but are only carrying out our duties – to execute the court order to carry out the eviction exercise,” he said.
“We have relatives living here but we have no choice.”

Keep your promise: Settler

December 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By JAMES GUKEN,
DWU journalism student
A BANK officer who is among the 5,000-plus people evicted from the Garden Hills settlement in Port Moresby this week is disappointed with the Government and City Hall for failing to keep their resettlement promises.
Francis Nambatuku from Chimbu said he was born and raised in the settlement in the past 32 years.
He is now married and lives there with his family. His parents stay there too.
“We do not trust what the Prime Minister (James Marape) is saying to relocate us,” he said.
Marape said on Tuesday that the Government would find land for employed settlers, and those who had lived in the city for more than one generation.
Nambatuku said it would not work because there were no proper record kept on the settlers.
“And his idea of moving the unemployed (back to their villages) cannot be possible because it would cost the Government a good amount of money,” Nambatuku said.
“And the National Capital District Governor Powes Pakop should have known about this eviction as we are his people.”
Marape had instructed the Lands Department to find State land in the city to relocate the families to.
Parkop said City Hall was arranging to have them relocated to a piece of land in the capital city.
But Nambatuku said since the eviction began on Monday, many people had been left homeless and living on the streets.
He said the evicted families who came from all districts around the country should be given land to resettle on in the city.
Some of the evicted families had been taken in by church groups while others had managed to move in with their relatives.