Ambush – 4 shot dead

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

Ambush – 4 shot dead

(GE22-related deaths reach 49 since May 20)

PORT MORESBY: Four people were shot dead in an ambush at an illegal roadblock on the Nebilyer Bridge on Tuesday (July 19, 2022).

Another three are in critical condition in Mt Hagen General Hospital.

This bring the General Election 2022 (GE22)-related violence and death toll to 49.

Tambul-Nebilyer police station commander Chief –Sgt Jacob Kumin said police know the identity of the prime suspect for the deadly attack and his accomplices and “we want them to surrender for their own sake”.

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below the news break and a few GE22 news updates published by The National:

Ambush – 4 more dead

July 22, 2022The NationalMain Stories

By JILL MIRR
FOUR people are dead and three remain in a critical condition at the Mt Hagen General Hospital after they were ambushed in another election-related attack on Tuesday.
Police know the identity of the prime suspect and his accomplices and want them to surrender “for their own sake”.
The four were shot in Tomba, Upper Nebilyer, Western Highlands after they were ambushed at a roadblock on the Nebilyer Bridge, bringing the election-related deaths to 49 since May 20.
Police said their vehicle was found parked in the middle of the bridge with the body of one of the victims.
Two others had jumped off the bridge with bullet wounds.
Their bodies were found next morning.
The fourth man died on arrival at the hospital, according to police.
Tambul-Nebilyer police station commander Chief Sergeant Jacob Kumin told The National that the situation was “very tense” although police had managed to calm things down.
Provincial police commander Superintendent John Sagom described the shooting as “barbaric” given that the high-powered guns were used on innocent people.
“Police will make sure these murderers face the full force of the law.
“I am appealing to leaders and the community to work with the police to ensure justice is served in the shortest time possible,” Sagom said.
He sent a police team to the area yesterday to search for two who had jumped off the bridge.
“Upon arrival we saw the damaged vehicle and the body of the victim who had died instantly and others,” he said.

Democracy in peril

July 22, 2022The NationalMain Stories

FORMER Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says democracy in the country is under threat, given the number of election-related violence and the hijacking of ballot boxes in certain centres.
O’Neill this week retained his Ialibu-Pangia seat, the fifth time since he first won it in 2002.
He is the leader of the People’s National Congress Party.
He arrived in Port Moresby yesterday from Southern Highlands and urged the people to allow counting to progress without any disruptions.
“If there are any issues, let’s take stock of (them) through the right process, especially (by using) the court of disputed returns,” O’Neill added. He said the General Election 2022 was “by far the worst elections we have held”.
“Hijacking of boxes, rigging of elections taking place at the polling sites, people not allowed to vote and election officials highly compromised,” he said. “I am very surprised to see that the level of violence is increasing despite the fact that we have had many elections.
“We should now be used to elections and accept results, that one has to win and many have to lose after such a challenge. Unfortunately, we are continuing to lose lives, innocent lives. Women and children have been caught in this. The way the General Election (2022) is taking place is quite shameful.”
He said people must understand that the general elections “are not the end of the world”.
“It is just a choice of leadership we are making at this time,” he said.
“Let us try and finish this general election in an orderly manner.
“That is my appeal to everyone.”
He urged Police Commissioner David Manning and Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai to “step up”.
“They are answerable to the people of Papua New Guinea (and should) be independent in the discharge of your duties,” he said.

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No recount after quality checks, says RO

By LULU MARK
THERE will be no recounting of ballots in the Moresby North-West seat as requested by candidates because quality checks had already been done, an official says.
Returning officer Vincent Manukayasi said counting for the electorate in the National Capital District would continue despite another petition submitted by some candidates to stop the counting until their concerns had been addressed.
He said the second petition from the candidates received on Wednesday night highlighted the same requests made in the first petition on Tuesday.
“The candidates have called again for a recount of the (votes in the) boxes we have already counted,” he said.
“I will not do that. In the counting process, we did the quality checks after all the boxes were counted.
“It is during the quality checks that the candidates request to recount and related concerns could be looked into.”
Manukayasi said they did not have the time to go through all the boxes again and recount the votes.
“We still have a lot of boxes yet to count,” he said.
Manukayasi suspended the counting at 10pm on Wednesday in response to the candidates’ requests as he had the power to do so.
Yesterday, he consulted Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai.
He said the gate to the counting centre at the Public Institute of Leadership and Governance in Waigani was locked.
Counting officials were not allowed into the counting area until 4pm when it resumed.
He said counting was conducted openly in the presence of scrutineers and police and recorded on the closed circuit television (CCTV).
Manukayasi said any more delays to the counting process could result in them missing the July 29 deadline for the return of writs.