UPNG student stabbed

The National Main Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
POLICE have arrested four suspects over the killing of a University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) student on Thursday evening.
The killing sparked a confrontation between the student’s peers and National Housing Corporation (NHC) flat dwellers in Waigani on Friday morning.
According to the NHC tenants, the student was on his way to school and had taken a short cut near the Waigani Catholic Church between 7pm and 8pm on Thursday.
According to an eye witness, he went into the gate which has a playing field inside and the four suspects approached him asking for a lighter.
He handed the lighter to them and they allegedly asked for his handphone.
It is alleged that he struggled with the four youths, aged between 18 and 25, and one them whipped out a knife and stabbed him.
The student was found near the university homes by Uniforce security guards who rushed him to the hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
When news of his death reached his UPNG classmates and friends, they congregated and confronted the tenants demanding that the suspects be handed over before 2pm on Friday.
The move prompted the tenants to find three of the suspects living in the Waigani area and a fourth in Morata.
All four were handed over to the police.
However, it is alleged that the students were still angry and they went on a rampage, destroying gardens, a mini market and lobbed petrol bombs to gut two NHC units.
UPNG registrar Peter Petsul, in the aftermath of the stabbing, released a security alert urging students to “refrain from further incitement of what is already tense”.
The alert further stated: “I am instructing the Uniforce to temporarily close the gate to the Waigani Catholic Church until the situation allows it to be reopened.”
The National visited the NHC flats and found the destruction.

9 comments

  • Is this sign of us trying to Take Back PNG and declare PNG a Christian country or what???
    Government must seriously look at some ways and strategies to address and completely eradicate such crimes at this very level or otherwise the government’s Slogan of “Taking Back PNG” and “Declaring PNG a Christian” just a waste ….

  • Mirriam Zariga,

    Corrections, those suspects are between the ages of 12 and 18 very young boys and they have been doing this for so many times, bag snatching and harassments of mothers, young woman and even men too. We people residing in Pelican and Curlew street of Waigani are sick and tired of these boys from this particular ethnic group whose been occupying government property (Waigani NHC Flats) for so many years without paying rentals to NHC, PNG Power and Water PNG. All they do is harassing everybody who passes that area. This boys young boys from Goilala don’t have rights to take out this innocent 3 third year student’s life just like that, they deserve to be punish and remove completely from our good neighborhood and community!

  • Mirriam Zariga raised a valid point for officers in government departments and agencies who fail to attend to a situation that was at a manageable stage. The harassment to the women and girls including men was ongoing. Am sure some incidents have been reported to Waigani Police. I saw two police 10-seaters speeding to the scene on Friday 2 July when students retaliated. What did we do reported cases of harassment. Where we taking note or compiling some kind of data to know something was going to happen. It was just a matter of time resulting in the lose of a young life and damages to properties. We have no right to cause inconvenience to good people and taking a young life. They deserve what they have because they work hard for it. The young man after graduation can contribute to this country’s development unlike these youth. What is their contribution. Shame.

  • Please give them Life sentence, without any bail/freedom.
    They are not worth living among…

  • Wesley Yandam! Bro I don’t think It’s the slogan Take Back PNG has anything to do with this. PMJM cannot do it alone. Each individual Papua New Guineans like you and me can change our attitude problem and positively take PNG forward. Don’t blame the Government of Today. You and I can make a difference if we think and do things positively..

  • This similar case is viral in our society and our authorities needs to introduce prosecution and vagrancy act to end our cries and pains. The vagrancy act is currently under the public discussion for lawlessness actions acted by street vanders in particular to unemployed people who were floating on the streets of Port Moresby. The fear of deaths and criminal activities affected the public movements and tourism events. Whilst, the capital city is now becoming doomed and falling off from happiness and peaceful environment. Thus, I assumed that the gov’t needs to consider these matter genuinely for the betterment and prosperity of all.

  • Goilalas and Taris who do not have any good reasons to be in POM continue to spoil the image of the city. POM has become a city ruled by Street tugs in day light and corruption filled by government bureaucrats and politicians who don’t care much about development but filling their pot bellies with high egos and not much development in their electorates.

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