Before we get started some small print: This is a weekly update about events in Porgera. Before we get started a few caveats: I’m not in Porgera and I’m only relying on my own knowledge of the valley and open sources. I am not a lawyer. I do my best to keep the dates straight but they may get a day off due to my being in a different time zone than Porgera. Thanks to everyone who sent me links and articles. I’m always interested in hearing more about Porgera if you have information to share. With that out of the way, let’s talk about what has happened since around roughly the 15th of October:
Apologies for not updating regularly. I was distracted by non-Porgera things.
Not for the first time, Porgera became a topic of national debate, as opposition politicians Chris Havieta (EmTV) and Douglas Tomuriesa argued that Porgera’s situation was a sign of government incompetence.
On 21 Oct it appeared that Mulitaka locals would allow traffic down the bypass road to Porgera that was created after the Mulitaka landslip. There were also plans to allow fuel transfers to resume. The Red Cross/Red Crescent has a status report on Mulitaka as well.
On 22 Oct it was reported that the 62 illegal miners who were arrested earlier were being charged . So that case is moving through the criminal justice system.
On 23 Oct, 6 people were killed and 19 injured in what some on social media call the Sirunki bus massacre. As a result, the SOE is set to expand to four more districts in Enga. SOE staff are liaising with local politicians. There are some reports that this fighting is linked indirectly to the conflict in Porgera because some clans participated in both. I’m still working through the details. This situation is serious enough that PM Marape says he will introduce a domestic terrorism bill to deal with incidents like it.
On the 28th, the Post published another editorial expressing concern about law and order. It included the line: “We must admit that the PNG Police and Army are no match for tribal warriors who have the upper hand in local knowledge of terrain and have experience honed over time in guerrilla type warfare.”
Back in Porgera, on the 28th the Post reported that state-owned houses in Porgera abandoned by fleeing civil servants would be repossessed and repurposed by SOE staff. Simon Yandapake has a nice piece on how the fighting is affecting refugees.
On 30 Oct the Post reported that an NPL employee was killed in Yakenda (near Laiagam) and has details of how this death is related to ongoing conflict.
Nickson Pakea, who represents the Porgera Chamber of Commerce (I am not sure what this organization is) held a press conference in late October arguing that order in Porgera required more than just police repression.
On 1 November the National reported that NPL had resumed operations.
There is a lot more to say — there was a plane crash at Kairik during this period I want to write about. But I just wanted to get this off so I could (try) to get back to a schedule of regular postings about Porgera.
Alex Golub 