Patrick Matbob
Madang
26-06-09
Manam/Bogia conflict – how many more need to die?
She was born at Asuramba three years ago and the care centre was the only home she ever knew. She may have been too young to know that she was a Manam Islander and that somehow it was dangerous to be one.
On the fateful day, Sunday June 14 she was hungry. She would have known hunger in her brief life just like hundreds of her fellow islanders at the care centres along the Bogia coast. Why she never had enough to eat is something she will never know. Like all three-year-olds, she wanted to tag along with mum to look for food in the garden. She had no idea that the trip would be dangerous. And why should it be? Being with her mum was the most secure place in the world for her.
She would have been terrified when they were surrounded by a menacing looking group of armed men. And when her mum, her source of security and life fled and left her behind – she would have been devastated.
Her terrified screams of memo, memo (“mother, mother” in the Manam language) were the last words she would ever utter. Terrified and confused, her mum ran for her life with the baby leaving her behind at the mercy of her captors.
The captors later told the police that she had died of fright. We can only imagine the terror the little one experienced. Four days later what was left of her tiny skull and jaw bone were recovered and buried. The circumstance surrounding her death remains the subject of a police investigation.
As human beings no death or suffering can be taken lightly – especially that of children. Jesus reminds us how special children are. “Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to people such as these,” (Matt 19:14). It is the only consolation that the parents of the little girl have, and a stark reminder of our responsibilities to children, especially in a conflict situation.
The conflict between the Manam settlers and the Bogia landowners has now directly claimed four lives and caused suffering to thousands of others. It has resulted in the destruction of the entire Suaru village and the early repatriation of Baliau villages back to Manam Island. Those repatriated are currently facing renewed hardships with food, water and shelter because of the poor condition of the island.
The conflict at Asuramba has been going on since the settlement was established. In 2006, the people of Rarin, Simbine, Busip, Beidup and Tamakot called on the government to evacuate the islanders because of increasing law and order problems in the area. Villagers complained of theft of their coconut, cocoa and food in the gardens, of harassment of women, sale of homebrew and marijuana, overcrowding at the Malala health centre and harassment and abuse of motorists on the Madang/Bogia highway.
The alienation of the Manam people caused by the volcano disaster has been devastating. The islanders are known for their highly structured and orderly society under the kukurai system. However, their displacement from the island has destabilized and weakened the social structures especially the authority of the kukurais. This has led to numerous problems now being experienced along the Bogia coast.
Today both the Manam settlers and the Bogia landowners are asking the same question. Why has the National Government been unable to address the resettlement issue adequately in the last three years?
It is not as if the government had neglected to address the Manam disaster situation. Since the pyroclastic eruptions in December 1996 which killed 13 Budua villagers, the government and donor agencies had reacted instantly. First lot of islanders were evacuated and settled at Potsdam.
Later in the 2004-5 series of eruptions, the rest of the islanders were evacuated and resettled temporarily on state acquired plantations on mainland which are Potsdam, Asuramba, Mangem and other state land. The local people of Suaru offered their traditional land at Bom to the Baliau people to settle.
A provincial government Manam disaster committee headed then by the current Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet had overseen and dealt with the issues of the settlers and landowners up until 2007. The National Government took over the issue when it enacted the Manam Resettlement Authority (MRA) and immediately promised to lease about 60,000 hectares of land in the Andarum area of Bogia to resettle the Manam settlers living at Mangem, Asuramba and Potsdam.
Then Secretary for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Valentine Kambori told the people that the government had already put in place a complete fiscal plan for infrastructure development on the proposed site. He said MRA was legislated by Parliament to carry out the Manam resettlement program. According to the business plan of the MRA each of the 2024 family units living the three major care centres would receive 10 hectares of land at the new promised site. The host community would also benefit with infrastructure development.
However, since then very little has happened. No one seems to know what is happening with MRA which is chaired by member for Bogia John Hickey. In a recent interview with ABC, Chairman of PNG’s National Disaster Committee Manasupe Zurenuoc said the government has asked for outside help because MRA has failed to do its job.
The National Government has to come out and tell the people of Manam and Bogia what is happening with MRA. It has to assure the 15,000 people of Manam in the care centres what their future is going to be like. It has to tell the Bogia landowners what is happening so that they do not despair that they are stuck with a humanitarian problem. This has to happen now before there are more deaths over the resettlement issue.
Madang
26-06-09
Manam/Bogia conflict – how many more need to die?
She was born at Asuramba three years ago and the care centre was the only home she ever knew. She may have been too young to know that she was a Manam Islander and that somehow it was dangerous to be one.
On the fateful day, Sunday June 14 she was hungry. She would have known hunger in her brief life just like hundreds of her fellow islanders at the care centres along the Bogia coast. Why she never had enough to eat is something she will never know. Like all three-year-olds, she wanted to tag along with mum to look for food in the garden. She had no idea that the trip would be dangerous. And why should it be? Being with her mum was the most secure place in the world for her.
She would have been terrified when they were surrounded by a menacing looking group of armed men. And when her mum, her source of security and life fled and left her behind – she would have been devastated.
Her terrified screams of memo, memo (“mother, mother” in the Manam language) were the last words she would ever utter. Terrified and confused, her mum ran for her life with the baby leaving her behind at the mercy of her captors.
The captors later told the police that she had died of fright. We can only imagine the terror the little one experienced. Four days later what was left of her tiny skull and jaw bone were recovered and buried. The circumstance surrounding her death remains the subject of a police investigation.
As human beings no death or suffering can be taken lightly – especially that of children. Jesus reminds us how special children are. “Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to people such as these,” (Matt 19:14). It is the only consolation that the parents of the little girl have, and a stark reminder of our responsibilities to children, especially in a conflict situation.
The conflict between the Manam settlers and the Bogia landowners has now directly claimed four lives and caused suffering to thousands of others. It has resulted in the destruction of the entire Suaru village and the early repatriation of Baliau villages back to Manam Island. Those repatriated are currently facing renewed hardships with food, water and shelter because of the poor condition of the island.
The conflict at Asuramba has been going on since the settlement was established. In 2006, the people of Rarin, Simbine, Busip, Beidup and Tamakot called on the government to evacuate the islanders because of increasing law and order problems in the area. Villagers complained of theft of their coconut, cocoa and food in the gardens, of harassment of women, sale of homebrew and marijuana, overcrowding at the Malala health centre and harassment and abuse of motorists on the Madang/Bogia highway.
The alienation of the Manam people caused by the volcano disaster has been devastating. The islanders are known for their highly structured and orderly society under the kukurai system. However, their displacement from the island has destabilized and weakened the social structures especially the authority of the kukurais. This has led to numerous problems now being experienced along the Bogia coast.
Today both the Manam settlers and the Bogia landowners are asking the same question. Why has the National Government been unable to address the resettlement issue adequately in the last three years?
It is not as if the government had neglected to address the Manam disaster situation. Since the pyroclastic eruptions in December 1996 which killed 13 Budua villagers, the government and donor agencies had reacted instantly. First lot of islanders were evacuated and settled at Potsdam.
Later in the 2004-5 series of eruptions, the rest of the islanders were evacuated and resettled temporarily on state acquired plantations on mainland which are Potsdam, Asuramba, Mangem and other state land. The local people of Suaru offered their traditional land at Bom to the Baliau people to settle.
A provincial government Manam disaster committee headed then by the current Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet had overseen and dealt with the issues of the settlers and landowners up until 2007. The National Government took over the issue when it enacted the Manam Resettlement Authority (MRA) and immediately promised to lease about 60,000 hectares of land in the Andarum area of Bogia to resettle the Manam settlers living at Mangem, Asuramba and Potsdam.
Then Secretary for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Valentine Kambori told the people that the government had already put in place a complete fiscal plan for infrastructure development on the proposed site. He said MRA was legislated by Parliament to carry out the Manam resettlement program. According to the business plan of the MRA each of the 2024 family units living the three major care centres would receive 10 hectares of land at the new promised site. The host community would also benefit with infrastructure development.
However, since then very little has happened. No one seems to know what is happening with MRA which is chaired by member for Bogia John Hickey. In a recent interview with ABC, Chairman of PNG’s National Disaster Committee Manasupe Zurenuoc said the government has asked for outside help because MRA has failed to do its job.
The National Government has to come out and tell the people of Manam and Bogia what is happening with MRA. It has to assure the 15,000 people of Manam in the care centres what their future is going to be like. It has to tell the Bogia landowners what is happening so that they do not despair that they are stuck with a humanitarian problem. This has to happen now before there are more deaths over the resettlement issue.
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