Weapon-free district

Written by Writer on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Weapon-free district

Post-Courier Online
Thursday 23rd October, 2008

SELAU/SUIR district in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is leading the way by becoming the first weapon-free district on the island.

Leaders from the district declared on Thursday that there would be roadblocks to be manned jointly by the police and ex-combatants leading into the district from other areas as a check-point for illegal firearms that are brought into the district.

Local leader and businessman Isuvius Omi said weapons had been used to threaten people in the district and people had lived in fear of being attacked by armed men.

He was speaking during a reconciliation ceremony held in his Sanakova Village. The ceremony marked the end to a feud between the people of Suir and himself, after armed men from Suir held him up while he was in their area examining feeder roads.

He said he was proud of his people as they had taken ownership of the reconciliation process among themselves and this would eventually lead to weapons disposal.

“I am proud to say that the people of Selau /Suir are leading the way in weapons disposal and this will pave the way for other districts on Bougainville to dispose weapons as well,” Mr Omi said.

He said there would be check-points at Rawa and also at Bonis so that people carrying weapons would be checked and their weapons locked away in containers so that they could be picked up when people leave the Selau/Suir district.

Although no weapons were surrendered during the reconciliation ceremony, Mr Omi said at least two weapons would be disposed of after an agreement is signed between the chiefs and ex-combatants.

During the ceremony, ex-combatants from Selau also reconciled with ex-combatants from Suir, hugging each other while others shed tears as it was the first time some of them said sorry to each other for the atrocities committed during the bloody Bougainville crisis.