By Grace Tiden

TEN Pomio landowners were arrested by police few days ago for blocking a stream that flows through their customary land. 

The 10 men – Robert Mainasa, Jetroy Karus, Richard Bokea, Justin Rongkea, Augustine Longpulia, Cornalius Baite, Robert Kinna, Jiluis Pangarume, Fabian Tape and Edward Alarea – from Lau Village in the Ralopal concession area under the Memalo Integrated Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) Project were arrested for cutting down a tree to stop outboard motors from using the stream which they claim was the source of their drinking water. 

Police in Kokopo said local villagers had complained to them that the men had also stop any access to villages located upstream. 

However, landowners from Lau Village said the stream which was a water source for the villagers for generations was polluted with an oil spill from an outboard motor that had used the water way on Saturday. 

They claimed there was a signing event that day at Polo which was located upstream and the logging company in the area had used an outboard motor with two engines to travel to and from Polo the whole day. 

They claimed the company did not care if the villagers relied on the stream for drinking. And to show their frustration, they cut down the tree. 

The landowners said the cutting down of the tree occurred the next day and some locals reported the matter to the logging camp at Drina resulting in their arrests. 

A total of 16 men from Lau Village were arrested by a police officer who was based at Palmalmal and other officers who were in the area at that time. 

However, six were sent back while the remaining ten men were brought to Drina Camp where they claimed they were beaten up by men from other villages who came with bush knives and threatened them. 

They were later taken to Palmalmal where they were forced to cut grass at the local church grounds before boarding a boat to Kokopo. 

In Kokopo, the ten men were charged with “without reasonable excuse, obstruct water course by cutting down trees and blocking the river”. 

They were granted bail of K100 and will appear before the Kokopo District Court for mention today.