POLICE will now treat all landowner gatherings as unlawful assemblies and participants will face arrest, National Capital District-Central police commander Francis Tokura said, The National reports.
NCD police had to fire several gunshots into the air to disperse unruly landowners who had gathered to protest the non-payment of grants at Morauta House yesterday.
“Police were forced to use minimum force to disperse angry protestors who broke tree branches and threatened to cause violence at Morauta House today (yesterday),” Tokura said.
The landowners had became agitated and the situation had threatened to spill over into violence when chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc delivered a message on behalf of the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill that all payments for the LNG projects would be paid in various locations in Hela and Southern Highlands.
“City residents are fed up.
“Government workers who were terrorised for the past few days as well as business houses are fed up with the behaviour of the disgruntled landowners.
“They will no longer be tolerated and orders have been issued to make arrests for any unlawful assembly,” Tokura said.