Four Chinese nationals butchered in Papua New Guinea

[webfact]

Four Chinese butchered in PNG

SYDNEY (AFP) -- Four Chinese nationals have been hacked to death in Port Moresby, with one reportedly beheaded and the others dismembered in an attack condemned as "brutal and cowardly" on Wednesday by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

O'Neill called for calm after the grisly murders, believed to have been committed with knives or swords in the Koki area of the Pacific nation's capital on Monday night.

"I condemn this brutal and cowardly attack on the four Chinese nationals," O'Neill said in a statement.

"I want to assure the government of China and relatives of those killed that police will get all the help necessary to track down and bring the perpetrators to justice."

The four -- three men and a woman -- were hacked and stabbed repeatedly by attackers who jumped a high fence outside the bakery they ran near the popular Koki market, according to media reports.

Radio New Zealand cited police as saying one was beheaded and the others were "chopped up", although this could not be independently confirmed.

O'Neill said it was a "heinous" crime and urged the business community, "especially those of Chinese and Asian origin", to remain calm and continue business as usual.

"Police have taken full control and an investigation is underway. Business should continue as normal," the prime minister said.

Chinese migrants first settled the Pacific islands in the 19th century but an influx of new migrants -- some illegal -- since the 1980s has seen them become the focus of political unrest.

Protest marches against relatively well-off Chinese business-owners in impoverished Port Moresby in 2009 descended into violence which saw two people killed.

Riots against Chinese traders erupted in the Solomon Islands and Tonga in 2006 over similar resentments.

Papua New Guinea recently passed harsh new laws reviving the death penalty as it grapples with a wave of violent crime, particularly against women, which has drawn international condemnation.

O'Neill described the new measures passed last month as "tough but necessary" in the face of rampant violent crimes including the beheading of one woman and torching alive of another as well as the gang-rape of two foreigners.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-06-26

[lee b]

this is just sick.. Makes you wonder what goes on in some peoples tiny minds

[Steely Dan]

Quite what anyone would be doing there of their own free will is beyond me. Port Moresby was rated one of the worlds least livable cities. RIP the Chinese, who as traders settling just about anywhere are hard working and law abiding, their success sadly causes jealousy among the feckless and indolent natives.

[Garry]

I've been offered work there on occasion and politely refused. Not a hope in hell that I will ever set foot in the country.!

[NangrongJ]

I spent a year there as a country manager. I have experience of 39 countries as PNG, is by far the most lawless. There is worse that never gets reported. It's also one of the most expensive countries I've ever been to and the most tax I've ever paid. Many Highlanders or Tribes people come down to the capital in search of work but there chances are very limited so they stay and live off crime. Forget the police, the only times I've been stopped by them is when they demand money. Thailand is sweet and innocent compared to PNG.

[masuk]

I spent a year there as a country manager. I have experience of 39 countries as PNG, is by far the most lawless. There is worse that never gets reported. It's also one of the most expensive countries I've ever been to and the most tax I've ever paid. Many Highlanders or Tribes people come down to the capital in search of work but there chances are very limited so they stay and live off crime. Forget the police, the only times I've been stopped by them is when they demand money. Thailand is sweet and innocent compared to PNG.

Have to agree 100% with you. I was at Lae Uni Campus for 3 years, and while not as wild as Port Moresby, going out after dark was not an option unless in convoy with a few other expats. When you arrived at the restaurant of your choice, you'd go through three separate security barriers and metal doors, but even then, the 'rascasl' managed to break into them and clean out the guests.

It's the only place I've ever been in where 3 guy attempted to hijack my car, wielding large machetes; the only place where I've been held up at gunpoint and robbed.

It's quite a shock to pass through Customs, and see dozen of guys outside the gates, just hanging around, with spears, bows, arrows.

Each campus house had a 'safety room', where you could lock yourself in, and phone for help, hoping the phone wires hadn't already been cut.

For some reason, they're having trouble recruiting Aussies and Brits. The suckers arrive from more distant shores, and are they surprised!

There's almost as many guns there as here in Thailand, but far, far fewer traffic accidents. Just don't hit one of their pigs!

[bangon04]

this is just sick.. Makes you wonder what goes on in some peoples tiny minds

Maybe there is an ancient belief concerning traditional medicine in PNG, that eating body parts of Chinese naionals will make you more healthy, virile and more prosperous.

[Chao Lao Beach]

I am sad to say , this is just another day in POM.

Fed up of that place.

[Scott]

A rather offensive post has been reported and deleted.

[OldChinaHam]

I spent a year there as a country manager. I have experience of 39 countries as PNG, is by far the most lawless. There is worse that never gets reported. It's also one of the most expensive countries I've ever been to and the most tax I've ever paid. Many Highlanders or Tribes people come down to the capital in search of work but there chances are very limited so they stay and live off crime. Forget the police, the only times I've been stopped by them is when they demand money. Thailand is sweet and innocent compared to PNG.

Have to agree 100% with you. I was at Lae Uni Campus for 3 years, and while not as wild as Port Moresby, going out after dark was not an option unless in convoy with a few other expats. When you arrived at the restaurant of your choice, you'd go through three separate security barriers and metal doors, but even then, the 'rascasl' managed to break into them and clean out the guests.

It's the only place I've ever been in where 3 guy attempted to hijack my car, wielding large machetes; the only place where I've been held up at gunpoint and robbed.

It's quite a shock to pass through Customs, and see dozen of guys outside the gates, just hanging around, with spears, bows, arrows.

Each campus house had a 'safety room', where you could lock yourself in, and phone for help, hoping the phone wires hadn't already been cut.

For some reason, they're having trouble recruiting Aussies and Brits. The suckers arrive from more distant shores, and are they surprised!

There's almost as many guns there as here in Thailand, but far, far fewer traffic accidents. Just don't hit one of their pigs!

Have you ever read the books by Jared Diamond, he is the prof and researcher who repeatedly states the natives of PNG are more intelligent than Harvard undergrads. They are smarter because they must be smarter to live at the level they live and survive in PNG. I would like to go see the orangutan but I would not like to be beheaded in the process.

(And what were you doing in PNG for 3 years, with a safe house/room?)

Edited June 26, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[masuk]

I spent a year there as a country manager. I have experience of 39 countries as PNG, is by far the most lawless. There is worse that never gets reported. It's also one of the most expensive countries I've ever been to and the most tax I've ever paid. Many Highlanders or Tribes people come down to the capital in search of work but there chances are very limited so they stay and live off crime. Forget the police, the only times I've been stopped by them is when they demand money. Thailand is sweet and innocent compared to PNG.

Have to agree 100% with you. I was at Lae Uni Campus for 3 years, and while not as wild as Port Moresby, going out after dark was not an option unless in convoy with a few other expats. When you arrived at the restaurant of your choice, you'd go through three separate security barriers and metal doors, but even then, the 'rascasl' managed to break into them and clean out the guests.

It's the only place I've ever been in where 3 guy attempted to hijack my car, wielding large machetes; the only place where I've been held up at gunpoint and robbed.

It's quite a shock to pass through Customs, and see dozen of guys outside the gates, just hanging around, with spears, bows, arrows.

Each campus house had a 'safety room', where you could lock yourself in, and phone for help, hoping the phone wires hadn't already been cut.

For some reason, they're having trouble recruiting Aussies and Brits. The suckers arrive from more distant shores, and are they surprised!

There's almost as many guns there as here in Thailand, but far, far fewer traffic accidents. Just don't hit one of their pigs!

Have you ever read the books by Jared Diamond, he is the prof and researcher who repeatedly states the natives of PNG are more intelligent than Harvard undergrads. They are smarter because they must be smarter to live at the level they live and survive in PNG. I would like to go see the orangutan but I would not like to be beheaded in the process.

(And what were you doing in PNG for 3 years, with a safe house/room?)

Orang Utan (not orangutan) are not in any part of New Guinea as far as I know. Other side of the Wallace line.

All expatriate staff at UNITECH had a house with safe room. Steel barred doors, re-enforced door frames and cross bars.

The standard contract was 3 years. It would have been financially rewarding too, if the Kina hadn't devalued dramatically overnight, and the Govt bought in a new tax of about 30% of the end of contract bonus. The new car I had in mind on return, suddenly became a 2nd hand Kombi van.

[HaroldB]

Have a friend, a Fire-eater and Juggler who was sent up from NZ on a cultural tour, they were trucked in army vehicles with escorts and backed up to Hall doors and performed behind wire mesh to stop the bottles hitting them, then straight back on the trucks and back to their hotel where they were guarded by the army at night. He couldn't wait to get on the plane back to NZ and vowed to never go back....

[vijer]

Look on the bright side, the murders didn't occur in Thailand.

[hawker9000]

Maybe drug users and mules sentenced in Thailand could just be sent here to complete their vacations.

[folium]

Quite what anyone would be doing there of their own free will is beyond me. Port Moresby was rated one of the worlds least livable cities. RIP the Chinese, who as traders settling just about anywhere are hard working and law abiding, their success sadly causes jealousy among the feckless and indolent natives.

Quite agree... Hard-working, law abiding immigrants are a benefit to any country, especially compared to feckless, indolent indigenous types, too busy getting drunk and attending rallies dressed up in masks etc.

Glad to see a more positive side to you....

[NangrongJ]

I haven't read the book by Diamond but it's fairly common knowledge that the leading tribesmen have good memories. Unlike our history, there's is or was recorded by memory and from what I've heard, it's quite impressive. As I hven't read the book I cannot comment on it.

My role was as a Country Training Manager for security company and needles to say I was quite busy. This is a country where rape, incest and such evils are viewed as normal. In my first week I seen a rape in a Mall car park, everyone just walked past as the Rascals did what they did. No one intervenes, such is the violence - lawless.

[canman]

Spent time in POM, Lae and Rabul

Rabul was OK the rest is just downright scary.

[masuk]

Spent time in POM, Lae and Rabul

Rabul was OK the rest is just downright scary.

You mean you didn't visit Mt. Hagen? shame.

As you enter the city, you see a lot of people limping around. Get closer to the centre and lots more with heads in bandages, arms in slings. Just near the main hospital, you can see lots of folk in wheel chairs.

Welcome to the Central Highlands, where problems with the missus or others are sorted out with a machete. Hence the term "chop 'im" - not chop up.

Handsome bunch of folk.

[OldChinaHam]

Hey, masuk, what are the ferns those guys have stuck in their pants?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Quite what anyone would be doing there of their own free will is beyond me. Port Moresby was rated one of the worlds least livable cities. RIP the Chinese, who as traders settling just about anywhere are hard working and law abiding, their success sadly causes jealousy among the feckless and indolent natives.

It apparently is a VERY poor place... Was doing some reading on it lately, but never been there.

A very sad, and dangerous example, of what can happen when the gap between impoverished locals and wealthier expats grows too wide.

Something for expats in Thailand to think about as well. Even if you've got it...don't flaunt it...unless you like living dangerously.

[ronrat]

A friend of mine on secondment to the Aust High Commission in POM borrowed a PNG Colonels new car to get to his compound after a piss up and ran it into a tree. They medivacced him to Townsville in a RAAF plane, he was treated, sent to Canberra and had his identity changed and sent to another Department. The car was not insured and Colonel wanted his head.And was prepared to pay for it.

[OldChinaHam]

A friend of mine on secondment to the Aust High Commission in POM borrowed a PNG Colonels new car to get to his compound after a piss up and ran it into a tree. They medivacced him to Townsville in a RAAF plane, he was treated, sent to Canberra and had his identity changed and sent to another Department. The car was not insured and Colonel wanted his head.And was prepared to pay for it.

I have never seen one of the men from PNG up close and I was wondering if they are "really built" and strong? Or could you just easily push them over if they didn't have their spears and arrows?

Also, does P&G do much trade there?

[masuk]

A friend of mine on secondment to the Aust High Commission in POM borrowed a PNG Colonels new car to get to his compound after a piss up and ran it into a tree. They medivacced him to Townsville in a RAAF plane, he was treated, sent to Canberra and had his identity changed and sent to another Department. The car was not insured and Colonel wanted his head.And was prepared to pay for it.

I have never seen one of the men from PNG up close and I was wondering if they are "really built" and strong? Or could you just easily push them over if they didn't have their spears and arrows?

Also, does P&G do much trade there?

Well, I attached 2 photos of PNG men in my earlier reply.

Would you want to be the first to start pushing them over?

I doubt it very much.

[masuk]

A friend of mine on secondment to the Aust High Commission in POM borrowed a PNG Colonels new car to get to his compound after a piss up and ran it into a tree. They medivacced him to Townsville in a RAAF plane, he was treated, sent to Canberra and had his identity changed and sent to another Department. The car was not insured and Colonel wanted his head.And was prepared to pay for it.

I have never seen one of the men from PNG up close and I was wondering if they are "really built" and strong? Or could you just easily push them over if they didn't have their spears and arrows?

Also, does P&G do much trade there?

When I finished my contract in PNG, some 12 years back, almost every foreign managed factory in the Morobe (Lae) district had closed down,. The PNG folk were importing 100% of their tinned fish and almost all of their rice.

Tinned fish is a popular meal throughout the cities and towns, but the factories closed down in spite of there being good supplies of fish locally, and the product was imported from overseas..

At least one factory has started up again. It is not in the PNG culture to grow rice, although conditions are excellent.

Exports include coffee and cocoa.

[OldChinaHam]

A friend of mine on secondment to the Aust High Commission in POM borrowed a PNG Colonels new car to get to his compound after a piss up and ran it into a tree. They medivacced him to Townsville in a RAAF plane, he was treated, sent to Canberra and had his identity changed and sent to another Department. The car was not insured and Colonel wanted his head.And was prepared to pay for it.

I have never seen one of the men from PNG up close and I was wondering if they are "really built" and strong? Or could you just easily push them over if they didn't have their spears and arrows?

Also, does P&G do much trade there?

When I finished my contract in PNG, some 12 years back, almost every foreign managed factory in the Morobe (Lae) district had closed down,. The PNG folk were importing 100% of their tinned fish and almost all of their rice.

Tinned fish is a popular meal throughout the cities and towns, but the factories closed down in spite of there being good supplies of fish locally, and the product was imported from overseas..

At least one factory has started up again. It is not in the PNG culture to grow rice, although conditions are excellent.

Exports include coffee and cocoa.

By P&G, we mean Proctor & Gamble, but I would be surprised if they are not doing business in PNG.

I like your stories about PNG which is a place I would like to see.

It sounds like the people there truly need a stable government which would allow them to begin growing small businesses.

Tinned fish is good until it runs out, I have talked to packers in Taiwan and they say their catches are decreasing rather radically, for fish such as mackerel.

If PNG runs out of canned fish, then what?

Is it back to behaving like true cannibals?

Edited June 28, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[watcharacters]

Have a friend, a Fire-eater and Juggler who was sent up from NZ on a cultural tour, they were trucked in army vehicles with escorts and backed up to Hall doors and performed behind wire mesh to stop the bottles hitting them, then straight back on the trucks and back to their hotel where they were guarded by the army at night. He couldn't wait to get on the plane back to NZ and vowed to never go back....

Similar?

[billd766]

Spent time in POM, Lae and Rabul

Rabul was OK the rest is just downright scary.

You mean you didn't visit Mt. Hagen? shame.

As you enter the city, you see a lot of people limping around. Get closer to the centre and lots more with heads in bandages, arms in slings. Just near the main hospital, you can see lots of folk in wheel chairs.

Welcome to the Central Highlands, where problems with the missus or others are sorted out with a machete. Hence the term "chop 'im" - not chop up.

Handsome bunch of folk.

I spent 4 months in Mt Hagen back in 2007 and stayed at the Hagen hotel. I had 6 teams of guys building a mobile network and apart from the armed guards we had to employ after one team got car jacked it wasn't too bad a place.

At one point I went to a cell site and got stopped and surrounded by 50 to 100 locals who had a problem with the mobile company.

After we managed to quieten them down and found somebody to explain what they wanted I pointed ouit that I was only a contractor and I couldn't promise anything but I would take a letter in for them.

They were happy, I was happy but my security guard armed with a radio that was out of range and a stick was quaking in his boots.

One team had a wheel come off the pickup truck and supposedly hit somebody and was taken to hospital. Their security guard did a runner and I went down to see what was happening with a guy from the company but he had sorted it out before I got there.

I got a letter from the alleged victims church minister and took it to the police as he was claiming compensation and was later told by the police that he had never been to any hospital and I heard no more about it.

They used to have rock concerts about once a week but throwing real rocks between the tribe on one side of Mt Hagen and the tribe on the other.One time it started over a girl of one tribe being raped by guys on the other side. That developed into a full blown riot and the police started out with blanks and escalated into pistols, rifles, shotguns, baton rounds and sub machine guns.

Oddly enough as a white man the locals mainly left us alone unless you were wrong place, wrong time.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there though at 69 I don't think I would want to go back.

Most of the local people I met were very nice and countryside was beautiful however the road from Mt Hagen to Lae was bad for most of the way and there were some bad bits that you could drop a pickup truck into and not see much of it. There was NO road to Port Moresby at all. To get to POM you either flew or drove down to Lae and around to POM.

That was back in 2007.

[harrry]

I was there in 1968. It always was a place it was possible to get in a lot of trouble very quickly but most of the problems occurred with locals not expats. Because of the different tribal groups everone from one of the other groups was sure to get into trouble. Many times I had to bail out my really quiet Tech Assistant when we went to a different area as he was almost always locked up by the police to prevent trouble.

Payback killings were common though in those days they followed a set of rules which limited to some degree the damage.

PNG friends are the best one can have but PNG enemies are the opposite.

Edited June 28, 2013 by harrry

[masuk]

A friend of mine on secondment to the Aust High Commission in POM borrowed a PNG Colonels new car to get to his compound after a piss up and ran it into a tree. They medivacced him to Townsville in a RAAF plane, he was treated, sent to Canberra and had his identity changed and sent to another Department. The car was not insured and Colonel wanted his head.And was prepared to pay for it.

I have never seen one of the men from PNG up close and I was wondering if they are "really built" and strong? Or could you just easily push them over if they didn't have their spears and arrows?

Also, does P&G do much trade there?

When I finished my contract in PNG, some 12 years back, almost every foreign managed factory in the Morobe (Lae) district had closed down,. The PNG folk were importing 100% of their tinned fish and almost all of their rice.

Tinned fish is a popular meal throughout the cities and towns, but the factories closed down in spite of there being good supplies of fish locally, and the product was imported from overseas..

At least one factory has started up again. It is not in the PNG culture to grow rice, although conditions are excellent.

Exports include coffee and cocoa.

By P&G, we mean Proctor & Gamble, but I would be surprised if they are not doing business in PNG.

I like your stories about PNG which is a place I would like to see.

It sounds like the people there truly need a stable government which would allow them to begin growing small businesses.

Tinned fish is good until it runs out, I have talked to packers in Taiwan and they say their catches are decreasing rather radically, for fish such as mackerel.

If PNG runs out of canned fish, then what?

Is it back to behaving like true cannibals?

Proctor and Gamble???? which country are they based in? Are they in the South Pacific region?

The big dealers in the South Pacific are BP - Burns and Philp, once known as 'B....y Pirates'.

"Stable Government". They change governments about as often as our Aussie Govt does.

Tinned fish is ghastly, especially if you're sitting in at a meeting, and 98% of the committee have just had a good lunch of tinned fish, usually in tomato sauce or whatever sardines are canned in.

They are certainly wild lads, but if they're treated with respect, in their own country, and treated as equals, there are few problems.

[harrry]

I have never seen one of the men from PNG up close and I was wondering if they are "really built" and strong? Or could you just easily push them over if they didn't have their spears and arrows?

Also, does P&G do much trade there?

When I finished my contract in PNG, some 12 years back, almost every foreign managed factory in the Morobe (Lae) district had closed down,. The PNG folk were importing 100% of their tinned fish and almost all of their rice.

Tinned fish is a popular meal throughout the cities and towns, but the factories closed down in spite of there being good supplies of fish locally, and the product was imported from overseas..

At least one factory has started up again. It is not in the PNG culture to grow rice, although conditions are excellent.

Exports include coffee and cocoa.

By P&G, we mean Proctor & Gamble, but I would be surprised if they are not doing business in PNG.

I like your stories about PNG which is a place I would like to see.

It sounds like the people there truly need a stable government which would allow them to begin growing small businesses.

Tinned fish is good until it runs out, I have talked to packers in Taiwan and they say their catches are decreasing rather radically, for fish such as mackerel.

If PNG runs out of canned fish, then what?

Is it back to behaving like true cannibals?

Proctor and Gamble???? which country are they based in? Are they in the South Pacific region?

The big dealers in the South Pacific are BP - Burns and Philp, once known as 'B....y Pirates'.

"Stable Government". They change governments about as often as our Aussie Govt does.

Tinned fish is ghastly, especially if you're sitting in at a meeting, and 98% of the committee have just had a good lunch of tinned fish, usually in tomato sauce or whatever sardines are canned in.

They are certainly wild lads, but if they're treated with respect, in their own country, and treated as equals, there are few problems.

What happened to Steamships?

Though I must say I enjoyed being a colonial and ariving in Moresby on the Braeside..one of Burns ps ships.