25 Apr 2009

PNG security forces remove illegal tenants from Porgera station

9:35 am on 25 April 2009

Papua New Guinea security forces have removed groups of unauthorised tenants and illegal gold traders from government premises at Enga Province's Porgera station.

The newspaper, The National, reports that along with defence Force personnel, around 200 police officers from mobile squads recently deployed to Porgera to address the upsurge in crime around illegal mining are now carrying out a major clean-up exercise in the station.

Provincial police commander Michael Chare says that about 20 illegal gold traders who set up camp at Porgera to buy gold from the illegal miners were chased out from their containers, which they used for their operations.

He said that security forces also removed illegal tenants from the Government's houses.

Superintendent Chare said that the removal of illegal tenants would take at least a week to complete, adding there were many people forcefully occupying the Government's houses.

The mobile police squads are expected to be in Porgera for three months.