270111 NEWS JUST IN
By Aloysius Laukai

Mekamui soldiers in the Konnou area of Buin this morning raided Mongai village killing one youth and wounding several others.

According to reports from Buin, the people of Mongai were having a soccer competition when they were attacked.

The South Bougainville Police Commander, Inspector Paul Kamuai whilst confirming the attack said that this localized fighting in the Konnou area must be stopped quickly before more deaths occur.

He said from Buin this afternoon, that there have been peace talks between the Mekamui and Freedom Fighters since the end of last year and today’s killing has jeopardized this peace initiative.

New Dawn FM understands that nearly all killings by the so called mekamui in the Konnou area have been during peace negotiations.

Comments

[Jeffrey Noro]

Our common enemy on Bougainville is ILLITERACY. It breeds suspicion, ignorance, bad choices, mistrust, indifference, inadequacies and jealousy. A community so confined in it mental capacity will always have a localized world view and that will contribute to its inability to make rational decisions and greatly inhibit its capacity to resolve conflicts.
The current state of Bougainville the way I see it, is that the community, churches, leaders, stakeholders, parents and citizens have failed to develop or help our children and young people to develop as wholesome human beings. What have we done to facilitate the development of the mental, social, spiritual, physical and financial capacities in our young people? When there is an imbalance in these areas, this type of incidents are bound to happen. Developing and grooming of a new generation of Bougainvilleans for the future is not ABGs responsibilty alone. It starts in the family and communities and that may also mean providing training for parents if need be. If parents lack this aptitude, surely this cycle will continue. The underlying source of problems is not the gun.It is a human that makes the gun dangerous. The problem in Buin and anywhere on Bougainville is the result of a deeper human need that we as a society have failed to meet. Bougainville needs a new MINDSET!

Vancouver, Canada

[Martin Kaustena]

Independence is the ultimate goal - does not matter whether you are on Meekamui or Autonomous side..fight for independence is a unfinished job started in the 1960s,then 1990s. If it is not handle properly it will again be fought in the near future...Crisis has taught many things no one wants to be ruled by a foreign government

[Tinz Forever]

This is no time to shoot the messengers. Regardless of whether its Panguna Meekamui or Family Meekamui, the fact that there is guns being used to settle disputes is a big enough problem for all of us. Under long law, nogat man imas karim gun. Wanem taim ba yumi harim tok? Yumi olsem ol tribal fights in the highlands pinis. In many ways we have advance to a more worse state than them. When will this sort of thing stop? Why can't these people sit down and work things out instead of behaving like animals? Killing during a soccer game....my gosh what has gone into these peoples heads. Why can't they just leave out the guns and use their hands. If this is a family dispute, its time to get our Police Force to show their worth...planti taim ol sindaun nating long Buka market kaikai kikiono na simuk mutrus ol day...

President Momis, yu tu mas save em ples blo yu ya. Sapos yu laik kamap leader trutru, go na stretim ples blo yu yet pastaim. What makes you think you should be running this island when you can't fix your own domestic problem?

Tinputz em stail tumas. Lukim kain sindaun blo mipla na save...

[Francis Tauria]

ABG has already a government in place . Get the police force to arrest and charge this criminals who keep on killing each other.This is a Law and order and justice problem now.The bougainville struggle is over and done away with.This is a new dawn on Bougainville.Lets get rid of the Bad Grass and move on peacefully.

[Solomon Samuel]

Journalists and news reporters have a major problem on Bougainville. What they report depends on which government they support on the ground. Media reports from Autonomous side always speak evil of the Meekamui and accuse them for killing during peace negotiations. Likewise, news reports from Meekamui side always speak evil of the Autonomous side for kiling during peace negotiations. Let us all check on our mindsets and believe whatever we believe according what we want - Autonomy, Independence or Sovereignty.

This fighting is localised and between families and has been going on since the Bougainville conflict.

These people use Mekamui but have no connections with the Panguna Mekamui.
And on two occassions shot and killed their opponents during peace talks. Like what happened yesterday near my village.

AL

[Maria Buka Meri]

OOOh Noooo!!