PNG PRIME MINISTER'S INSTRUCTIONS DEFIED; TENANTS OF WAIGANI HOSTEL EVICTED

PM's instructions defied, Tenants Evicted: Photo credit: EMTV

 Tenants of National Housing Corporation Waigain Hostel in the National Capital were evicted over the weekend despite an instruction from the Prime Minister to the contrary.

Managing Director of NHC, John Dege was at the property ordering tenants to leave. EMTV News crew was prevented from filming inside the gate to the Hostel.

It was a chaotic situation as people moved whatever they could out of their rooms and ran for the gate. They did not expect to be forced out this way.

Women and children were fearful as national housing corporation officers including their MD, John Dege, police and security guards were intimidating. They made sure no one remained.

A tenant although under the rainy weather and caught by surprise, was in his sense to question the eviction when the prime minister had said and instructed the housing minister to halt the eviction.

Last week the Prime minister put a halt to the initial eviction and asked the housing minister to brief cabinet in full on the matter.

But the forced eviction was a complete disregard of the head of government’s instructions.

An official from the prime minister’s office said that those responsible for defying instructions will be held to account.

More than three hundred tenants who called the NHC Waigani hostel their home currently don’t have a roof. Many of them say they will bunk up with wantoks but since many are public servants and are expected to work on Monday, It’s a horrible weekend.

Waigani hostel tenants were initially ordered to vacate last week when the property was sold out for about eleven million kina.

But the tenants refused saying they have not been given ample warning and an ensuring shuffle between police security guards and tenants this tenant was assaulted. EMTV