Priscilla Waikaidi asks important questions after a child dies in a armed robbery in Milne Bay
Yet another heart-wrenching story for me to write this week: that of a mother and son who had set out last weekend from their remote Vidia village, walking three days to get to the nearest health center at Dogura. It was a possible referral case to Alotau Provincial Hospital for further checks. The 12-year-old son had been complaining of recurring stomach pain for months and had lost a lot of weight.
Little did they know death would find him in an instant, not from health complications, but from a mindless attempted highway armed holdup while they were trying to access services.
The mother, Danis, says, “We did nothing to deserve this. Why must this happen to us? We were only trying to get to the hospital, and now my dear son is gone. My husband has not heard the news yet, and I don’t know how to break it to him when I take my son’s remains home.”
While several accounts have been given—he was shot, he was cut up, he was run over by the PMV while jumping off—it boils down to the act of trying to rob the PMV that resulted in this unnecessary death. It’s infuriating to think that humble people with close to nothing would be targets for robbery, a risk on top of everything else they endure to access better services. And no, it is not normal and should not be seen as such.
“We did nothing to deserve this. Why must this happen to us? We were only trying to get to the hospital, and now my dear son is gone.”
Fifty years on, which way, PNG? Why isn’t basic, functioning healthcare at the doorsteps of our people? Why isn’t there transport to drive the economy and movement, law and order to keep communities safe and secure, and raised living standards? Are we okay with keeping the majority of our people underdeveloped?
Milne Bay Province, a place we’ve always known for its calm waters and welcoming tourist spots, has sadly started to change. It’s not like the big cities or the Highlands where crime has always been a tough battle. But lately, we’re seeing more and more armed holdups on our highways and even worrying acts of piracy out at sea, affecting our communities and the boats that bring in essential goods. This rise in crime, something we hardly ever saw in years past, just goes to show that nowhere is truly safe anymore, and the problem of crime is spreading right across Papua New Guinea.
The incident has sparked renewed calls to beef up highway security and to find the root cause and put an end to this. It can’t just be the Police; it will have to involve almost every sector.
People from Makamaka, Weraura, and Daga Rural Local Level Governments have continued to endure this risk for as long as they remember. Coincidentally, these are the three LLGs that will make up the new Baniara District come 2027—a sparkly new name yet with the same issues stil
