Several students’fromthe Medical Faculty ofthe University of Papua New Guineahave been left injured and traumatized following an assault from members ofthPNG Defense Force’s 1RPIR unit at Taurama.
The Students saidthey received knife and bullet wounds, and female students’reported an attempted rape.
The assault followed an argument over an ATM machine atthe Port Moresby General Hospital area on Friday.
Students reported three separate attacks happened atthe campus on Sunday between 10am and 1pm.
A student atthe scene said atthe first instancethey came with no arms and fought withthe Uniforce securities andthe students’ He saidthey went back totheir barracks and came backthe second time with armed weapons andthey fired onthe students’
Pictures were taken by students’showing Military personnel attacking students’andthe facilities.
They saidthe soldiers used iron rods, knives and military issued firearms inthe attack. Some female students’even reported attempts of rape.
A female student saidthe defence force broke intotheir rooms (both male and female) and chased everyone like animals regardless ofthe gender.
The students’had a forum on Monday – on top ofthe agenda was a petition tothe government andthPNG Defence Force to address this problem immediately.
This is notthe first time soldiers fromthe Taurama Barracks were involved in such incidents.In 2011they rampagedthe Manu Auto port service station. An enquiry into that matter has yet to be released bythPNG Defence Force.
Meanwhile,the Students Representttatives council decided for all students’to vacatethe campus. The council says students’will not attend lectures untilthe matter is fully resolved by authorities.
The Port Moresby General Hospital Emergency Ward has also scaled down services in support ofthe students’
Member for Kundiawa Gembogl Tobias Kulang expressed concern overthebreakown inthe command and control structure inthe disciplinary forces ofthe country. He urgedthe government must take drastic measures to ensure discipline.
Mr O’Neill said enough is enough and issued a stern warning that members of disciplined forces who go on armed mob-style attack will be dealth with accordingly.
The Prime Minister has put to taskthe hierarchies of police and Defence force to discipline those responsible for the weekend’s attack on students’atthe UPNG Medical Faculty.
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