I called Lucy and talked with her. A bit later Molly texted me "GUNSHOTS". Oh, lovely.... So then Lucy calls me and says that there's an emergency Head of Department meeting at 2 pm. Really? With gunshots on campus????? So she says, "TRU???" and I say, "TRU!!!!!" and she says she'll call me back. Sure enough, my boss (the acting Vice Chancellor, who is in charge of all this mess right now) tells Lucy to tell me to stay off campus and someone can update me later. Um, yeah, good call....
Anyway, I called Molly. She's at home now. After the gunshots, most of the admin building went out to "investigate". CRAZY!!! (Her building is across the little courtyard). Immediately after, one of the people in her office was reassuring her (Molly thinks really she was reassuring herself because it wasn't doing such good for Molly!!!) and pretty much scooped Molly off to walk back to her house. I told her if she wants back off campus to give me a ring and we'll do the "Rescue" again.
Fleeing Unitech students asked to return to classes
THE University of Technology administration has urged students who have left the campus to return for classes starting today.
Many of the students left the campus after violence flared again between two ethnic groups last Thursday night, which resulted in the death of a first year engineering student.
The senior executive management and heads of departments met and agreed to suspend classes last Friday and resume today while efforts were made at the weekend to bring the groups involved together to reconcile.
The university administration also quickly moved to beef up security on campus with the engagement of a police mobile squad and increasing the number of security guards by private contractor Kuima Security Services and the university’s own security staff.
Lae metropolitan commander Chief Supt Nema Mondiai also assured that more policemen would be deployed on campus should the need arise.
Acting vice-chancellor Prof Mohammed Satter and registrar Allan Sako met with the student representative council executive and leaders of student groups, especially from the Highlands provinces, last Friday and assured them that security measures were in place to ensure the safety of the students.
They told the students the mobile squad 14 from Goroka would be based on campus until the situation is back to normal.
Other measures imposed included:
*Restrictions on movement of staff, staff dependents, students and the public in and out of the campus from 10pm daily until further notice;
*Restrictions on vehicles moving in and out of the campus from 10pm daily;
*Restrictions on ethnic or regional meetings or gatherings on campus; and
*Emphasising the existence of the zero tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs.
Police and security staff have been directed to strictly police the measures. Any student, staff, staff dependent or member of the public who breaches the restrictions would be dealt with under the university rules and the laws.
The measures follow the killing of a first-year electrical engineering student last Thursday night on campus.
The student died after being attacked with sticks and stones and stabbed during the fight.
Another student sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition at the Angau Memorial Hospital.
A third student is also recovering at Angau, where he was admitted with serious head injuries last week.
Last Thursday, the students involved in the first fight met and agreed on a truce, shook hands and reconciled. Later that evening, the fight erupted again, this time involving a larger group.
Satter, while expressing regret and dismay at the continuing violence perpetrated by a minority of the students, appealed to everyone, including the public to adhere to the restrictions so as to bring about normalcy on campus.
He urged those students that left the campus to return and allow for lectures to resume on Monday (today), adding the university had not closed.
Satter also appealed to the concerned students and student groups to stop the violence and allow the normal process of the law to take its course and for negotiations with the disputing parties for an early resolution.
He said the administration did not want the students’ studies to be disrupted any further, with just five weeks left before the final examinations.
Many of the students left the campus after violence flared again between two ethnic groups last Thursday night, which resulted in the death of a first year engineering student.
The senior executive management and heads of departments met and agreed to suspend classes last Friday and resume today while efforts were made at the weekend to bring the groups involved together to reconcile.
The university administration also quickly moved to beef up security on campus with the engagement of a police mobile squad and increasing the number of security guards by private contractor Kuima Security Services and the university’s own security staff.
Lae metropolitan commander Chief Supt Nema Mondiai also assured that more policemen would be deployed on campus should the need arise.
Acting vice-chancellor Prof Mohammed Satter and registrar Allan Sako met with the student representative council executive and leaders of student groups, especially from the Highlands provinces, last Friday and assured them that security measures were in place to ensure the safety of the students.
They told the students the mobile squad 14 from Goroka would be based on campus until the situation is back to normal.
Other measures imposed included:
*Restrictions on movement of staff, staff dependents, students and the public in and out of the campus from 10pm daily until further notice;
*Restrictions on vehicles moving in and out of the campus from 10pm daily;
*Restrictions on ethnic or regional meetings or gatherings on campus; and
*Emphasising the existence of the zero tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs.
Police and security staff have been directed to strictly police the measures. Any student, staff, staff dependent or member of the public who breaches the restrictions would be dealt with under the university rules and the laws.
The measures follow the killing of a first-year electrical engineering student last Thursday night on campus.
The student died after being attacked with sticks and stones and stabbed during the fight.
Another student sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition at the Angau Memorial Hospital.
A third student is also recovering at Angau, where he was admitted with serious head injuries last week.
Last Thursday, the students involved in the first fight met and agreed on a truce, shook hands and reconciled. Later that evening, the fight erupted again, this time involving a larger group.
Satter, while expressing regret and dismay at the continuing violence perpetrated by a minority of the students, appealed to everyone, including the public to adhere to the restrictions so as to bring about normalcy on campus.
He urged those students that left the campus to return and allow for lectures to resume on Monday (today), adding the university had not closed.
Satter also appealed to the concerned students and student groups to stop the violence and allow the normal process of the law to take its course and for negotiations with the disputing parties for an early resolution.
He said the administration did not want the students’ studies to be disrupted any further, with just five weeks left before the final examinations.
By FRANK RAI and MICHAEL KOMA
STUDENTS at University of Technology in Lae are urged to return to campus and normal classes today after days of tension and ethnic clashes.
One student was killed on Thursday night and two others are nursing serious injuries after a clash between two groups.
Despite assurance from the Unitech administration of a beefing up its security manpower, many of the students left the Taraka campus in fear of their lives since Friday.
A first year applied science student, whose name was not disclosed, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Angau Memorial Hospital at around 10pm on Thursday. He reportedly died from a “deep wound to the neck.”
Police sources disclosed that a fight broke out at the campus sports field between a group of students from Sepik and Highlands. Police said knives, iron bars and stones were used in the nighttime encounter which resulted in the student’s death. Two other students are getting treatment at the hospital’s intensive care unit for injuries to parts of their bodies.
Eyewitnesses at the campus said at around 9am on Thursday a truck-load of Sepiks was trying to get into the campus “possibly to avenge the student’s death” when police closed in and chased them away. Fear of retaliation by the Sepiks prompted the mass withdrawal of students from the institution.
The Post-Courier arrived at the scene at 11.37am only to find students leaving the campus with whatever they could lay their hands on. Trucks owned by students’ relatives and friends in the city were parking at the university’s main gate to take the students away.
Police said the fresh fight was linked to an earlier clash early last week. That fight was amicably resolved on Thursday but some “Sepik students mobilised and fought with the Highlanders’ that night leaving one dead and two seriously wounded.
Meanwhile, Unitech acting vice chancellor Prof Mohammed Satter said there was a death on campus following resurgence of violence between two ethnic groups on Thursday.
Fighting between the Chimbu and Sepik students recurred only hours after they agreed to a truce on Thursday.
“Between 7-9pm last night the two groups of students clashed at the field, where a 1st Year Electrical Engineering student from East Sepik was hacked, slashed and stabbed. He died while being rushed to the hospital. Another Sepik student is in serious condition from last night’s fight. He was also stabbed and hacked with sticks and stones. Several other students sustained injuries,” Prof Satter said. The vice chancellor said situation on campus continues to be tense, especially among the student body. Prof Satter said classes would resume today after security measures have been put in place by the administration.
He said most of the students were not at the campus but believed to around the Lae city vicinity, adding that the students would return to classes starting today.
He also appealed to the concerned students and student groups to stop the violence and allow the normal process of the law to take its course.
One student was killed on Thursday night and two others are nursing serious injuries after a clash between two groups.
Despite assurance from the Unitech administration of a beefing up its security manpower, many of the students left the Taraka campus in fear of their lives since Friday.
A first year applied science student, whose name was not disclosed, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Angau Memorial Hospital at around 10pm on Thursday. He reportedly died from a “deep wound to the neck.”
Police sources disclosed that a fight broke out at the campus sports field between a group of students from Sepik and Highlands. Police said knives, iron bars and stones were used in the nighttime encounter which resulted in the student’s death. Two other students are getting treatment at the hospital’s intensive care unit for injuries to parts of their bodies.
Eyewitnesses at the campus said at around 9am on Thursday a truck-load of Sepiks was trying to get into the campus “possibly to avenge the student’s death” when police closed in and chased them away. Fear of retaliation by the Sepiks prompted the mass withdrawal of students from the institution.
The Post-Courier arrived at the scene at 11.37am only to find students leaving the campus with whatever they could lay their hands on. Trucks owned by students’ relatives and friends in the city were parking at the university’s main gate to take the students away.
Police said the fresh fight was linked to an earlier clash early last week. That fight was amicably resolved on Thursday but some “Sepik students mobilised and fought with the Highlanders’ that night leaving one dead and two seriously wounded.
Meanwhile, Unitech acting vice chancellor Prof Mohammed Satter said there was a death on campus following resurgence of violence between two ethnic groups on Thursday.
Fighting between the Chimbu and Sepik students recurred only hours after they agreed to a truce on Thursday.
“Between 7-9pm last night the two groups of students clashed at the field, where a 1st Year Electrical Engineering student from East Sepik was hacked, slashed and stabbed. He died while being rushed to the hospital. Another Sepik student is in serious condition from last night’s fight. He was also stabbed and hacked with sticks and stones. Several other students sustained injuries,” Prof Satter said. The vice chancellor said situation on campus continues to be tense, especially among the student body. Prof Satter said classes would resume today after security measures have been put in place by the administration.
He said most of the students were not at the campus but believed to around the Lae city vicinity, adding that the students would return to classes starting today.
He also appealed to the concerned students and student groups to stop the violence and allow the normal process of the law to take its course.
1 comments:
Oh Dear! Sounds like "The Alamo" and "The Battle of the Bulge" all rolled into one!
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