The Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC) leaders today gathered in unity supporting each other’s cause to announce the deep concerns regarding the civil unrest that took place on Wednesday 10th January, and its chain of effects in the country. The PNGTUC Acting General Secretary Mr. Anton Sekum before speaking at the press conference on behalf of his fellow colleagues, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the lives lost and apologized to business owners who were victims of the lootings and destructions. Mr. Sekum started by saying that the Police Association President Mr. Lowa Tambua is innocent of any involvement in what led up to the police stop work protest and the following riots, stating that the President’s engagement during the unrest prevented police from taking direct action, and causing mayhem themselves. “The trade union movement will not stand by and see the President of Police Association be cornered because of a major political and police hierarchy failure.” He said the blame for the consequences of the unfortunate turn of events also rest squarely on the Treasurer, Mr. Ian Ling-Stuckey and the government dominated parliament. The Acting General Secretary further stressed that if there is anyone to be blamed, it would be from the top decision makers, proponents of the dependent rebate and shuffled down to the implementers and the beneficiaries. The PNGTUC sent two recommendation to the government; Establish an investigative team independent of political affiliation, to investigate the entire riot, recommended by national security to eliminate any doubts about the findings. And Government should consider subsidizing wages for displaced workers for a period of time until they find another job or their employer invites them back to work.

Treasurer Ian Ling Stuckey, following the Wednesday 10th January incident, has come out to say that shameful individuals have misinformed the public about the government’s K1, 617 million combined Household Assistance Package from 2022 to 2024. Mr. Ling Stuckey in statement said that the Marape-Rosso Government understands the cost of living pressures facing families and that unlike any previous government, a specific package of measures was introduced to deal with these pressures. “This involved cutting taxes and increasing school subsidies. The facts are clear. Yet there are those that continue to promote instability that continue to misrepresent these tax cuts, mainly in their selfish interests of trying to gain power. Such individuals should be held to account” stated the Treasurer. “There clearly was an error in processing the first pays for 2024. This has been verified in the statements of the Commissioner General for the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC), as well as the Secretaries for Finance and DPM. This will be corrected in the second pay run. The Treasurer stated that the most likely explanation is that the error that the old O’Neill tax schedule was used in the 2024 pay-run, rather than the new Marape tax schedule and this meant that tax rates went back to the levels of the former Government – much more tax being taken out of every pay packet – generally an extra K63 per fortnight. “The Marape-Rosso Government’s income tax schedule is much more generous than the old O’Neill schedule. But some want to hide this fact,” stated Ling-Stuckey. “Every personal income taxpayer in PNG is now better off under the Marape-Rosso Government in comparison to the O’Neill regime. This is a fact, a fact being hidden by O’Neill’s supporters on social media. The main change has been an increase in the amount you can earn before you pay any tax.” “You used to start paying tax if your fortnightly pay reached K481. Under the 2023 and 2024 changes, you now don’t pay any income tax until your income reaches K769. Another K288 per fortnight which is tax-free. This change means that there are now an estimated 160, 000 people who used to pay income tax in 2019, who from 2023 now pay no income tax. This reduction in taxes was made permanent in the 2024 Budget, not just temporary.” “Even for those that pay tax, they will now pay less tax than in 2019 under the old O’Neill tax scales. For most people still paying income taxes (a very small proportion of the population – representing the higher paid formal sector workforce which accounts for less than 5 per cent of the population), this will represent a saving of K63.46 per fortnight.” He explained that even for those with dependents, there are significant tax reductions since 2019. For those parents sending children to schools, let’s also remember the tuition-project fee relief that is being provided by this Government as part of the Household Assistance Package. These subsidies are saving families K220 for each student in Secondary Schools, K60 for each student in Primary schools and K200 in Technical colleges and that this program will benefit more than 1.5 million children. “There is also misinformation in the actual tax rates being applied. For example, I have seen a letter, hopefully fake, from the Nursing Association calling for a national strike over a claimed increase in tax rates from 32% to 42%.” “This is just fake news. The marginal tax rates are exactly the same as was the case in 2018 under the O’Neill regime. The major change has been abolishing all taxes on the first K20, 000 of income.” “There is in fact no 32% tax rate. The 42% tax rate only applies if you are earning over K250, 000 per year. How many nurses or police or Defense service officers earn over K250, 000 per year? Check the facts before you call for more national strikes based on misleading information.” He urged the public to come and talk and use the usual processes, if there are issues as leaders in our society must be aware of such misinformation, especially as some are lobbying hard for selfish power. “Every little hiccup and glitch now runs the danger of setting off the type of destruction we have just seen. This type of behavior is bad for the economy.” Stuckey sent his heart-felt apologies to the hard-working businesses, their staff and supply chain providers that have been so negatively affected by this outrageous behavior and in line with the Prime Ministers’ statement, Treasury is on standby to support the national governments policy committee with the process of consultation with businesses to provide some relief so they can quickly restock and rebuild. Meanwhile, he assured businesses that the government is seeking to build up business confidence and investment and then this happened. “We are working to modernize the Alesco pay system to stop such errors. But, if your pay packet has something that happened, ask questions and get information. Don’t go on a screaming, shameful rampage. And remember, the fact is that the Marape-Rosso Government has reduced income taxes compared to the O’Neill regime,” stated the Treasurer.

The Commissioner General of the Internal Revenue Commission has come out to further clarify to the public the taxation matters and also apologize for the loss of lives and properties that resulted from the riots of Wednesday 10th January, in Port Moresby city. The Commissioner General, Mr. Sam Koim said the majority of the chaos resulted from opportunists, misinformation, and political propaganda and despite him releasing two statements clarifying the facts, many chose to believe alternative facts rather than his official statements. It is for this reason that Mr. Koi has put together a detailed clarification in a statement to gain the understanding of the general public and to put down any further misleading information on tax and pay that could result in further troubles brewing up in the country. “I urge everyone to carefully read this statement fully and between the lines and comprehend the actual facts before indulging in hyperbole and reacting impulsively,” said Mr. Koim. The Commissioner General outlined the facts as follows; WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF PUBLIC SERVANTS PAY CUT ON PAY 1/2024? FACT 1:​ As confirmed by the Finance Department that administers the Alesco Payroll, the Alesco system was not reconfigured on time to make K20, 000 tax free threshold permanent hence it reverted to K17, 500 on 1 January 2024, thereby resulting in a reduction in the net pay. That was identified and resolved hence will be fixed for Pay 2/2024. FACT 2:​ We also confirmed that the dependants’ rebates that were removed by Parliament last Budget, were yet to be factored into the Alesco system hence it was UNLIKELY this has caused the pay deduction on Pay 1/2024. FACT 3:​ I released the first statement based on advice from Department of Finance and Department of Personal Management that it was a system configuration issue and nothing to do with tax increase. I was hoping that that was sufficient to contain the situation and inform the disciplined forces to return to work immediately. DID THE GOVERNMENT INCREASE ANY TAX? FACT 4:​ Apart from the removal of dependants' rebates, which is yet to come into effect, the government has not raised any tax rates in Personal Income Tax and Goods and Services Taxes that would affect the average people and the working class in Papua New Guinea. DID THE GOVERNMENT OFFER TAX RELIEFS TO CUSHION THE EFFECTS OF INFLATION? FACT 5: ​In response to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and to ease the impact of rising prices, the government decided to raise the tax-free threshold. Initially set at K12, 500, it was increased to K17, 500 and later made permanent at K20, 000. The following examples illustrate the positive effects of this measure: Example 1: Providing Relief for Lower Incomes Imagine someone earning K20, 000 when the tax-free threshold was K12, 500. Under the previous system, they would have paid K1, 650 in taxes per year, or K63. 46 per fortnight. However, thanks to the intervention, this individual no longer has to pay any taxes at all. Many Papua New Guineans, particularly those with lower incomes, benefit significantly from this change. Example 2: Benefits for Higher Incomes Even if someone earns above the K20, 000 threshold, they still enjoy the relief. For instance, someone earning K35, 000 annually would have previously paid K6, 250 in taxes (equivalent to K240. 38 per fortnight). With the new threshold, they now pay K4, 600 per year (or K176. 92 per fortnight), saving K1, 650 annually (or K63. 46 per fortnight). This adjustment extends the benefits of tax relief to a broader range of earners, demonstrating the government's effort to support citizens during challenging economic times. FACT 6:​ As a result of the K20, 000 tax free threshold, the Government is forgoing (costing) about K300 million to offer the relief to our working class. WHY WAS THE DEPENDANTS’ REBATE REMOVAL PROPOSED? FACT 7:​ The 2015 Tax Review Committee recommended that once the tax-free threshold was increased to K20, 000, the dependency rebates should be removed. So, our IRC and Treasury Technical Teams advised and hence, anticipated that the dependants’ rebates removal would have minimal impact on the taxpayers, hence this was proposed. FACT 8:​ The dependants rebates removal was anticipated to have minimal net impact in circumstances where the Tax-Free threshold was made permanent at K20, 000 instead of a temporary relief measure and that a 3% CPI adjustment of public service salary was approved to be implemented in 2024. We are yet to assess the full impact of the removal of the dependants’ rebate because it is yet to be implemented. HAS THE DEPENDANTS’REBATES BEEN EFFECTED? FACT 9:​ The amendment for the removal of the dependants’ rebate was passed in last year’s budget but that law has not been gazetted and hence HAS NOT COME INTO EFFECT. There is therefore no obligation on any employer to give effect to this until the law comes into effect. ​“Again, we reiterate that what had started this protest and chaos was not a result of effecting the dependants rebate removal but a failure to reconfigure the Alesco system. Department of Finance is now working to reconfigure the tax-free threshold to K20, 000 and reimburse the salaries lost on Pay 1 of 2024.” Mr. Koim said what had happened was regrettable. He stressed that if only the public servants who had started the protest had sought the clarifications using the established industrial processes, then the clarification would have been provided and so much damage and loss would have been avoided. The irreparable damage and losses suffered and continuing is grossly disproportionate to the purported loss being complained of, let alone this was a fixable loss. The Commissioner General also condemned the looting and rampaging carried out by individuals who exploited the lack of law enforcement presence. He added that many, if not all of these wrongdoers, are not Salary Wage Taxpayers, providing them with no reasonable grounds for their actions. “Such behavior is unacceptable, and every sensible Papua New Guinean should reject and condemn these actions, regardless of political views or allegiances. There's no excuse for these deeds, and I feel profoundly embarrassed to identify as a proud Papua New Guinean,” Mr. Koim stressed. “I extend my sincere apologies once again for the loss of lives and properties caused by opportunistic actions. Let's join together in prayer for peace and commit to responsible commentary.” “The nation we are harming is the same nation we inhabit and will continue to live in; hence it is important for all of us to act responsibly,” he said.

The Port Moresby General Hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) department received a surge in fatal cases that resulted from the looting incidents on Wednesday, 10th January. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Port Moresby General Hospital, Dr. Paki Molumi stated that there was a total of sixty cases that they had received and attended to from the 10th -11th January, of which fifty-seven were males and three were females. A total of nine male deaths were recorded from the cases received at the Emergency Department. Four were declared dead on arrival, four declared dead soon after arrival and one who died post-op. Fifty-one of these cases were injured patients with injuries ranging from gunshot, bush knives, bottle and glass penetration and burns on various parts of their bodies including the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and limbs. There was a total of thirty gunshot wounds, six bush knife wounds, ten patients with bottle or glass penetrating wounds and five burn patients. Major injury sites recorded four patients with injuries to the head, one to the neck, ten patients to the chest, two to the abdomen, thirty to the limbs, two to the back and two with injuries to the pelvic. Total number of patients that sustained minor injuries were twenty four and were treated and discharged. A total twenty-eight patients were admitted with fifteen surgical and thirteen orthopedic cases. Dr. Mangu Kendino, from the A&E department confirmed that sixteen more patients had been brought in on the 12th January, which brought the total number of looting incident cases up to seventy-six. “Majority of the new cases were gunshot wounds, with bush knife wounds which were probably sustained from fights amongst themselves or from security guarding properties that they might have attempted to loot.” “The remainder of these cases were penetrating injuries and lacerations that would have been sustained from bottles or broken glass.” “Patient history of these injuries are sketchy but all these cases are related to the looting incidents.” Meanwhile, admitted cases are being observed and treated with patients expected to make full recoveries in the coming weeks.

The Controller of the State of Emergency (SOE) Acting Police Commissioner Donald Yamasombi, has made public the emergency security measures to be implemented by law enforcement personnel during the 14-day SOE period in Port Moresby city. The Controller, by the virtue of powers conferred on by section 288 of the Constitution of Papua New Guinea (PNG), has issued under the State of Emergency in the National Capital District three main emergency measures, which are, 1. Restrictions on public gathering, 2. Roadblocks and searches, and 3. Restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol. A member of the constabulary or a police officer and/or PNGDF executing police duties as a special constable, are vested with powers to carry these security measures should they deem it necessary. Public gathering including street vending, will not be tolerated near shops or warehouse vicinities. Only church gatherings and “House-Cry” are authorized for gatherings. A person or group unwilling to comply under the Public Gathering security procedure will be deemed as to have committed an offence under the Criminal Code Act and NCDC Municipal Act. Road checkpoints and searches will be conducted on vehicles transporting excessive passengers for public gathering or transporting of suspicious materials. A rub search of individual will be conducted on individuals deemed suspicious. Anyone failing to comply with Search and Seizure standard of SOE procedure will be deemed to be unlawful under the Criminal Code Act and NCDC Municipal Act. Also, selling and consumption of alcohol is restricted to all public in Port Moresby city, unless in licensed clubs, pubs, hotels and similar establishments between hours of 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. only. Any person caught of consumption or in possession of alcohol will be searched upon reasonable suspicion. Meanwhile, service providers will maintain a fair price for all its services and products during this time. The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) will ensure service providers will maintain fair prices for all its services and products and continue its vigilant watch. The Curfew Act does not apply to this National State of Emergency.

Morobe Governor Luther Wenge has announced that there was in actual fact a tax increase as per the Income Tax ( Salary & Wages Tax) (Rates)(2024 Budget)(Amendment) Bill 2023 that was an act to amend the Income Tax (Salary Tax)(Rates)(1979), that was made by the National Parliament to come into effect on the 1st January, 2024 was not a technical glitch but simply the law being implemented. “It’s not a technical glitch. I am a legislator, we passed that law. I remember it clearly. It’s the clear law, they are implementing it.” Governor Wenge stated that he has told the government to suspend the implementation and call the parliament so that they can amend the law for the good of the people of this nation. “All illegal it may be, it is already legal to be implemented now. For the goodness of humanity and the people of this nation, I am asking them to suspend the implementation.” “Call the Parliament so that we can amend the law.” He told PNG HAUSBUNG that this situation is similar to what happened in the VAT case of 2010 where Governor Wenge challenged the validity of the Value Added Tax, introduced in 1989 and managed to convince the Supreme Court that this law was unconstitutional for the people of Papua New Guinea. “I challenged the VAT law as harsh and oppressive, unconstitutional in the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court agreed that that law is illegal.” “The VAT law is illegal and government have no power to collect taxes from the people, that’s why parliament was called as soon as possible to rectify this situation and introduced the GST Goods and services act instead of value added tax and we gave power to the IRC to collect money.” Meanwhile Wenge added that the government of the Day and the Internal Revenue Commission was not being honest about the facts of the matter. “The government is lying. I can tell you, I am a legislator. IRC is lying. Print the law so that the nation will know that the government is telling lies.”

The nation’s electricity giant, PNG Power Limited have assured electricity consumers and the general public that it will continue to play its role as the electricity provider during this challenging time. “We completely dispel rumors circulating that there will be power outages nationwide and spreading information on planned strikes by employees.” Acting Chief Executive Officer of PPL, Nehemaiah Naris has assured public in a media statement that at this time, PNG Power’s primary concern is to ensure that there is power supply to all our customers nationwide. “In the last two days, our teams have been on standby and attended to and restored power supply to our customers despite the serious security threat.” “The rumors on social media were created by a few individuals with malicious intentions to misinform, mislead and create further anxiety in the general public on top of what’s already been a challenging two days in the country.” Naris added that individuals with ulterior motives were trying to use the current situation for their own self-serving interests and that PPL was aware of the 14-Day SOE and will be complying with directives given by the controller. “There is a current National court order in place preventing employees from going on strike, and employees are fully aware of the consequences." “PPL is aware of the 14-Day State of Emergency (SOE), which was announced by the National Government and will comply with SOE directives as directed by the SOE controller.” Meanwhile he further added that PNG Power Limited’s hard-working team remained committed to their duties despite the civil unrest and will continue to do so for the benefit of all our customers.

Lae City, often perceived as larger than it truly is, comprises numerous settlements that converge on the town from various directions. However, recent events unfolded as these settlements converged, prompting a response from the three disciplinary officers to quell the situation. During the protests, aimed at raising various concerns, the disciplinary officers had to intervene, resulting in the injury and demise of several would-be looters. Out of those involved, five individuals lost their lives, and their bodies are currently housed at the morgue. Additionally, numerous others sustained injuries, with several admitted to the hospital. Addressing the situation, ACP for Northern Command, Peter Guinness, emphasized that their actions were taken to protect lives and properties. He expressed regret over the necessity to resort to force, attributing the unrest to protesters who failed to recognize the significance of their actions. Guinness highlighted the distinction between Lae and Port Moresby, emphasizing that the circumstances in Lae were not akin to those in the capital. Guinness issued a stern warning to potential future protesters, asserting that the authorities would not guarantee their safety. He urged citizens to prioritize their safety and security, cautioning against any future attempts to disrupt the peace. As the city aims to return to normalcy, the three disciplinary forces are actively patrolling public spaces to ensure the resumption of regular business activities. Despite the unfortunate events, Guinness expressed his appeal to the citizens of Morobe to refrain from further disruptive actions, urging them to embrace business as usual. In the aftermath of the clashes, informal statistics from the Accident and Emergency department at Angau Provincial Hospital reported five deaths upon arrival and eight individuals hospitalized. An official report from the CEO's office detailing the comprehensive casualty and injury figures is pending release.

Wests Tigers is delighted to confirm that former Melbourne Storm centre Justin Olam has joined the club on a three-year deal. The PNG international has been released from his contract at the Storm and will link up with his new Wests Tigers teammates on Monday. Olam, a premiership-winner and 2021 Dally M Centre of the Year, scored 46 tries in 104 appearances during six seasons with the Storm, where he made his NRL debut in 2018. The 30-year-old has represented his country on 14 occasions, making his international debut for Papua New Guinea against Fiji in 2016. Wests Tigers head coach Benji Marshall is excited by Olam’s arrival. “Justin is a world class player who will bring plenty of experience to our team,” Marshall said. He is a proven winner who has played at the highest level. Benji Marshall “His leadership and communication will be very valuable to our club. “It’s a pleasure to welcome Justin and his family to our family at Wests Tigers.” Olam says he’s looking forward to the next chapter in his rugby league career. “I was really impressed by Benji [Marshall] and his vision for me and the team, and it’s so exciting to be here,” Olam said. I’m keen to put in the work and win the trust of the boys and the coaches at training, and hopefully contribute to what the club is building. Justin Olam Source: www.weststigers.com.au

The combined disciplinary forces in Lae, Morobe Province, were commended and thanked by the Lae MP, for maintaining the peace in the city, amidst threats of looting, following on from the mass chaos and looting of major shopping centers in the National Capital District recently. This from the Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso via his social media. “I would like to take this time to say thank you to our disciplined forces in Lae. You are true examples of disciplined forces.” "HOLD YOUR HEADS HIGH." “You have performed by the oath you swore and set an example for everyone in PNG to be disciplined and be conscious about their actions. It showed Lae is united with a focus on developing a safer city.” He said the combined disciplinary forces set an example of what a disciplined force is all about through your actions yesterday, through to today. “You upheld the oath you officers took as a shining example in the face of adversity. As an ex- blue blood I'm a proud member for Lae seeing the discipline and respect shown by our disciplinary forces.” “Let’s not forget our Security Companies, who provided information to their clients, assisted in blockading and worked with RPNGC, CIS and PNGDF personnel.” He also thanked the ACP Northern Command Peter Guinness, Acting Metropolitan Superintendent James Luan, PPC Morobe Jacob Singura, PNGDF Igam Area Commander Alexson Hannema and Buimo CIS Commander Chief Superintendent Michael Wundiaand for their hardworking officers. “I would also like to commend our community leaders and our law abiding citizens and youths for your support in ensuring that the issue didn't get out of control.” “I and the law-abiding citizens and taxpayers of Lae say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” The DPM also extended his sincere apologies to all the business houses, companies and law-abiding citizens for the inconveniences caused. “I would like to also commend the hard-working Police, CIS and PNGDF personnel in other centres and towns, you have stood tall.” “I express my sincere apologies to our law-abiding citizens in NCD including business houses for the damages done yesterday. The Marape-Rosso government will look at how we will assist our business houses and regain their confidence.”’ He also condemned the actions of looters and opportunists in Port Moresby and provided that they will relook the vagrancy Act. “To the hooligans and opportunists who tried to loot shops and riot this morning, we the people of Lae won't tolerate your illegal behavior. We will deal with you accordingly.” “Opportunists in Lae who took part in the unrest have been identified by police and you will be removed from Lae.” “Lae City doesn't tolerate illegal behavior and that is a warning to those who try to disrupt peace and good order in the city.” "For the issues raised, I would like to assure you that I am working with the Prime Minister James Marape and other relevant authorities to rectify the issues which was something that should never have happened." Rosso said they will remain on and in and around the city to ensure a better and safer Lae City, for everyone.

Business houses in Port Moresby have lost millions of kina in just one day due to pressures from the public on matters relating to tax increases and public servants payroll system glitch. The President of the Business Council of Papua New Guinea, Mrs. Susil Nelson-Kongoi, is appalled that the business houses in the Nation's Capital were not protected on Wednesday, 10th January 2024 and have lost properties through fires and huge damages through looting. Nelson-Kongoi stated that PNG is already a difficult destination for investments and needs the private sector retailers to do business here. "All businesses attacked today are PNG businesses which are homegrown, employ Papua New Guineans and one person employed has a ripple effect of feeding ten." Owners of retail shops in NCD have expressed their concerns, stating that retailers feed and clothe, bear the burdens of the foreign exchange restrictions to keep things running. "Companies such as City Pharmacy, Brian Bell and others have kept alfoat through lines of credit and supplier trust but have lost some supplier partners because of the country's burden", said Mrs. Nelson-Kongoi. "All theze looting will have consequences for the business sector." The private sector and businesses pay hefty fees and incure enormous costs to operate in the country. Meanwhile the Business Council President has called on the Government to put security measures and tougher penalties in place to protect the retailers from the loss and damages caused by violence as seen yesterday. "The business affected yesterday will not only impact the owners but every person employed and will also put a strain on the government's revenue."

Member of Parliament for Nawaeb and Special Parliamentary Chairman for Ease of Doing Business in PNG Theo Pelgen, along with other community leaders, is calling on all communities to take ownership of their cities and neighborhoods in the wake of recent acts of destruction. This appeal follows the devastating events in Port Moresby yesterday and ongoing attempts in Lae and other parts of the country. Pelgen emphasizes that decisions regarding the aftermath of these incidents and the necessary strategic actions rest within the ranks of the government. He urges leaders to address these issues on the parliamentary floor, where the appropriate discussions and decisions can take place. The Nawaeb MP stresses the importance of respecting companies that contribute significantly to the local economy by providing employment, generating revenue, paying taxes, offering markets, and supporting various community obligations. Despite the financial burdens these companies may face, especially through taxes, their commitment to operating in Papua New Guinea deserves acknowledgment and respect. Expressing deep concern, Hon. Pelgen highlights that the actions of a few individuals will have severe repercussions on families, mothers, children, and the sick who rely on vital support from the affected companies. He emphasizes the need to protect and preserve these valuable resources that are crucial for the well-being of the community. Acknowledging the efforts of the police, defense forces, wardens, and security personnel who risk their lives to maintain normalcy and order, Hon. Pelgen expresses gratitude for their unwavering commitment during challenging times. Addressing the people of Nawaeb, Morobe, and the entire nation, Hon. Theo Pelgen calls for a collective focus on moving forward. Despite the recent challenges, he urges citizens not to let the actions of a minority group define the fate of the entire country. Emphasizing the importance of mutual respect, security, and compassion, he encourages everyone to unite, support one another, and exhibit love and care for the greater good. In a final note of pride, the MP commends the people of Nawaeb and Morobe for taking a stand to maintain stability in the pursuit of peace and good order. He declares the citizens as heroes for their resilience and commitment to preserving the sanctity of life, echoing the sentiment that "LIFE IS IRREPLACEABLE."