A turn of events in the farewell of Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare as his casket was about to depart on an Air Niugini Q400 Aircraft to Boram in Wewak, had to be delayed.
Reports from on the ground say a rowdy crowd at the Jacksons Airport in Port Moresby ran onto the tarmac and demanded that the Grand Chief Sir Michael’s casket be removed from the cargo hold and placed in the main cabin of the Air Niugini aircraft.
The family of Sir Michael has agreed and called for calm among people in NCD and Wewak and allowed the body of their father to be removed from Air Niugini’s Sana flight and transferred to the Australian Military Aircraft C130.
Grand Chief’s son Sana Somare spoke on behalf of the family appealing to Papua New Guinean’s to allow their dad to be flown home to his final resting place.