Travelers from Malaita Province’s Baegu-Asifola Constituency denied access to Auki following the suspicious death of North Malaita man
PEOPLE from the Baegu-Asifola Constituency in Malaita Province are still denied access to the Provincial Capital, Auki, following the suspicious death of a man from the North Malaita Constituency earlier this month.
Since the deceased went missing, people of the deceased’s home village set up roadblocks, preventing people from Baegu-Asifola from travelling to Auki.
Information reaching Solomon Star Auki claimed that vehicles travelling from the Baegu-Asifola Constituency to Auki have been told to return as the situation remains tense following the death of 26-year-old man from Loina village who went missing and was later found dead after attending the funeral of his father-in-law in Uniai village.
Since the past two weeks, the travelling public from Baegu-Asifola have been denied access to Auki and have called on police to do more to settle the situation as soon as practicable as innocent people are suffering as a result of the suspicious death.
Solomon Star was told that teachers, students, and working people from the Baegu-Asifola Constituency who spent their Christmas and New Year’s Holiday at home are yet to return to Auki, Honiara and other parts of the country where they work and study due to the roadblocks.
Many people hold the view that police should arrest those who are behind the suspicious death to allow the public to move freely.
The Malaita Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Superintendent Leslie Kili earlier called for calm as the case is now before police.
On Wednesday this week, PPC Kili confirmed to Solomon Star that the roadblocks still remain and have hindered transport services along the North Road for the past two weeks, causing difficulties for people from the Lau-Mbaelelea and Baegu-Asifola to travel past Loina village.
PPC Kili said a team will be deployed to Loina to negotiate with the relatives of the deceased to clear the roadblocks.
He said police are still investigating the suspicious death, adding that two suspects who were taken for questioning are still at the Auki Police station.
Malaita Premier, Daniel Suidani, also called on relatives of the deceased to allow police to carry out full investigation into the matter and not take the law into their own hands.
Solomon Star was informed that Premier Suidani has met with PPC Kili to discuss cultural ways of resolving the issue to allow transport services to continue and people to travel freely without fear.
By WILSON SAENI in Auki
