Misbehaviour Of Police

Boys

Probable Cause of Rai Coast Trouble

INFORMATION to hand during the month throws some light upon the disorders reported recently from the Rai Coast (on the mainland of New Guinea, south-eastward of Madang).

The first incident reported occurred on July 23, when a native policeman was killed and four others wounded. One re port at that time said that the outbreak was the result of “religious fanaticism.”

It now appears, however, that what oc curred had an entirely different cause.

Assistant District Officer A. Nurton was in that region in July engaged on a patrol, in which he was seeking census informa tion. He sent a party of native police into a district that is rarely visited. The people of this village had shown some reluctance to line up, and to carry out certain duties regarding road-making, or village cleanliness, or something of that sort, imposed upon them by the Ad ministration.

When the police party commenced to march towards the villages, the people apparently thought that they were to be punished, and fled into the bush. The native policemen, entering one of the de serted villages, appear to have displayed a spirit of license and hooliganism.

One policeman, named Sapuri, made prisoner a native woman whom he found in hiding, and kept her in the police camp, where he outraged her. The natives from the village to which the woman be longed crept upon the police camp in the night and sought out and attacked and killed Sapuri. There apparently was a general fight, in which four other police men were wounded.

Patrol Officer G. Greathead was sent into the area to assist A.D.O. Nurton. But before Mr. Greathead arrived, Mr. Nurton went into the disturbed area in an en deavour to restore order, and he and his party were suddenly attacked by What appear to have been the same class of natives who killed the native policeman Sapuri.

This second incident occurred on Sep tember 24, and, as previously reported, A.D.O. Norton was so severely injured that one of his legs had to be amputated.

Other information will be made avail able in due course, no doubt; but present indications are that the trouble on the Rai Coast was caused by the bad be haviour of a party of native policemen in a district which is only nominally under control.