Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

After 15 killings, PNG declares fighting zone in Eastern Highlands

Posted at 18:40 on 18 December, 2012 UTC

The provincial government in Eastern Highlands in Papua New Guinea has declared Henganofi District a fighting zone following the massacre of 15 people last week.

The declaration gives police more powers to act against the perpetrators.

The tribal violence, which also claimed the life of an infant, occurred in what the Post Courier newspaper calls the notorious Komperi Valley.

The provincial government has also allocated additional funding for extra police to be sent to the area amid fears the violence could escalate.

Another five people, who were seriously injured from gunshots and bush knives, are fighting for their lives at the Eastern Highlands provincial hospital in Goroka.