This means: roadblocks - all week long - on the one big road in and out of town "to monitor vehicles and people" (rumour: people not from goroka aren't going to be allowed in; rumour 2: 6pm curfew to be encouraged); loiterers subject to police searches; "Bootleggers and drunk and disorderly people who disturb the peace" will be "confronted" by police (bootleggers! the only such loot is for sale under counters in supermarkets).
and it's meant cleaning up the town: prisoners are brought out from jail to cut, with bushknives, the grass growing at the airport (i love that story), the darts disappear from the markets, the bus stop is moved from town (and bilum stealing becomes rife). also, the road i live on - one of the bad ones in the urban area, painful potholes even in 4wds - was leveled on sat and sunday and i think might even be resealed. all because this saturday the five prime ministers' wives are coming to my work, not quite sure why, perhaps a morning tea and cucumber sandwich.
and sellers like the one pictured (outside the bird of paradise, the big hotel in town; note the ubiquitous ice cream) have been moved on and pavements swept. in fact, half of the main road was closed yesterday afternoon, police with their guns roamed around, and a plane landed with some heavies - who ran straight into waiting vehicles, drove the 50m up the road to the bird, and presumably arrived without incident at the hotel. the road was still closed today.
the funny thing is, this town is pretty safe. all of this is just polishing the surface, even - especially - the security measures. there won't be a serious security breach, not because of our high-grade defences, but because these guys aren't so heavy and the conference is just a talk-fest. still, we finally get a bit of a road!!! (the hospital road, which mine comes off, remains in its dusty, rutted state)
No comments:
Post a Comment