Violence closes Mt Hagen Market

By PEARSON KOLO

THE hallmark Mt Hagen Market, the best fresh vegetable market in the country, is now closed for two days after a violent fight between the market officials and vendors on Monday afternoon.
Vegetable farmers and vendors from all over Western Highlands and other highlands provinces who use the market to sell their products are braving the hot sun and afternoon rain trying to sell the goods outside the gates of the market.
But the lack of space outside the market fence has caused many farmers to big losses. May of their fresh vegies have rot and could not be sold.
The Mt Hagen Rural Local Level Government that manages the market said the fight started when a market security told a vendor selling cooked food outside the gates of the market to take her food away as cooked food were not allow to be sold at or within the vicinity of the market.
Mt Hagen Rural LLG Manager Solomon Kiap was not available to give details of the closure of the market yesterday as he was away negotiating peace with those involved.
But an employee of the market Amos Koi said the fight started outside the gates of the market when a market security asked a woman to take her cooked corn away.
Mr Koi reported that the security was assaulted by a man who helped the woman.
But several other securities came to the aid of their colleague and bashed up the man and the woman.
“We have clear rules and regulations of the market that no cooked food is to be sold inside or within the market vicinity and that rule was enforced by our securities,” Mr Koi said.
But the man who fought with the securities went away and came back with a group of young men who assaulted the market security guards and chased away vendors inside the market.
Amos Koi said the Mt Hagen Management then closed the market gates fearing further violence.
The market has been closed on Tuesday, Wednesday (yesterday) and is expected to open today (Thursday) after the outcome of a peace negotiation which is under way with the market management and those involved.
Many farmers could not sell their vegetables properly due to the closure of the market and complained that they are making losses.
A potato and pineapple farmer David Peter from WHP said he brought in 16 bags of potatoes and five bags of pineapple into the market to sell on Monday but now his products were damaged as he could not sell them.
The Mt Hagen Management with the Mt Hagen Police is negotiating peace with the involved parties and the market is expected to open its gates depending on the outcome of the negations.
This is not the first time the market has been closed due to clashes. Recently, two Jika tribes fought over the rights of providing security within the premises and forced the market to close for days.