Unitech urged to collaborate with police as public demand justice over harassments of woman

Lae police have identified four student suspects in connection with the harassment on campus of a woman by a mob of male students. A separate investigation from the PNG University of Technology has announced it has already identified five student suspects.

Speaking to NBC News, the Lae Metropolitan Commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Kunyanban said since the incident has sparked public outcry, his office is yet to hear from the school’s administration or the office of the Students’ Representative Senate [SRS], regarding the student suspects.

“To be honest, there’s no formal letter from the Unitech SRS to my office stating the number of suspects who were involved and are identified already, regarding the sexual harassment incident at the campus. I only know about four student suspects that have been identified from my police officers’ preliminary investigations and enquiries into the crime committed.”

“I would prefer that we work in collaboration with the Unitech SRS, their Internal Security Force and the Administration to ensure justice is served,” he said.

The police boss emphasized that a proper collaboration will be a deterrence for future occurrence of a crime with such nature.

He said, should the matter be taken through the legal process, it is only fitting that the suspects or perpetrators identified in that crime be referred through a collaborative effort.

He went on to confirm that of the four suspects identified so far by his investigators, one is the student who was seen as the main instigator of the harassment in the viral video.

“Obviously the guy that stood out in the video that went viral, sexually assaulting the woman is one of the suspects already identified and yes, he will be arrested as soon as we compile enough evidence in that regard.”

“We’ll have to have enough evidence going forward to have the identified students prosecuted and charged in accordance with the appropriate laws. As I’m speaking, we have investigators on the ground collecting evidence to ascertain facts surrounding the crime. As soon as the facts are established through witnesses, those implicated will be arrested.”

The Lae Metropolitan Superintendent also pointed out that if there is enough evidence, that the student who also uploaded the original video did so with wrong intentions, he will also be arrested and charged under the Cyber Crime Act.

The police boss made it very clear that all students are subject to the law like all other citizens, saying that there will be no special treatment.

“All procedures are the same, there are no set of laws for the students and the public separately. If evidence proves that they committed the crime then it is a criminal matter, and the process applied to them will be the same as for all other citizens.”

Given that the woman who was harassed is suffering from mental illness, the Police Boss said his investigators will also be consulting her doctors for medical proof, as supporting evidence to charge the perpetrators.

He is therefore calling on the school to collaborate with his investigation team, stressing that such incidents will tarnish the school’s reputation not only in the country but internationally as well.

“I’m appealing to the University’s appropriate authorities to make sure the perpetrators are charged. My appeal to the Administration is to make sure that if those students are implicated in any serious harassment that is breaching a by-law, they should be terminated administratively and dealt with criminally,” he said.

A recent Press Statement from the University stated, that its Senior Executive Management Team [SEMT], after consulting its Chief Executive Officer, the University police, the Deputy Registrar, the Dean of Students Support and Facilities and the SRS President, has resolved that investigations will continue as a matter of urgency, and that any student identified will face the full force of both the University Student Disciplinary Committee [USDC] rules and then be referred to the police.