Bomb blast . . .Youth fighting for his life in B'ville hospital

Postcourier, 9 March 2010
By GORETHY KENNETH

An American Word War II mortar bomb exploded on Friday at Torokina, leaving a youth
fighting for his life at the Buka General Hospital.

The blast occurred at Marova village, Torokina district in South Bougainville on
Friday at around 7.30am.

Eye witnesses told this reporter in Buka that Sylvester Vinitoi, in his mid 20s was
"playing around" with the live mortar bomb when it went off blasting his legs into
pieces and cutting off his arms.

He is in a critical condition at the Buka General Hospital after being rushed to the
hospital on a motorised dinghy from Torokina.

His left leg was amputated as it was badly damaged and beyond construction while his
right leg had an iron rod inserted to support the bones.

According to Torokina-based policeman Constable Daniel Sasin, Sylvester was hitting
the live mortar with a hammer and chisel to remove its fuse and powder when the bomb
went off.

"He was trying to remove the bomb's fuse and powder to make dynamite to bomb fish,
which is now a practice young people in the area are obsessed with," Const Sasin
said.

"With the thousands of live ammunitions including bombs lying around in the Torokina
area left after the WWII, young people especially men are taking off the heads of
the ammunitions (bombs) to remove the live powder and fuse to make dynamites to bomb
fish in the sea."

Torokina, a US Marine base-camp during WWII, is littered with ammunition and
continues to pose great risk to the general public safety.

According to Torokina War Relics Association chairman Albert Magoi WWII bomb blast
victims are becoming an annual event saying the latest being two wounded and two
dead last year and two victims last week.

Recently US Marines and Navy have been called in to Bougainville and over to
Torokina to remove their "left-over war wastes" but it seems there are so many war
relics, live ammunition including bombs that are yet to be removed from the jungles
of Torokina.

"It's a heart breaking scenario especially when the national and ABG governments are
helplessly participating in the weapons disposal in the district.

"As the chairman for Torokina war relics association I guarantee no repetition of
these very sad episodes that have caused misery to human lives over the last sixty
years," Mr Magoi said.

He said it was not easy and found it hard to see for the government to actively
assist his association in the dissemination of the awareness program in
developmental areas.

"We need support from the Autonomous Bougainville Government to carry out more
awareness to the people in the rural areas.

"We are short with logistics and can't do much.

"The ABG must step in quickly as this problem is getting out of hand and more lives
are at risk," Mr Magoi said, directing the ABG and US Government through its embassy
to fast track ways to quickly remove all the live bombs in the district.

Mr Magoi is calling on the ABG, the National Government and the US Government
through its embassy to step in quickly to address the issue as more lives of the
innocent people are at risk.