EASTERN REGION- PUBLIC HEARING CHAIRPERSON:Peter Maru, do you promise you’re solemnly telling the truth about the event of the basis of the principle of honesty and good faith? VICTIM:I promise. Be sited, CHAIRPERSON:Peter Maru in giving your statement you cannot be compelled to incriminate yourself which means that you can be forced to say anything which might be held against you in any legal proceedings. DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON: Good morning Peter Maru you can now start to tell your story of what had happen to you during the ethnic tension. VICTIM:On the 10th Dec 1998, 2:30 am in the morning I was on duty at the Yandina Police Station not knowing that the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army (GRA) were around the Yandina area. Whilst there a group of people that led by the so-called Harold Keke and I recognised him as he got a tattoo on his left arm, and I knew him and he was the person who led this group of p people consist of 14 in a high powered out board motor engine. One is 30 hp and the other one a 40 hp engine and they came ashore in front of the Police station at the Yandina right at the canoe shade and Petrol shed of the Police. I was on duty by myself as we had a shortage of man power and I do not know now. I went outside and I saw many people there and I thought what these people are doing; I went to them and said “this place is not a place to throw rubbish” and none of them responded. I came back and just right at the incharge office where the flag pole is I was shocked they pointed me with a .22 gun on my head, one here and two here and the other here. There were four (4) of it, I don’t know whether its has a life ammunition or just to threaten the people. They pointed me with the guns and they ordered me to shut my mouth, and in return I asked them “what I had wrong you” as I could see them as the moon started to get bright a little bit and I the sight another person and that rise the number to 8 people. The two (2) boats consist of 15 people the other boat had 7 and the other had 8 people. I continued to insist “What did I wrong you?” and the spokes person ordered me to shut up. They led to the Police Baric and that where the kitchen is, I insisted got to the Police Incharge Office and then we went and the two (2) people were already hiding in the Police station jail. I was then got afraid if they got my hands smashed as I was holding on to the corner of the counter. I asked them “what do you think of doing this?” and the spoke person who is now serving his sentence in Rove asked me for the keys. They were now asking for the keys and I told the keys no one is allowed to get hold of it according to the Police Force orders. Stations like this in the Provinces only Officer In charging station (OCS) is the one that should hold on to the keys and other station like Kirakira, only Provincial Police Commander (PPC). I then went on to pursue them by questioning what are they going to do, and the person responded by saying “we will fight for our freedom and Land. At the same time I asked them what actually interested you to break in to the Police Amoury, I can see it is not proper and there are ways in Melanesian to solve the problem and he ordered me to shut up. I turned to him and said “if you want to get your hands on those weapons to use against people at the end of day you would spend fifty five (55) years imprisonment.” At that time I was just like a child they gun pointed along a long, I later realize I had a cross around my neck and I pray“Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. We came to the Barrack at the end of the corner and there was a visitor inside and his name is Albert with two (2) expatriate, they are from Australia and with the Police officer and he is fully aware of what was going to happen, he even didn’t tell me us. This officer got married to Harold Keke’s sister and he is from Visale and part Savo. They pushed me down to sit on the bed a friend of main Michael Hamon from Australia and still gun pointing me. Michael Hamon he is a millionaire and came to an Island called Karimalan a beautiful Island; he first came to build a resort at on that Island. He bought it from my wantok he was a General Manger of the RIPEL Plantation and his name is Davidson Fekau. He woke and saw me sitting and the Militia pointing guns at me, he then gave me Cigarette and the spokes person swear at then and he told them that him that he fought in the Gulf War between the Saddam Husain and the Americans and the gun you are holding is a toy one. He is ready at that time and could help if they fired me, they continue to struggle to open the Police Amoury, there is no key and they use a huge Log VASA and they used to smashed it against the Amoury door, they went inside. Prior to the raid my officer in charge station (OCS) asked on the day before to go and clean the Amoury in preparation for the Police Commissioner Mr. Frank Short visit to Yandina Police s Station and when I cleaned it I found a box; this box contain of three hundred (300) of ammunitions and it’s a 303 ammunition of World War 2. And luckily this people didn’t see and they overlooked, they only picked 303 and other .22 riffles of the people those with expire licenses. At that time it’s going past three O’clock in the morning. They carried it and one of them came and spoke with the others and I could hear Harold Keke replying by saying “Dou and Eo”. They got up and still gun pointing me and they went on to the boats and left. Michael a friend of mine from Australia then told me to go after them but I refused as they were armed and they have fire back at us. I came back and got my torch and torched around I then found eight (8) live .22 riffle bullets and then moved a little bit I found a green shirt written on the front shirt GRA and at the back of the shirt along I found an Axe those were the items I did find when they and the only room that had light on was the radio room otherwise all the places were power off. Fortunate they did not get the radio so I turn it on and start calling to the main radio call sign “COMPOL” I tried my best to get through COMPOL and it did not manage radio stations like the Shortlands and the Choiseul did hear my voice as I was calling. It was somewhere around five O’clock (5:00 am) and I got through and at that time the radio operator was a woman, he then answered me and I asked her where she is being and I told her that the Yandina Police Station was raided and the people had left; I went on to ask if she could contact the Police Commissioner and the Director of the Police Field Force (PFF). At that time five (5) of the speed craft had already arrived and if they left at that time, the Police; the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army (GRA) had not yet passed, actually they just hiding at a point at Louna in the Russell Islands. It was believed they had cast the spell that could be made of human heart and whatever action you make at that moment it can’t be moved, it was 10:00 am and everybody witnesses it. I handed over to the next shift and went to my house and had a sleep, whilst still on bed they came and knock on my door, I got up and saw the responsible people I did request them were outside. I told them that it was not the right time to come and I now it was about in the afternoon. I was so thankful I did identify three (3) of them right on the spot, we used to school at Nanselagu a junior primary school of the mission school and we had been together and ended up in Maravovo, and that was the time the investigation was so quick after they came to me. A speed craft came to pick me up as I decide not to come in a plane as arranged. In the same months, I decide to come to Honiara and this is for safety reason, they went to Tambea and got a speed craft which belongs to Tommy Chan. On the second attempt was to raid the Tulagi Police Station and this group was fully armed as a matter of fact the Warlord Mr. Harold Keke was the one who used to do maintenance in all the Police station’s Amoury and he knew it very well.