From the National 12 March 07

"NASA 4 arrested By PETER KORUGL.
HEAVILY armed police moved into the PNG University of Technology in Lae and arrested the executives of the National Academic Staff Association (NASA) last Saturday morning as students prepared to start classes under an agreement reached between NASA and the University Council. President of NASA Pulas Yowat said last night they were in bed when police entered the campus at about 2am and arrested them and took them to the Lae Police cell. The four are Yowat, his deputy Robert Songan, treasurer Gibson Tito and secretary Raymond Bure, who were charged with contempt of court for failing to obey a court order. A judge had issued orders for their arrest last week, but police did not act on it until the early hours of Saturday morning. It is understood, armed policemen slipped into the campus to effect the arrest in the hours least expected of them to avoid such an action, provoking staff or students into violent confrontation. Each man paid a bail of K1,200 and were awaiting their court appearance, while the members of NASA were deciding the next course of action to take following the arrest of the executives. While Mr Yowat is under orders of the court not to speak to NASA members, members have appointed Dr Anota Loko as caretaker their president. Dr Loko late yesterday struck a deal with Chancellor Philip Stagg paving the way for classes to start next week.Sources said that under a memorandum of agreement (MoA) signed yesterday between Mr Stagg and Dr Loko, contempt charges against the NASA executives would be dropped. It has also been agreed that while lecturers and students start classes, the Ombudsman Commission will conduct an investigation into the allegations raised by NASA that resulted in the strike. Mr Stagg has also given his assurance that no NASA member would be terminated because of the strike, while classes start today. The Ombudsman Commission’s director of operations John ToGuata is in Lae and was involved in getting the two sides and student leaders to reach some understanding to save the academic year. Meanwhile, the situation at the Taraka campus remains tense. The National was informed that the NASA executives were restrained from taking part in any of the activities. Staff at the university said the threat by Chancellor Stagg to sack all NASA members and recruit news ones would not work as it would take up to four months to fill in all positions."