Cable Briefs

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Highland crisis The Papua New Guinea Government is planning to declare a state of emergency throughout the country’s five highland provinces to curb tribal fighting, looting, and other lawlessness. Reliable sources in Port Moresby yesterday said the Prime Minister (Mr Michael Somare) would announce the move in a national broadcast next Week. The plan comes in response to serious outbreaks of tribal fighting and other unrest that have caused several deaths and many injuries in highland areas this year. — Port Moresby. Schools burn

Ten local schools in southern Thailand were burned to the ground at the week-end by bandits, a provincial police officer has said. Nobody was reported injured in the attacks, as the schools were empty at the time. The incident had occurred in Pattani province, 770 km south of Bangkok, when the bandits had poured oil around each of the schools and set them on fire, the police said. Damage was estimated at about SUS2OO,OOO. — Bangkok. Israeli prices soar Prices in Israel rose by 33.8 per cent during the first six months of 1979, the Central Bureau of Statistics said in Tel Aviv. The bureau also reported that during June the cost-of-living index rose by 3.5 per cent. Economic observers expect Israel’s inflation rate to reach about 70 per cent this year. — Tel Aviv. Murder hunt

An intensive police hunt continued yesterday for a man and a girl in connection with the murder of a Victorian detective, while two men appeared in court on matters related to the murder. Kevin Francis Bullock, aged 23, and Stewart Scott Dunn, aged 39, were extradited to New South Wales to face charges of being accessories after the fact of the murder Of a detective, Robert Lane. The men are scheduled to appear in a Denilquin court this week. Both men are from the New South Wales-'-’ic-torian border town of Kyalite, where Mr Lane’s body was found in a caravan park on Friday. He had been shot twice in the head and his body dumped down a well. —Melbourne.