Lock in.

Currently we are locked in in our camp. The reason is that we refused to transfer the body of the young man that died on our helicopter to the village where he is to be buried. (The body doesn't fit and is badly decomposing by now). It's a bit of a Mexican stand off we'll see how it develops.

Update 2

The tension is easing we have agreed to helicopter in some cement and plywood to assist with the burial arrangements and the body is currently being moved out of the compound and will be driven to the nearest road head for the village from where it will be carried down. As an aside our work force is refusing to go back to work until the funeral has taken place as they are worried about being attacked if they start work any earlier. We can however move freely in and out of our compound again.

Update 1

Our security guards at the gate just bolted so now we have a dead body in front of our office.  We have locked the doors so they can't carry it in. I'll keep you posted.

Payback

Dave who co-ordinates our helicopters as well as the bush cutting crews in the field got a radio call from one of his supervisors saying "I need a helicopter NOW!". Luckily he reacted quickly and diverted a machine that was in the air already and in the nick of time rescued a man shaking as a leaf from a crowd of axe wielding marauders. Turned out the guys sister had killed somebody in a car accident and this was to be a payback killing. Now how am I going to explain that in the monthly report?

House cry.

An ambulance just turned up in the compound with the body of one of the young man that worked in the workshop here. He was taken to hospital in Mendi with Malaria on Monday and passed away there last night. Now the body is brought back here and currently carried around his place of work so his spirit can return to it. There are several hundred people both inside and outside the fence wailing and crying and as it's pitch black here with the exception of our office it's rather spooky. From here the body will be taken to the house cry for a funeral some time tomorrow