Vanimo comes to a standstill as late Solan Mirisim returns home

Vanimo came to a standstill today as hundreds of grieving residents flooded the airport to welcome home late Telefomim MP and Works and Highways Minister, Solan Mirisim.

Reflecting the deep respect held for a man widely regarded as a champion of the Sepik people, his casket arrived shortly after midday aboard a Tropic Air flight and was carried by pallbearers alongside his immediate family, as emotional scenes unfolded at the terminal.

Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, joined by Members of Parliament from the greater Sepik region, was on hand to officially receive the casket, marking the State’s final tribute to the late leader.

Wails from mothers, men and children echoed outside the terminal as the procession made its way to the West Sepik Provincial House of Assembly for the formal handover from the State to the provincial government.

The casket will overnight in Vanimo before being flown to Telefomin, the late Mirisim’s home district, where he will be laid to rest.

Mirisim is remembered as a tireless advocate for rural infrastructure, whose leadership helped drive the government’s flagship Connect PNG program, opening roads and opportunities for some of the country’s most remote communities.