I’m not sure if Simon Eroro is a hero or a masochist.
Eroro, who is always looking for a ‘scoop’, went the whole nine yards when it came to meeting the demands of a group of jungle rebels in Papua New Guinea. He wanted an exclusive interview at any cost.
What was the price? A year’s supply of beer perhaps? No. A suitcase full of tax-free unmarked bills maybe? No.
The real price was a little more unusual. It was that he be circumcised in the traditional way - with bamboo sticks. I can only hope he was not circumcised already, or it was clearly going to present a small problem.
It was, apparently, all part of their cleansing ceremony. They obviously hadn’t heard of the concept of soap.
He eventually won the annual News Limited award for ‘the best scoop’ with his article on exposing cross-border movements of Free West Papua militants. It seems fitting then that he was required to expose ‘Richard and the twins’ to a group of rebels more experienced in warfare than doing a delicate medical procedure in the jungle, using bamboo, that could easily alter a man’s ‘status’ if they didn’t do it properly.
How he was able to concentrate on his article whilst being in a world of pain is admirable.
Whether it was worth it is a mute point considering he won the news award, but you really do have to admire a man who puts his manhood on the line for the sake of a good story.
Best comment Shane. It was a great experience.