Papua New Guinea: Eight die, scores injured during major rioting

No fewer than eight people have died after major rioting and unrest hit Papua New Guinea‘s capital, Port Moresby.

Shops and cars were set on fire and supermarkets looted after police went on strike over a salary dispute. Hundreds had taken to the streets on Wednesday.

In the aftermath, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, addressed the nation, stating that lawlessness would not be tolerated.

“Breaking the law does not achieve certain outcomes,” he told the public on Thursday.

The army has been sent to restore order, and while most of the rioting had subsided by Wednesday night, Mr. Marape noted that “it’s still tense out there.”.

A local official had previously stated that the looting was primarily done by “opportunists.”.

“We have seen an unprecedented level of strife in our city, something that has never happened before in the history of our city and our country,” National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop said in a radio address on Wednesday.

He said that “some people sadly lost their lives today,” although he did not provide a number of the deceased.

The Port Moresby General Hospital in Papua New Guinea verified eight deaths, according to regional media.

The violence has expanded beyond the capital, with another seven people killed in the city of Lae, according to local authorities. The level of violence in Papua New Guinea’s second-largest city was unclear.

The turmoil began on Wednesday when police and other public officials staged a protest strike outside parliament after learning that their salaries had been lowered by up to 50%.

Prime Minister James Marape stated that up to $100 (£78) had been withheld from public personnel’s paychecks due to a computer fault and that the government was not hiking taxes, as some protesters alleged.

“Social media picked up on this wrong information, misinformation,” said Mr. Marape, adding that people had taken advantage of police being off the streets.

A television video showed massive crowds looting throughout the city. A huge shopping center was one of the structures that caught fire.

Ambulance authorities claimed they had treated multiple shooting injuries, and the US Embassy reported rounds near its compound.

The Chinese embassy has also filed a complaint with the PNG government, alleging that numerous Chinese businesses were attacked and a number of Chinese individuals were hurt; however, they did not specify how many.

“The Chinese Embassy in Papua New Guinea has lodged solemn representations with the Papua New Guinea side over the attacks on the Chinese shops,” the embassy said on WeChat.

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On Thursday, Australia, PNG’s neighbor and important security partner, urged the country to remain calm.

Mr. Marape, who met with Australia’s leader last month, has yet to request peacekeeping assistance from the country.

The prime minister has come under growing criticism as his country’s economy has slowed, resulting in higher prices and unemployment. The opposition has been seeking to secure a vote of no confidence against him.

According to analysts, the turmoil in the capital, which has a population of over 400,000 people, was caused by widespread dissatisfaction.

“The events of today in Port Moresby [are] manifesting and revealing the inner social and economic pains and suffering of police, military, and other public servants of PNG, as well as all workers and ordinary people,” said PNG Think Tank analyst Samson Komati to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.