Papua New Guinea declares 14-day state of emergency after 16 killed in riots
File photo.
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape announced a 14-day state of emergency on Thursday (Jan 11)after 16 people were killed in riots. "Today we call for a state of emergency for 14 days in our nation's capital," Prime Minister Marape said, adding that over 1,000 troops were on standby to contain any situation that might arise in future.
Violence broke out in the capital city of Port Moresby on Wednesday after a group of soldiers, police officers and prison guards launched protests over unexplained deductions to their pay, the news agency AFP reported. Within hours, the violence spread to Lae, a city located about 300 kilometres to the north of Port Moresby.
16 dead, several injured in violence
According to police commissioner David Manning, at least 15 people were killed in the unrest in Port Moresby and Lae. Citing official data, AFP reported that Port Moresby's largest hospital treated 30 people with gunshot wounds, and six other people were treated for "bush knife" lacerations.
Also read:Papua New Guinea unrest: Govt asks military to restore order amid arson, looting in capital
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Videos showed looters in the capital city dashing into stores stuffing stolen goods into cardboard boxes, shopping trolleys and plastic buckets. City Pharmacy Limited, one of Papua New Guinea's largest retail chains, said prescription medicines had been stolen from its ransacked stores.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Port Moresby said that shots were fired near its compound as police tried to disperse groups of looters. China's foreign ministry complained to the Marape government after reports emerged that some of the rioters had targeted Chinese-owned businesses.
'Enough is enough'
On Thursday, Prime Minister Marape conceded that security forces had a "genuine cause of concern", and his government swiftly promised to fix what it described as a payroll "glitch."
However, Marape warned that "lawlessness and recklessness" would not be tolerated. "This is not the first time members of our disciplinary forces have gone rogue," the prime minister told reporters, referencing a 2018 pay dispute that ended with security staff smashing up parliament.
"I want to indicate to our country enough is enough. Enough is enough," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)