Violence Riots Rock Papua New Guinea’s Capital As Police Strike Over Pay

• Many people feared killed with businesses, shops razed
• Governor blames looting on ‘opportunists’
• Officers redeployed to Port Moresby from regional areas

Many people have been reported killed with shops and businesses set on fire in the capital of Papua New Guinea after the Police, defence, and other public servants went on strike over regarding a payroll issue.

According to the local governor of the National Capital District, Powes Parkop, following the violence, property in Port Moresby had been looted by “opportunists” after events “spiraled out of control”.

Parkop said in a radio broadcast; “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.,”

The broadcast, which was also streamed live on Facebook, had the governor saying; “This must stop tonight”, adding that without the police, the city had “lost control”, and “some people sadly lost their life today”.

In the ensuing confusion, the Commissioner of Police, David Manning, said extra Police officers were being moved into Port Moresby from regional areas, while defence forces are reportedly being relocated to the city to reinforce officers on the ground.

Footage showed fires burning in the city on Wednesday, with the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier newspaper reporting firefighters were being threatened as they tried to do their jobs.

Also, the Post-Courier reported that the guard house at parliament had also been burned by protesters

The Police began a strike on Wednesday morning after discovering a reduction in their pay packets. The government circulated messages on social media denying that a new tax had been imposed on police, with James Marape, the Prime Minister, vowing to fix any administrative error that had caused the pay shortfall.

With the Police in the Pacific Island country struggling with an increase in violent crime over the past year, the Prime Minister said increasing security would help to attract foreign investment in PNG’s growing gold and copper resources sector.

He said his goal was to expand the country’s economy to 200bn kina (£41bn) by 2029, thereby more than doubling its Gross domestic Product (GDP) compared with when he took office in 2019, with the help of five gas and mining projects. – With The Guardian reports