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There has been looting of property by “opportunists” in Port Moresby after events “got out of control”, Governor Powes Parkop said in a radio broadcast.
“We have experienced an unprecedented level of unrest, the likes of which have never been seen before in the history of our city and our country,” he said in a Facebook Live broadcast. “This has to stop,” he added.
Nine people died in the metropolis, another seven in the city of Lae in the north of the country, Australian broadcaster ABC reported. Witnesses on site also spoke of “total anarchy”.
According to Reuters, footage from the scene showed black smoke billowing over the capital as thousands of people marched through the streets, some of them carrying goods from looted shops. Shop owners spoke of enormous financial losses; the fire affected, among other things, a large warehouse.
The country’s Prime Minister James Marape told a news conference on Thursday that tensions in Port Moresby had eased. To maintain order, the government sent more police and army into the city.
🇵🇬 | URGENT: Wave of crime and chaos in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, with looting and riots sparked by a strike by security forces demanding pay adjustments.
pic.twitter.com/adYRltDCmy— UHN PLUS (@UHN_Plus) January 11, 2024
“Police in the city did not function yesterday (Wednesday) and people resorted to lawlessness. Not in all, but in some parts of our city,” Marape explained.
The US Embassy in Port Moresby said police had taken to the streets again but tensions remained. “Relative calm can disappear in an instant,” the embassy said in a statement.
The unrest began after police and other civil servants peacefully demonstrated outside Parliament House in Port Moresby against pay cuts that authorities blame on an administrative error. According to local media, some employees received only half their usual salary.
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