At least 15 people have died in big fights in Papua New Guinea, and a 14-day state of emergency was declared.
Prime Minister James Marape said on Thursday that more than 1,000 troops are ready to help wherever they are needed.
Stores and cars were burned and supermarkets were robbed, because police went on strike on Wednesday because they were not happy with their pay.
This comes after more problems in the country with prices going up and not many jobs available.
“Mr Marape said in a speech to the nation on Thursday that breaking the law doesn’t lead to the results you want. ”
By Wednesday evening, the violence had calmed down because soldiers and police started working again. But the prime minister said that things were still not calm.
Port Moresby General Hospital said 8 people died in the city and 7 people died in the city of Lae.
People from the outskirts of the capital city started to steal from shops and cause more damage because there were no police around, according to locals who spoke to the BBC.
“We have seen a lot of fighting 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 talk on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report.
He said that most of the looting was done by people who were taking advantage of the situation. The police also used violence during the demonstration.
The police and other public workers got upset and went on strike outside parliament because they found out their pay had been cut by up to 50% in their recent paychecks.
Mr Marape said that the pay cut was a mistake caused by a computer problem. It took up to $100 (£78) from the paychecks of public servants. He said they will fix the mistake in next month’s payments.
However, many protesters did not agree with this response. Some of them then attempted to enter the parliament building. There are videos showing people setting a car on fire outside the prime minister’s home and breaking through a gate.
Many people on social media said that the government was raising income taxes, but the government said this was not true.
Mr Marape said that wrong information spread on social media and people used the opportunity of police not being around.
Maholopa Laveil, who lives in Port Moresby, told the BBC that some people took advantage of the situation and robbed the city. They set fire to many buildings and small stores and also stole cars. The most violence happened during the day.
“We were really scared for the people working in the shopping centers and offices. The people attacking and entering the shops seemed very happy and excited,” he said.
Mr Laveil, an economics teacher at the University of Papua New Guinea, also mentioned that many of the people stealing things seem to be from the poorer areas outside the city.
“They arrived when they found out the police were not controlling the city anymore. ”
“These neighborhoods have a lot of poor people who don’t have jobs and who commit a lot of crime and chaos in the city. ” A lot of people who don’t have a job are struggling because prices are going up. They are going to shops nearby to try and get what they need.
Ambulance workers said they helped many people hurt in a shooting, and the US embassy said there were gunshots near its building.
The Chinese embassy has told the PNG government that some Chinese businesses were attacked and two Chinese people were hurt.
“The Chinese Embassy in Papua New Guinea has complained to the government of Papua New Guinea about the attacks on Chinese-owned shops,” the embassy said on WeChat.
The prime minister is under a lot of pressure from different groups in society because the country’s economy is not doing well. There are more inflation and unemployment rates.
The other political party is preparing to vote to say they don’t trust Mr. It will happen in February.
“Many families are struggling, there is more unfairness in cities, especially in the main city, and there are more places where people live and a lot of crime,” Mr. Laveil explained
“All of those things together caused a really bad situation. “
Tag: Prime Minister James Marape
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At least 15 dead after deadly riots and looting in Papua New Guinea
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Armed group has freed its final three prisoners – Papua Prime Minister
According to Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape, all of the captives who had been taken prisoner by armed criminals in a remote area had been released.
Marape said on Facebook that the remaining three hostages had been successfully returned through covert operations without any (ransom) being paid. “We apologise to the families of those seized as hostages for ransom,” Marape said.
A group of heavily armed men had taken four hostages, including foreign nationals and local tour guides, but one of them, a lady, was released on Wednesday. On Monday, national police had referred to the individuals as “opportunists.”
In a tweet on Sunday, New Zealand’s foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta welcomed the release of the group, which included a New Zealander who is a professor at an Australian university.
PNG Police Commissioner David Manning had previously said the hostage-takers had spotted the group “by chance” and taken them into the bush.
“These are opportunists that have obviously not thought this situation through before they acted, and have been asking for cash to be paid,” Manning said.
Papua New Guinea, a Pacific nation of more than 9 million people, shares an island with the restive Indonesian region of Papua.
In a separate incident earlier this month, a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage by separatist fighters in Papua. Identified by local police as Philip Mehrtens, the pilot was captured after landing a commercial Susi Air charter flight at Paro Airport in the remote highlands of the Nduga regency.
The group previously demanded that all incoming flights to Paro Airport be stopped and said the pilot would not be released until the Indonesian government acknowledged Papuan independence.