Riots in Papua New Guinea, 4 Department Heads Deactivated

Port Moresby – The riots that occurred in several cities in Papua New Guinea since Wednesday (10/1/2023) have led to the deactivation of four department heads involved in triggering the unrest.

The four individuals include the Police Commissioner, Head of Personnel, Head of Finance, and Head of Treasury. This deactivation is effective for 14 days from the declaration of a national emergency in Papua New Guinea.

Police Commissioner of Papua New Guinea, David Manning, reported on Thursday (11/1) local time that 15 people have died since the outbreak of the unrest. The casualties are a total from the unrest in Port Moresby and Lae.

Meanwhile, the largest hospital in Port Moresby reported that 25 people suffered gunshot wounds. The hospital also stated that six others were injured due to knife attacks.

As known, the unrest began when the crowd started burning police cars outside Marape’s office. Initially, soldiers, police personnel, and local prison staff staged a peaceful protest in the morning after realizing that their salaries were cut without explanation.

However, on Wednesday afternoon local time, the unrest erupted and spread throughout the Port Moresby region. Several videos circulating on social media show the crowd looting stores, and police personnel attempting to restore order.

“It is regrettable that the situation has escalated like this, very unreasonable. But we are doing everything we can to control the situation in this city,” Manning said in his statement.

Some video recordings show the rioting crowd attempting to destroy the security gate chain outside the complex of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape’s office. The gate chain was eventually successfully removed.

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Internal Security, Peter Tsiamalili, stated that the salary cuts were an unintentional mistake. He promised to rectify it immediately.

“I want to appreciate all of you today,” Tsiamalili said in a peace speech to the demonstrators before the unrest broke out.

Tsiamalili also assured that he would ensure the well-being of the law enforcement officers.

“I just want to once again assure all our police officers that I am here to ensure your well-being is fulfilled,” he emphasized. (clueworld)