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Papua New Guinea: After the violent protest in Papua New Guinea that killed 16 people, Prime Minister James Marape on Thursday declared a two-week state of emergency in the capital, Port Moresby. The Prime Minister also suspended country's chief of police, David Manning.
Triggered by a sudden and unexplained salary reduction for police, military, and other public servants, the unrest erupted on Wednesday. Blaming a 'computer glitch,' the government promised to rectify the error, but the situation escalated quickly. Protest erupted in Port Moresby as looters looted and more than a dozen stores were set on fire. The authority didn't release any official data in Port Moresby, the capital, and in Lae, the nation's second-largest city.
Mass looting happening right now across #PapuaNewGuinea as workers take opportunity to redistribute wealth during a cop strike. The rich have stolen from us more than we could ever loot from them. Solidarity with the Papuan workers. #antireportpic.twitter.com/DbSIU24Hk8
— GhostofDurruti (@DurrutiRiot) January 10, 2024
According to New York Times, the discontent came amid the situation where the citizens of Papua New Guinea is facing a tough time due to high unemployment and a rising cost of living in the country of about ten million people.
This is what's happening when there are no cops in the streets.
— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) January 11, 2024
Looting, arson, fights: riots broke out in the capital of Papua New Guinea.
They began after a strike by police workers who oppose salary cuts, local media reported.
Many Chinese owned supermarkets got robbed. https://t.co/yLlsOSSvEx pic.twitter.com/X9tqXmE820
Determined to restore order, Prime Minister Marape announced a multi-pronged approach. He deployed 1,000 special forces troops to quell further unrest and ordered an investigation into the crisis. In addition to the suspension of David Manning, also suspended the chief officers of finance, treasury and personnel management departments, The New York Times reported.
Adding another layer of complexity to the unrest, Prime Minister Marape accused his political opponents and said that they orchestrated the chaos as a means to destabilise his government. "Change the government on the floor of Parliament," he implored, "not by inciting reckless lawlessness."
In a statement on Thursday, the US Embassy said that there were signs that the authorities had been able to regain some control and the police along with defence forces had returned to work. However, it also added, "tensions remain high--the relative calm can change at a moment's notice."
tensions remain high – the relative calm can change at a moment’s notice. In addition, the Embassy has received unconfirmed reports of looting and rioting in Lae, Mt. Hagen, and Kokopo.https://t.co/L7w28hNjzo pic.twitter.com/0iMEKvWgQZ
— USEmbassyPOM (@USEmbassyPOM) January 11, 2024
Earlier, Prime Minister Marape strengthened the political ties with the United States and Australia. At the same time, he maintained economic ties with China.
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