A computer glitch and rumors in Papua New Guinea highlight ongoing problematic domestic issues, leaving 16 dead.
A 14-day state of emergency has been declared throughout Papua New Guinea after a series of riots took place this week, which left at least 16 people dead.
Shops and cars were set on fire and supermarkets looted after police went on strike over a pay dispute on Wednesday. More than 1,000 national troops are now on standby “to step in wherever necessary,” said Prime Minister James Marape on Thursday, acknowledging that the situation was still “tense.”
The unrest began when police and other public servants held a protest strike outside the Parliament building in the capital, Port Moresby, after learning that their wages had been reduced by up to 50 percent in their latest paychecks. The issue was compounded by social media posts and rumors which claimed that the country’s International Revenue Commission was introducing a new tax.
In response, Marape claimed the reduced pay was due to a “computer glitch,” which had also mistakenly added a US$100 tax to their checks. He further explained that the error would be corrected in the following month’s payments.
However, protestors responded by angrily trying to push into the Parliament building, and setting fire to nearby cars. Widespread looting ensued, with some shopkeepers forced to fire guns to protect their businesses. “There are large movements of people climbing over fences, trying to break down doors of supermarkets,” Paul Barker, Papua New Guinea Institute of National Affairs, a non-profit research center, told 9 News Australia. “It really is a thin blue line. It’s a very volatile situation. It can easily explode.”
While an uneasy calm was restored by Thursday morning, charred shops and cars across the capital were a testament to the widescale looting that affected the nation of 10 million people. According to police, nine people were killed in Port Moresby, while a further seven people died in Lae, in the north of the country.
Several countries expressed concern at the violent outbreak, including China, after it learned that several Chinese shops in the capital had been looted during the riots, though there were no reported injuries to shopkeepers. “The Chinese embassy in PNG has lodged solemn representation with the Papua New Guinea side over the attacks on the Chinese shops,” said a statement by Beijing’s embassy in Port Moresby. It also called on the government to “punish perpetrators severely.”
The US embassy in Port Moresby also urged Americans to avoid non-essential travel to the island. “Tensions remain high – the relative calm can change at a moment’s notice,” it said in a statement.
Though Marape insists that the country is now under control, he has asked the army to step in to support police officers who were flown in from outside the capital to help with security.
During recent interviews, Marape has acknowledged that the country has been facing an income gap, which has been hitting underskilled workers especially hard. There are also problematic issues related to clan warfare and claims of sorcery throughout the country. Due to the police force being overstretched, private security is also commonly used.
“Private security is the largest employer in PNG,” said Dr. Michael Main, a consultant with the United States Institute for Peace and researcher at Australia National University, during a recent interview with the Hong Kong-based English daily South China Morning Post. “Police are often complaining about payment issues. The state has not been good at paying its police and soldiers well, and you end up with all sorts of problems. Police selling their ammunition to warlords is one of them.”
As a result of the riots, six members of Parliament have resigned so far, with some even calling for Marape to quit as well.
