Violent riots and ruthless looting have engulfed Papua New Guinea, resulting in the killing of around 16 people so far. The tragic incident has prompted Prime Minister James Marape to declare a 14-day state of emergency and suspend several government and police officials as their protests over the drop in pay turned violent.
Prime Minister Marape has vowed repercussions amid calls for resignation and demands from China to safeguard its citizens and their businesses. The government officials who walked out of their jobs to protest over pay looted numerous shops and set buildings on fire. The government officials have apologized, stating that it was a computer glitch in the payroll system. The government has ensured the public sector employees that the issue would be rectified on the subsequent payday.
Television footage showed nearly thousands of people on streets in the capital city of Port Moresby, where many people were carrying what appeared to be the looted merchandise. Addressing a press conference, PM Marape informed that he had suspended the nation’s chief of police and a few top bureaucrats in the finance and treasury department, adding that the government has also launched an inquiry into the cause of riots.
Papua New Guinea has been facing an economic crisis for a long time and has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
He told the reporters that there was evidence of organized rioting, mentioning that the review into the cause would enable democracy and secure the rule of law.
China was alarmed about the incident because a few Chinese citizens were injured. In addition to it, several Chinese stores were vandalized and looted, stated the Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea. Beijing has demanded strict action against those behind the vandalization of the Chinese stores.
Remarks have also been made by the United States embassy and the Australian embassy. The US embassy stated that though currently there is calm, it might change at a moment’s notice. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the embassy in Port Moresby was monitoring the situation.
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