Papua New Guinea declares nine-month state of emergency over riots

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Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency, suspended a provincial government and is sending armed forces to its rugged highlands to restore order after rioters went on a rampage of looting and burning, the Government said.

Key points: Rioters were angered by a failed court challenge to a regional governor's election

The Southern Highlands provincial government has been suspended

Police, investigators and defence force troops will be deployed

Armed crowds angered over the failure of a court challenge to a regional governor's election burned an airplane, looted a warehouse and torched buildings in Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands province, earlier this week.

PNG has declared a nine-month state of emergency in the province, and suspended its government for the duration, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said on Friday.

"The actions of reckless individuals damaging property in Mendi has disgusted the nation," Mr O'Neill said on his website.

"Police will investigate every agitator, and every person who was involved in the unrest."

Thomas Eluh, a former policeman and acting administrator in the province, has been given constitutional emergency powers.

Police, including a mobile squad, were immediately deployed, along with criminal investigators, Mr O'Neill added.

More than 200 PNG Defence Force troops are to be flown to the city of Mount Hagen on Saturday before making their way to Mendi, media outlet Loop PNG said.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report of troop movements.

Looters ransacked a warehouse of earthquake relief supplies during the Mendi rioting, said Barclay Tenza, a spokesman for the provincial disaster office.

"They took all the foodstuffs," he said by telephone from Port Moresby.

Violence has often ravaged the remote interior of the resource-rich Pacific nation, where tribal and land disputes overlay regional politics.

Reuters

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, defence-and-national-security, disasters-and-accidents, world-politics, papua-new-guinea, pacific </s> Papua New Guinea is to declare a state of emergency in Southern Highlands province after supporters of losing candidates in the regional election went on a rampage in Mendi.

Read more on Radio New Zealand International </s> SYDNEY: Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency, suspended a provincial government and is sending armed forces to its rugged highlands to restore order after rioters went on a rampage of looting and burning, the government said.

Violence has often ravaged the remote interior of the resource-rich Pacific nation, where tribal and land disputes overlay regional politics.

Armed crowds angered over the failure of a court challenge to a regional governor's election burned an airplane, looted a warehouse and torched buildings in Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands province, this week.

Papua New Guinea has declared a nine-month state of emergency in the province, and suspended its government for the duration, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said on Friday.

"The actions of reckless individuals damaging property in Mendi has disgusted the nation," O'Neill said on his website.

"Police will investigate every agitator, and every person who was involved in the unrest."

Thomas Eluh, a former policeman and acting administrator in the province, has been given constitutional emergency powers.

Police, including a mobile squad, were immediately deployed, along with criminal investigators, O'Neill added.

More than 200 PNG Defence Force troops are to be flown to the city of Mount Hagen on Saturday before making their way to Mendi, media outlet Loop PNG said.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report of troop movements.

Looters ransacked a warehouse of earthquake relief supplies during the Mendi rioting, said Barclay Tenza, a spokesman for the provincial disaster.

"They took all the foodstuffs," he said by telephone from Port Moresby.

Many communities are still receiving aid after February's 7.5-magnitude earthquake killed 100 people, testing the finances and capacity of one of the world’s poorest countries. </s> Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency, suspended a provincial government and is sending armed forces to its rugged highlands to restore order after rioters went on a rampage of looting and burning, the government said.

Violence has often ravaged the remote interior of the resource-rich Pacific nation, where tribal and land disputes overlay regional politics.

Armed crowds angered over the failure of a court challenge to a regional governor’s election burned an airplane, looted a warehouse and torched buildings in Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands province, last week.

“It’s a big, big disruption,” policeman Naring Bongi told Reuters by telephone from Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands province, about 500 km (310 miles) northwest of the national capital Port Moresby.

Between 100 and 200 men armed with sticks and guns arrived from surrounding villages in flatbed trucks when they heard of the failure of the court challenge to last September’s election of a political opponent as governor, Bongi said. 



They set fire to the plane before moving into the township, setting ablaze houses and two court buildings, he said. Nobody was hurt or killed and the men left by nightfall. 



“They had firearms,” he said. “We were confronting them but we didn’t stop it because these men are really mad. If we shot them they would kill us. Whether they will carry this on again tomorrow, or onwards, I don’t know.”

Papua New Guinea has declared a nine-month state of emergency in the province, and suspended its government for the duration, prime minister Peter O’Neill said on Friday.

“The actions of reckless individuals damaging property in Mendi has disgusted the nation,” O’Neill said on his website.

“Police will investigate every agitator, and every person who was involved in the unrest.”

Thomas Eluh, a former policeman and acting administrator in the province, has been given constitutional emergency powers.

Police, including a mobile squad, were immediately deployed, along with criminal investigators, O’Neill added.

More than 200 PNG defence force troops are to be flown to the city of Mount Hagen on Saturday before making their way to Mendi, media outlet Loop PNG said.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report of troop movements.

Looters ransacked a warehouse of earthquake relief supplies during the Mendi rioting, said Barclay Tenza, a spokesman for the provincial disaster.

“They took all the foodstuffs,” he said by telephone from Port Moresby.

Many communities are still receiving aid after February’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake killed 100 people, testing the finances and capacity of one of the world’s poorest countries. </s> SYDNEY (Reuters) - Armed rioters angered over the failure of a court challenge to the election of a regional governor have burned an airplane on the tarmac in Papua New Guinea's rugged highlands, and torched houses and government buildings, police and a witness said.

Violence has long ravaged the poor but resource-rich and remote interior of the Pacific Ocean nation, where tribal and land disputes overlay local politics.

The latest outburst, which has prompted the prime minister to send security reinforcements, comes amid a spike in lawlessness since February's huge earthquake killed at least 100 people, destroying roads and crops and taking out services.

"It's a big, big disruption," policeman Naring Bongi told Reuters by telephone from Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands province, about 500 km (310 miles) northwest of the national capital Port Moresby.

Between 100 and 200 furious men armed with sticks and guns arrived from surrounding villages in flatbed trucks when they heard of the failure of the court challenge to last September's election of a political opponent as governor, Bongi said.

They set fire to the plane before moving into the township, setting ablaze houses and two court buildings, he said. Nobody was hurt or killed and the men left by nightfall.

"They had firearms," he said. "We were confronting them but we didn't stop it because these men are really mad. If we shot them they would kill us. Whether they will carry this on again tomorrow, or onwards, I don't know."

Reuters was unable to confirm the court's verdict after business hours on Thursday and Air Nuigini could not immediately be reached for comment.

A photograph published online by Radio New Zealand showed four men standing in front of the burning fuselage of the small plane, a Dash 8 with Air Nuigini livery, one of them holding a long stick and a roll of paper.

The violence was an "absolute disgrace," Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said in a statement on his website on Thursday.

"Those involved will be detained by police and prosecuted," he said, adding that extra security forces were being sent to Mendi.

In April aid workers bringing relief supplies following a huge earthquake were ordered out of the neighboring provincial capital, Tari, and the army sent in to try and rein in disputes.

Media said the rampage was triggered by the court decision handed down in Port Moresby.

"We're not really okay," Julie Sakol, a nurse at Mendi Hospital told Reuters by telephone. "At the moment we are just standing outside watching what will happen next." </s> Indonesia's Papua province was hit by fresh unrest yesterday as more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the restive region after violent protests. Protesters torched a traditional market and other government buildings in the town of Fakfak in the latest violence, national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said. Iqbal said additional personnel would be sent to Manokwari and Sorong, where protesters set fire to buildings on Monday and Tuesday. "The situation is under control," Iqbal said. "We are prioritizing persuasive measures and communicating with community and religious leaders," he added.

Jakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory following riots triggered by the detention of dozens of Papuan students at the weekend. There were also demonstrations in the town of Fakfak on the western edge of the island, which is divided between the Indonesian province of West Papua and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. The latest protests come after several cities in resource-rich Papua were brought to a standstill this week, including in Manokwari where businesses and the local parliament building were set ablaze by angry demonstrators.

Indonesian security forces have intensified operations in Papua after separatist rebels killed about two dozen construction workers building a road in December. Separatists have fought for independence for the region since the 1960s. Papua and West Papua provinces make up the Indonesian half of New Guinea island. </s> PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Disgruntled police, military and prison guards stormed Papua New Guinea’s Parliament on Tuesday in a violent pay dispute stemming from an international summit hosted by the impoverished South…

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Disgruntled police, military and prison guards stormed Papua New Guinea’s Parliament on Tuesday in a violent pay dispute stemming from an international summit hosted by the impoverished South Pacific island nation over the weekend, a lawmaker said.

Images posted by opposition lawmaker Bryan Kramer on social media showed broken windows, smashed furniture, pictures torn from walls and plants tipped over.

Parliament’s security check point including a metal detector was trashed and doors were destroyed along with their fingerprint-reading locking systems, Kramer said.

He said the protesters had not been paid their promised allowances for their security work at the Pacific Rim leaders’ summit held in Port Moresby, a city described by the World Bank as among the world’s most violent due to high unemployment and brazen criminal gangs known as “raskols.”

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting was attended by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and others.

When the protesters tried to enter Parliament, “there was a confrontation between Parliament security and members of the security forces,” Kramer said. “It erupted into a scuffle, several staff were assaulted as they made their way into Parliament.”

Kramer said he did not see anyone use a weapon in the conflict and he was not aware of any serious injuries, although there were spots of blood throughout the building.

Kramer and his opposition colleagues remained in a meeting room within the Parliament building throughout the 30-minute attack.

Following the rampage, more than 100 police, military personnel and prison guards waited outside Parliament demanding to be addressed by the government about their allowances, Kramer said. But they eventually left the area.

Working police later provided security for parliamentary staff in the building and patrolled surrounding streets.

The violence at Parliament coincided with reports of looting of surrounding businesses, as criminals apparently took advantage of the breakdown in law and order.

Neither Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s office nor police chief Superintendent Dominic Kakas immediately responded to requests for comment.

Acting Correctional Services Commissioner Stephen Pokanis confirmed to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the protesters went to Parliament to demand the immediate payment of APEC allowances.

Papua New Guinea APEC Coordination Authority chief executive Chris Hawkins said allowance payments to security personnel after a major event would normally take a week.

“The meeting ended two days ago and the security operation is now winding down,” Hawkins said in a statement. “The payment of individual allowances has already commenced and individual security force members should check with their banks as payments are made.”

Papua New Guinea is a largely undeveloped Pacific nation of more than 8 million mostly subsistence farmers with widespread poverty, corruption and lawlessness.

The annual APEC summit brought together representatives of 21 nations that account for 60 percent of the world economy.

What’s been called Papua New Guinea’s global coming-out party has caused both pride and discord and underlined the yawning gulf between a small well-educated minority and the poor, who include the 85 percent of people living in the highlands and other remote areas.

Ahead of the APEC summit, the government was criticized for acquiring a fleet of 40 expensive Maserati cars to ferry the world leaders to meeting sites, but it assured citizens that the vehicles would be sold afterward.

A VIP terminal costing about $19 million was added to the city’s airport. Construction of an iconic building called “APEC Haus” for the summit was paid for by oil and gas company Oil Search, which operates all of Papua New Guinea’s oil fields, in exchange for tax credits.

“I think the money should have been used to fix our backyard instead of decorating the front porch. We have health, education and infrastructure deficiencies that need to be addressed,” activist and writer Martyn Namorong said before the summit.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Indonesia has cut off internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination, Reuters reports.

Police have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika – which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit – as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.

Indonesia’s chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong on Thursday to inspect where the protests erupted, but there were no reports of fresh demonstrations there.

While a separatist movement has simmered for decades in Papua, with frequent complaints of rights abuses leveled against Indonesian security forces, the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.

The students were arrested from their dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during a celebration of Indonesia’s Independence Day.

Indonesia’s communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.

“This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he said, adding that the curb may be lifted “if the situation has calmed”.

Police have arrested 20 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, Dedi Prasetyo, a national police spokesman said by telephone from Sorong.

No arrests have been made in other Papuan towns, Prasetyo said.

Papua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized UN-backed referendum in 1969.

President Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Widodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces. He has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month to open a new bridge, the secretariat said. </s> Manokwari: Indonesia has imposed an internet blackout in the Papua and West Papua provinces, after sending 1500 officers, in an attempt to stem unrest triggered by the heavy-handed treatment of Papuan protesters on Java island from spreading, an official says.

Data communications have been shut down since Wednesday in the provinces "until the situation gets back to normal," Communications and Information Technology Ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu said on Thursday.

Police sent 1200 reinforcements to three West Papua districts, where most of the violence has taken place this week, spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said on Wednesday. The military has also sent 300 additional troops.

In the latest unrest, protesters torched a traditional market and government buildings in the town of Fakfak on Wednesday, police said, but insisted the situation was under control.
The government of Papua New Guinea declares a state of emergency and suspends the government of Southern Highlands Province following post-election riots in the provincial capital of Mendi.