At least nine people have been killed in Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, amid widespread looting and arson after a day of protests as extra police were sent to quell unrest.
The CEO of Port Moresby general hospital Paki Molumi said on Thursday the death toll in the capital stood at nine. A further seven were killed in the city of Lae, in the country’s north, Australian broadcaster ABC cited police as saying.
On Wednesday, shops were set on fire and citizens robbed and assaulted after police and public sector workers protested over a pay cut that officials blamed on an administrative glitch.
Tensions in Port Moresby remained high on Thursday, as residents were asked to stay home, while many businesses remained closed and all public transport was halted.
The local US embassy warned that “the relative calm can change at a moment’s notice”.
Prime minister James Marape told a news conference on Thursday that extra police were being flown in to maintain order. “Police were not at work yesterday in the city and people resorted to lawlessness, not all people, but in certain segments of our city,” he said.
He called on protesting police officers to report back for duty, giving his assurance that their concerns were heard and were being addressed.
Some police went on strike on Wednesday morning after discovering a reduction in their pay. The government circulated messages on social media denying that a new tax had been imposed on police, and Marape vowed to fix any administrative error that had caused the pay shortfall.
“This was an oversight by government payroll people”, he said, adding “to those businesses who faced losses today, government took note of your losses, we apologise and we shall look at a tax relief measure to recover some losses.”
On Wednesday, TV footage showed thousands in the streets of Port Moresby, many carrying what appeared to be looted merchandise as black smoke billowed over the city.
Police commissioner David Manning said local health authorities were still treating a number of people for major wounds, adding more people were expected to report with injuries. “Staff have been told to stay at the hospital premises and be on alert for a mass casualty response,” he said.
Manning called on police to exercise patience as they resolved the pay dispute while apologising for the glitch that had caused the problem. “This should not have happened and is disrespectful to our police and to any other affected public servant.”
Finance secretary Samuel Penias said the problem was caused by a glitch in the government’s payroll system.
Rebecca Kuku is a reporter with The National, based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Reuters contributed to this report
