- papua.go.id
Papua New Guinea – Hundreds of police and army personnel, prison staff and civil servants resigned from their jobs. As a result, there was rioting in the state. It happened in Papua New Guinea.
In fact, Prime Minister James Marape declared a two-week state of emergency in the capital Port Moresby after widespread looting left 15 people dead.
The order stated that more than 1,000 security force personnel were alerted to intervene directly if needed.
Marape admits he is currently under pressure. At least, only 180 paramilitary personnel were deployed after the riots became more widespread.
Ilustrasi kerusuhan.
- ANTARA/Irsan Mulyadi
"Tensions in the capital have eased. The police were not working yesterday (Wednesday) and people were breaking the law – not everyone, but in some areas," Marape explained.
Riots erupted in Port Moresby on Wednesday after hundreds of police officers, soldiers, prison staff and civil servants resigned in protest over a dispute over their salaries.
Shops were looted and warehouses burned. Later, similar unrest was reported in the country's second largest city, Lae. State television showed thousands of people on the streets of the capital Port Moresby.
Many of them carried merchandise that appeared to have been looted as black smoke billowed. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the unrest had killed at least 15 people in Port Moresby and Lae.
Many shops and banking services remain closed as business owners repair damage and fear further unrest.
The Papua New Guinea government attributed the pay cuts for police, soldiers and civil servants to administrative errors.
Tensions in neighboring Indonesia are rising amid high unemployment and the rising cost of living. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appealed for calm.
He said his government has not received any requests for assistance from Papua New Guinea - the country of 10 million is the South Pacific's most populous region after Australia.
