State of Emergency Declared in Papua New Guinea After 16 Killed in Riots

A state of emergency was declared in Papua New Guinea on Thursday. The government and police officials were suspended after 16 people were killed in rioting in the Pacific island nation.

Police and Public sector people went on strike on Wednesday morning after discovering a reduction in their pay packets. Officials blamed an administrative glitch for the reduced payments. Thousands of people were in the streets of the capital Port Moresby leading to lawlessness. Nine people were killed in the rioting in Port Moresby and seven were killed in Lae, in the north of the gold and copper-mining country, as per media reports, citing police.

Prime Minister James Marape



told a press conference that he had suspended Police Chief and top bureaucrats in the finance and treasury departments while the government conducts a review into the cause of the riots. He told that there was evidence of organised rioting that took place. 

Some 1,000 military personnel were on standby to ward off further unrest, he said.The government circulated messages on social media denying that a new tax had been imposed on police, and Marape said any administrative error that had caused the pay shortfall would be fixed. Violence in the capital subsided today, with the government flying in extra police to maintain order.