Riots in PNG leave at least 15 dead

PORT MORESBY — Papua New Guinea's prime minister declared a 14-day state of emergency in the capital Port Moresby on Thursday, after riots in two cities left 15 people dead as crowds looted and burned shops.

More than 1,000 troops were on standby "to step in wherever necessary" under the emergency decree, Prime Minister James Marape announced, a day after the violence broke out.

The unrest began in Port Moresby on Wednesday after hundreds of police officers, soldiers, prison staff members and public servants walked off their jobs in protest over a pay dispute.

The Papua New Guinea government attributed the pay cut to an administrative glitch.

Similar riots also caused damage in Lae, the second-biggest city in the southwestern Pacific country. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that at least 15 people died in Port Moresby and Lae.

An additional 180 defense personnel flew into Port Moresby on Thursday.

Two Chinese nationals were slightly injured as riots hit the capital, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"We remind Chinese nationals in PNG to pay close attention to the changing security situation on the ground," ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a news briefing.

The Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea said in a statement on Thursday that it has "lodged solemn representations with the Papua New Guinea side over the attacks on Chinese shops".

High unemployment

Tensions in the country have risen amid high unemployment and increased living costs.

Marape said Port Moresby was "under stress and duress", but that violence had eased.

"Police were not at work yesterday in the city and people resorted to lawlessness — not all people, but in certain segments of our city," Marape said in a news conference on Thursday. " (The) situation report as of this morning shows tension in the city has subsided."

Many shops and banking services were closed on Thursday as business owners repaired the damage.

Police Commissioner David Manning confirmed at least 15 people were killed during the outbreak of civil unrest.

Port Moresby's largest hospital treated 25 people with gunshot wounds, according to figures provided to Agence France-Presse, as well as six people with "bush knife" lacerations.

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers, where some 800 languages are spoken. It is in a strategically important part of the South Pacific. With 10 million people, it is the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia.

Agencies Via Xinhua