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>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>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 (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."
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.