On Thursday, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea imposed a 14-day state of emergency in the capital after 15 people were killed in riots in which crowds plundered and torched shops.
On Wednesday evening, violence erupted in Port Moresby after a group of soldiers, police officers, and prison guards protested inexplicable pay deductions.
Within hours, the turmoil had extended to Lae, roughly 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of the capital.
“Today we call for a state of emergency for 14 days in our nation’s capital”, James Marape said.
“More than 1,000 troops were on standby to contain any situations that may arise going forward”, the Prime Minister added.
Police Commissioner David Manning stated that at least 15 people have died as a result of the unrest in Port Moresby and Lae.
Shots were fired near the US Embassy in Port Moresby as police attempted to disperse groups of looters.
A smaller crowd had assembled earlier outside the Prime Minister’s office in Port Moresby, ripping down a security fence and torching a parked police car.
Following claims that rioters targeted Chinese-owned enterprises, Beijing has complained to the government of Papua New Guinea.
China’s foreign ministry claimed two Chinese nationals were lightly injured in the violence.
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