The Papua New Guinea government worked to restore order after at least 15 people were reportedly killed during rioting and looting that left the country's two biggest cities in flames. Pics/AFP (Text/AP)
Updated On: 2024-01-11 07:24 PM IST
Compiled by : Asif Ali Sayed
The unrest began in the capital, Port Moresby, on Wednesday after hundreds of police officers, soldiers, prison staff 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
Tensions in the country have risen amid high unemployment and increased living costs
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James 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
Many shops and banking services were closed Thursday as business owners repaired damage
