Papua New Guinea orders the army to restore order as unrest rocks capital

Papua New Guinea’s government ordered the military on Wednesday to restore order in the capital Port Moresby after a dispute over the wages of police officers and other civil servants sparked angry protests and unrest.

More than a dozen shops were set on fire, at least one car was torched and there were reports of widespread looting. The US Embassy said shots were fired near the site and advised its employees to take shelter in place. Protesters also damaged the entrance to the building housing the prime minister’s office.

The extent of any damage or casualties was unclear, but Port Moresby, a city of about 400,000, remained tense Wednesday evening as businesses closed early and major hotels increased security.

Around 10 a.m., hundreds of government employees, including police and defense personnel, appeared to quit their jobs and gathered outside Parliament to protest what they said was lower pay. Officials described that protest as largely peaceful, but said the security situation in Port Moresby rapidly deteriorated.

Prime Minister James Marape said an additional $100 had been deducted from civil servants’ paychecks because of a computer glitch, and that the government did not raise taxes as protesters claimed.

“Social media picked up this misinformation, disinformation,” and many people took advantage of the fact that police were off the streets, Mr. Marape said in an interview as guards armed with machine guns stood outside his office door. “We are not raising taxes.”

Mr Marape added that the pay error would be corrected on the next pay slip. But he also acknowledged the other brewing problems.

“This is a bigger economic problem that we have with high youth unemployment and rising inflation costs,” he said, adding that he had announced 83 million kina ($22.2 million) in new funding for education programs on Wednesday.

The unrest comes at a delicate political time for Papua New Guinea, a resource-rich country where both the United States and China are vying for influence as both seek to increase their power in the South Pacific. Mr. Marape – who recently did security agreements signed with the United States and Australia, while also pursuing economic deals with China, China’s largest trading partner, could soon face a vote of no confidence.