A nine-month state of emergency has been declared in Papua New Guinea by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill after persistent rioting in the remote Pacific island’s Southern Highlands province.
The emergency regime became inevitable after an armed mob torched a passenger plane and the local governor’s house.
With the court’s decision to dismiss a petition against provincial governor William Powi’s 2017 election, despite corruption concerns, the angry mob went on a rampage, the police stated. Powi’s home and the courthouse in Mendi were destroyed alongside a national carrier aircraft at the airport late last weekend.
The crew of the Dash 8 airliner said no one was hurt and all had safely returned to the capital Port Moresby. In accordance with PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements, a risk assessment is being carried out by the airline, with services to the area suspended.
A nine-month state of emergency was declared by Prime minister Peter O’Neill, who also suspended the provincial government. He added that those involved in the violent protest will face the full weight of the law as no one was above the law.
The Civil Aviation minister, Alfred Manase, while speaking with reporters on Monday said that the sad incident of the attack on the national flag carrier was an attack on the identity of the country.
Declaring the state of emergency, O’Neil also deployed troops to the province. So far Thomas Eluh, a former policeman, has been wielded constitutional emergency powers.
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