Port Moresby ‘a ticking time bomb’

PNG Prime Minister James Marape is considering calling a state of emergency to allow the army to support police in Port Moresby amid a crime surge.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape. Picture: Gary Ramage

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape is considering calling a state of emergency to allow the army to support police in Port Moresby amid a surge in murder, tribal violence and “raskol” gang activity.

Australian expats in the country are hunkering down as civic leaders warn of a law and order crisis, sparked by the worsening COVID pandemic.

A video of two men killing a young man in Port Moresby with machetes last Friday night has been circulated widely on social media, along with pictures of another victim with a nearly severed hand.

National Capital District deputy city manager Honk Kiap warned the pandemic was feeding social disorder, and Port Moresby was ready to blow.

“We have a ticking time bomb in the biggest social disaster ever and (it) must be contained before it blows out of proportion,” Mr Kiap said.

“People have gone without jobs and resorting to illegal activities. Criminal activities and organised prostitution is on the rise. Ethnic clashes will increase.

“People who borrowed from loan sharks and financial institutions are unable to repay their debts because they have been laid off from work.”

Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary commissioner David Manning said police were struggling to maintain order, and “as a short-term solution, an option currently being discussed with the government is a state of emergency for National Capital District”.

But he said law and order was not only the responsibility of police, and urged clan leaders to help the authorities take control of the situation.

“These ongoing ethnic clashes are symptoms of serious underlying problems within our country and we all need to address them instead of expecting them to go away,” Mr Manning said.

“Police are currently playing a fireman’s role and we are under-resourced and do not have the numbers to keep up this role.

“Society at large needs to step up and accept that they have a shared responsibility to law and order as well.”

The coastal town of Alotau has also been under siege by a raskol gang led by murderer and escaped convict Tommy Baker, who has burned down police buildings and targeted local businesses in the Milne Bay provincial capital in recent days.

One local businessman said there the 100-strong gang had waged “open gun battles with police” last Friday night.

“Military weapons in the hands of criminals and open warfare with police created mayhem on our streets,” he said.

The Member for Milne Bay, Charles Abel, said he had urged Mr Marape to call a state of emergency for the province.

“The Police Commissioner … has responded to the attack by sending 30 extra police and will send an army contingent under the existing army call-out. This is not a state of emergency.

“I say that it cannot be business as usual. Some tough decisions have to be made.”