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Papua New Guinea university gains court order to prevent student protests after shooting
ABC News - June 9, 2016
The students were trying to march to the national Parliament to continue a long-running protest against Prime Minister Peter O'Neill when the violence broke out. At least 17 people were injured in the confrontation, including one who received a gunshot wound to the head.
An opposition member reportedly told the country's Parliament that four people had been killed, but the PNG Government said claims of deaths were false. There were also reports of fighting and looting in other parts of PNG, as well as a truck and a building at the university being set on fire.
Police mobilise extra manpower to deal with violence
The university has since obtained an injunction preventing students from protesting and boycotting classes. Police have also brought in extra officers, including recruits from the police college, to deal with any further outbreaks of violence around the capital.
PNG Police Commissioner Gari Baki said an armed mob tried to burn down a police barracks, and that there were other confrontations between police and looters.
Protest organiser Noel Anjo told the ABC the event was always intended to be peaceful. He said the students wanted to hand over a petition to Mr O'Neill, but the police reacted aggressively.
"They started swearing at the students and throwing punches and kicking them and then... pulled the trigger and shot at them," he said.
Government advisers said it was not clear whether police had fired warning shots or fired directly into the crowd.
Investigation into 'agitators' encouraging protests
Mr O'Neill said there would be an investigation into who was funding the students and any outside "agitators" encouraging them to protest.
"The people behind these protests have political agendas," he said in a statement. "Members of the Opposition have been engaging with students... The blood of the injured students is on the hands of those members and their supporters."
PNG Higher Education Minister Malakai Tabar welcomed the court order. "The thuggery of these opportunists must end and the violence has to stop," he said.
"The overwhelming majority of students simply want to go to class, sit their exams and proceed to the next semester.
"Hard-working students have been held hostage by the people with political agendas and that has now been brought to an end by court order.
"We all know that the real ringleaders behind the incident today are not students, and now it will be hard for them to hide amongst the student body."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had spoken to his PNG counterpart following the shootings. He said Australia would continue to support PNG, but noted facts were still coming to light about the incident.
"Obviously our High Commissioner is keeping us abreast of it and we obviously will continue to offer support to the PNG Government in terms of the administration and training of their police," he said.
The Federal Government confirmed all of the Australian Federal Police officers deployed in PNG have been accounted for. Justice Minister Michael Keenan said AFP officers had suspended cooperation with local police.
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