PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) — There are growing calls for a state of emergency to be declared in Papua New Guinea’s troubled Southern Highlands, following an outbreak of lawlessness ahead of elections in June.
In the latest incident, a clan has taken three hostages and is demanding a large ransom.
Former Southern Highlands Provincial Government Administrator Benias Perry and two PNG police constables were being held hostage in steel cages by heavily armed Kamawi villagers in the Koroba Lake Kopiago electorate.
Local media reports suggest tat Kamawi villagers were retaliating against the police, who they say brutally assaulted a clansman believed to be in possession of a firearm.
The shooting of the suspect’s brother occurred when he attempted to stop rival election candidate Perry from campaigning in the district.
It was not known why Perry was accompanied by police mobile squad units on his private campaign trail.
Dismissed Provincial Gov. Anderson Agiru is brokering the peace negotiations with the angry villagers, who are demanding around $139,000 in compensation from the PNG government over the shooting deaths of two of their clansmen by Tari police.
There is growing support for a state of emergency to be declared in the troubled Highlands region, where lawlessness is already threatening democratic election processes so close to the start of the polling period on June 15.
