Mt Hagen Heats Up

On Thursday, we experienced our first full security lock-down in Mt Hagen due to rioting in town. This meant that we had to remain on our compounds, and have passports and another important items on hand in case things escalated and we needed to be evacuate out of town. Thankfully, it only lasted for a few hours and as things calmed down, the lock down was lifted. We all felt safe and calm as the trouble in town was away from any MAF housing and seemed related to just the shops in town. As we did school with our kids, we could hear a lot of gun fired and see the smoke from the fires in town.

The following is an acticle from one of the local PNG newspapers describing the events of the day...

FIRE CHAOS

MOUNT Hagen City was in chaos yesterday as looters and policemen battled on the streets while ill equipped firemen realised their worst nightmare with two buildings going up in flames.
The city virtually came to a standstill. Traffic jams, gunshot exchanges with stone throwers, teargas and looting became the order for three hours from 7.30 to 10.30am.
Most of the major business houses and government departments remained closed all day.
Only a few shops opened doors in the afternoon after firemen contained the flames from spreading.
All businesses closed in fear of the large rowdy crowd that looted the two adjoining burning Tang Fe buildings and several others in the city’s Waghi Parade.
Others offices and stores put under threat by the spreading fire when the city’s only operating fire truck arrived about half an hour later were the National Development Bank, PNG Power administration block and several other stores including the newly opened PC & JY Woo store.
The Mt Hagen fire station is right in the city and less than a minute’s drive from the fire.
The fire allegedly started between 6.30 and 7.30am in the kitchen of one of the buildings and was fanned by the wind to the adjoining building.
The owner of the shops, Robin Fong who lives in one of the buildings, was still inside with his family suffocating from the smoke when police ordered security personnel to break the doors and rescue them.
While fire fighters were battling with the flames, looters flooded into the buildings while overhead, the flames soared.
The looters by this time numbering in thousands succeeded in completely ransacking the two burning Tang Fe and nearby Friendship.
The buildings were completed gutted but the fire was prevented from spreading.
During the early stages of the fire, shop owners in the block, especially Asians, battled with looters who outnumbered them and ransacked all stocks.
Attempts by police to prevent the looting failed earlier until reinforcement arrived.
Sporadic battles between police and looters flared up along Waghi Parade and Ninji Drive – the city’s main streets.
The drama sent students scattering all over the city. Many students were seen fleeing out of the burning stores along with other looters with arms full of store goods.
Police, unable to quell the larger group after repeated attempts with automatic gunshots into the air and teargases, physically manhandled the few they were able to grab hold of.
The main Highlands Highway was blocked off by the large number of spectators and looters. The city’s other main streets were jammed with people.
First photo :Derrick Buntrock
Second :The National