Two men were reportedly injured when gun shots were fired at a rally staged by Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s Deputy Prime Minister Don Poyle.

Poyle was speaking at the rally in the Eastern Highlands province, Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio reported Wednesday.

PNG's local media reports described the incident as an assassination attempt on the deputy prime minister.

Poyle said he was saved by his body guards who whisked him away in a car.

In a separate incident, a candidate was stabbed to death while visiting his family.

The murder and shooting are the first violent acts in the Highlands region ahead of voting at the end of this month.

The national elections in the Highlands in 2002 were marred by deaths and violence as well as stolen ballot boxes and multiple voting.

This year's national elections will take place from June 30 to July 10, with final results unlikely to be announced until the beginning of August.

More than 2,000 extra police, soldiers and prison officers are expected to be deployed to the Highlands to curb expected violence during the election period.

The Australian government has updated its travel advisory for the Pacific country, warning Australians to "exercise a high degree of caution in PNG because of the high levels of serious crime."

Source: Xinhua