Four looters were shot as Papua New Guinean (PNG) police was on high alert to clamp down on the Anti-Asia sentiment across the country, local newspaper reported Wednesday.
Since the weekend, four men were shot as police tried to stop the ongoing violence directed at Asian-run stores in the Highlands region, PNG newspaper Post-Courier said.
One Southern Highlands man was shot Tuesday night in Mount Hagen.
Another Southern Highlander, who was shot by police Monday, could lose one of his legs after being smashed by a bullet.
On Sunday, police in Goroka shot a 20-year-old man who was also likely to lose a leg, as police tried to control thousands of people that went on a rampage and looted several shops in the town.
In Lae, one man was shot in the leg by police last Thursday.
Police in the Highlands have gone on full alert, keeping surveillance over Goroka, Mount Hagen, Kainantu and Wabag as hundreds of people converged in the region and broke into shops operated by families of Korean and Chinese origins.
Most Asian-run shops remained closed in the Highlands with armed security guards through Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, trouble makers on streets attempted to loot those shops again early Tuesday morning.
Heavily armed policemen fired some rounds of teargas and bullets to disperse a huge crowd that swelled on the main streets.
Tension was still high and policemen were forced to work extra hard manning all exit points.
Since shops owned by Asians were still shut, prices for basic store goods were said to be on the rise in Goroka. One Goroka resident said that prices of rice and beer almost doubled.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article