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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jun/08/papua-new-guinea-png-shooting-deaths-police-fire-student-protesters
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| Papua New Guinea shooting: four reported dead after police fire on rally – latest | Papua New Guinea shooting: four reported dead after police fire on rally – latest |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.09am BST | |
| 04:09 | |
| Hello, Ben Doherty here, taking over from Helen Davidson in our rolling coverage of the widespread unrest in PNG today. | |
| The protests, which began this morning with students at the University of PNG in the capital Port Moresby, have spread to the country’s second-largest city. | |
| The PNG University of Technology campus in the city of Lae, in Morobe province, has also seen protests. A police car was set on fire by protesting students. Access to the campus has been blocked by police. | |
| But Vice-Chancellor of the university, Albert Schram has said protests at the Lae campus have calmed. | |
| The situation is under control. All student leaders are in a dialogue with the police as we speak. | |
| 3.52am BST | |
| 03:52 | |
| I will be handing over coverage to my colleague Ben Doherty shortly, but first a bit of background of the protests. | |
| Prime minister Peter O’Neill has faced rising anger from Papua New Guineans and particularly students over a long running corruption investigation. | |
| Students had been boycotting classes, demanding O’Neill’s resignation. O’Neill has steadfastly refused to step down, and classes were officially suspended late last month. | |
| Students had taken issue with a number of allegations against the prime minister, including a two year old warrant for his arrest in relation to a long-running corruption inquiry. Since 2014 O’Neill has taken successive extraordinary steps to avoid the arrest, including sacking a number of high level public servants and ministers and gaining court injunctions. | |
| In April a damaging split in police ranks saw the office of the anti fraud squad barricaded by supporters of the police commissioner, who had suspended the squad only to have a court overturn his decision. | |
| 3.49am BST | |
| 03:49 | |
| The cause of the incident this morning appears to be attempts by police to arrest the head of the student representative council. | |
| NZ Radio reports SRC president Kenneth Rapa had tried to negotiate with police about the protest shut down, but they were “intent” on arresting him, according to student Gerald Tulu Manu-Peni. | |
| “There was no commotion. We didn’t carry any weapons whatsoever. They wanted to arrest the president. The students, we shielded the president and they started firing shots,” Manu-Peni said. | |
| “There was no warning shots, they fired straight at us. We were just five to ten metres away from them.” | |
| 3.45am BST | |
| 03:45 | |
| A concurrent protest was also held this morning in Lae, PNG’s second largest city. | |
| There were uncconfirmed reports of guns fired into the air, but it does not appear to have seen the violence of the Port Moresby protest. | |
| Local media organisation EMTV reports police are nonetheless responding to contain it. | |
| Police in Lae have temporarily blocked off access to Unitech.#PNG #Lae #Unitech pic.twitter.com/TLRJcrc8Ma | |
| 3.40am BST | |
| 03:40 | |
| Reports are coming in that suggest the violence is beginning to spread around the city of Port Moresby. The Guardian was told by one resident that buses have stopped and everyone is on foot. | |
| Smaller protests are breaking out and there are reports some cars - allegedly government vehicles - have been set on fire. | |
| Students reportedly torch #PNG government car after police shot dead 4 and wounded others pic.twitter.com/jeHGJxpQYa | |
| 3.32am BST | 3.32am BST |
| 03:32 | 03:32 |
| Ian Mannix from NBC radio has just spoken to ABC News, and said there were reports of groups of protesters around the city. | Ian Mannix from NBC radio has just spoken to ABC News, and said there were reports of groups of protesters around the city. |
| “An NBC newsroom is hearing that angry mobs from throughout the city are marching towards Parliament House,” he said. “Those mobs would likely be armed with bush knives, that’s pretty standard up here anyway, but the situation certainly very tense.” | “An NBC newsroom is hearing that angry mobs from throughout the city are marching towards Parliament House,” he said. “Those mobs would likely be armed with bush knives, that’s pretty standard up here anyway, but the situation certainly very tense.” |
| Unauthorised protests are illegal in PNG, but Mannix said the students “got sick of that”. | Unauthorised protests are illegal in PNG, but Mannix said the students “got sick of that”. |
| “They have been told repeatedly they couldn’t have a protest so they announced publicly earlier today that they would march on Parliament House and ask for Peter O’Neill to step down. Before they got there they were confronted by road blocks and heavily armed police. Before 7:00, there were reports coming in that journalists had been assaulted by police and a while later social media, Facebook and Twitter, lit up with suggestions that a couple of people had been shot and then parliament advised four people were killed and seven injured. Those reports are a little unconfirmed but certainly the situation is serious.” | “They have been told repeatedly they couldn’t have a protest so they announced publicly earlier today that they would march on Parliament House and ask for Peter O’Neill to step down. Before they got there they were confronted by road blocks and heavily armed police. Before 7:00, there were reports coming in that journalists had been assaulted by police and a while later social media, Facebook and Twitter, lit up with suggestions that a couple of people had been shot and then parliament advised four people were killed and seven injured. Those reports are a little unconfirmed but certainly the situation is serious.” |
| 3.27am BST | 3.27am BST |
| 03:27 | 03:27 |
| Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has called for calm. | Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has called for calm. |
| “We are still trying to determine whether there have been deaths and how many have been injured,” Bishop said. | “We are still trying to determine whether there have been deaths and how many have been injured,” Bishop said. |
| “We call on all sides for calm to deescalate the tensions and certainly call on all sides to respect the peaceful and lawful right to protest.” | “We call on all sides for calm to deescalate the tensions and certainly call on all sides to respect the peaceful and lawful right to protest.” |
| She said the 70 odd Australia federal police officers in PNG and the High Commission are monitoring the situation. | She said the 70 odd Australia federal police officers in PNG and the High Commission are monitoring the situation. |
| “If people have been shot in this incident it is a tragedy and we urge for calm, to de-escalate tensions between the students and police and ask that the right to protest peacefully and lawfully be respected.” | “If people have been shot in this incident it is a tragedy and we urge for calm, to de-escalate tensions between the students and police and ask that the right to protest peacefully and lawfully be respected.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.29am BST | at 3.29am BST |
| 3.16am BST | 3.16am BST |
| 03:16 | 03:16 |
| PNG’s parliament is currently in session. According to reports they have been told of four deaths following hte shooting, and seven injuries. | PNG’s parliament is currently in session. According to reports they have been told of four deaths following hte shooting, and seven injuries. |
| Prime minister Peter O’Neill has also faced questions regarding calls for his resignation. He has refused. I’ll bring you more background on this shortly, but essentially O’Neill is facing increasing opposition stemming from a two-year-old arrest warrant he has so far managed to avoid. | Prime minister Peter O’Neill has also faced questions regarding calls for his resignation. He has refused. I’ll bring you more background on this shortly, but essentially O’Neill is facing increasing opposition stemming from a two-year-old arrest warrant he has so far managed to avoid. |
| The warrant is in relation to a long running corruption investigation, and O’Neill has deployed an extraordinary range of measures to avoid being questioned, including sacking a number of high profile public servants and ministers, and gaining injunctions from the court. | The warrant is in relation to a long running corruption investigation, and O’Neill has deployed an extraordinary range of measures to avoid being questioned, including sacking a number of high profile public servants and ministers, and gaining injunctions from the court. |
| Students have been protesting for a number of weeks now, and began boycotting classes in protest. Classes were then officially suspended by the university. | Students have been protesting for a number of weeks now, and began boycotting classes in protest. Classes were then officially suspended by the university. |
| 3.09am BST | 3.09am BST |
| 03:09 | 03:09 |
| The Port Moresby General hospital’s accident and emergency wing is treating a number of students, but other clinics have been closed to the public. | The Port Moresby General hospital’s accident and emergency wing is treating a number of students, but other clinics have been closed to the public. |
| Other students said tear gas was fired into the crowd. Video purporting to be from the rally shows plumes of white smoke over the crowd and the sound of gunfire. | Other students said tear gas was fired into the crowd. Video purporting to be from the rally shows plumes of white smoke over the crowd and the sound of gunfire. |
| Footage of shots being fired #upng #PNG @prawn_gravies pic.twitter.com/aiDpNH96o3 | Footage of shots being fired #upng #PNG @prawn_gravies pic.twitter.com/aiDpNH96o3 |
| 3.01am BST | 3.01am BST |
| 03:01 | 03:01 |
| Welcome to our live coverage of a developing situation in Papua New Guinea, where police are reported to have opened fire on university protesters in the capital city Port Moresby. | Welcome to our live coverage of a developing situation in Papua New Guinea, where police are reported to have opened fire on university protesters in the capital city Port Moresby. |
| The PNG parliament has been told four students are dead, the ABC has reported. Another 10 are in hospital. | The PNG parliament has been told four students are dead, the ABC has reported. Another 10 are in hospital. |
| The students had attempted to march from the Univesrity of PNG campus to parliament house when they were blocked by police. According to students at the rally police fired tear gas and firearms into the crowd, injuring a number of people and reportedly killing four. | The students had attempted to march from the Univesrity of PNG campus to parliament house when they were blocked by police. According to students at the rally police fired tear gas and firearms into the crowd, injuring a number of people and reportedly killing four. |
| You can read our earlier report here. | You can read our earlier report here. |
| Related: Papua New Guinea: four students reported dead after police open fire on march | Related: Papua New Guinea: four students reported dead after police open fire on march |
| I’ll bring you developments as they happen, as well as some context to the protests which stem from rising dissatisfaction with the country’s prime minister and allegations of corruption. | I’ll bring you developments as they happen, as well as some context to the protests which stem from rising dissatisfaction with the country’s prime minister and allegations of corruption. |