On Sunday, a young Wanigela man died after being stabbed by a group of drunken Koki men.  Wanting the Goilala community to turn over the perpetrator and pay compensation, Wanigela residents blocked off roads and started burning tires near Koki Market.  According to witnesses, they also began harassing the general public.  Around 5am on Monday, the Wanigela and Goilala groups began fighting again, prompting police action.

Police had been deployed on Sunday night to investigate, and were attacked when they arrived.  They were also caught between the two groups when fighting resumed Monday morning.  One Wanigela youth was shot during an early scuffle, and police reinforcements were called in.  They rounded up the Wanigelas, brought them back to their village, and were attempting to resolve the problems when the body of the young man was brought back to the village, inciting the Wanigela residents who then attacked the police.  Several police vehicles were stoned and a senior police officer was forced to take cover while attempting to address the crowd.

Residents report that two men are dead, one person is in critical condition, and six others are recovering from bullet wounds.  One of the deaths and all of the injuries are alleged to be caused by the police, who officially claim that they had only fired warning shots and tear gas canisters.  The police superintendent was not available to comment to the Post-Courier yesterday afternoon, but policemen who were at the scene confirmed that several people were struck by bullets fired by police officers.

The situation remains tense, and police are keeping an eye on the area.

Please see also:
“PNG police break up fight at market”  Radio New Zealand International (06 August 2007)
“Police fire shots to disperse PNG crowd”  New Zealand Herald (06 August 2007)
“Two dead, six hurt in Port Moresby skirmish”  Pacific Islands Report (07 August 2007)*
“2 die in Koki clash”  The National (07 August 2007)

* Please note that the Pacific Islands Report is a reprint of an article originally appearing in the Post-Courier, found here.