At least 15 people were killed in Papua New Guinea as Prime Minister James Marape called for calm after police went on strike over pay and rallies became violent.
According to an update from authorities, eight people were slain in the capital Port Moresby, while seven more were killed in Lae in the country’s north.
Thousands were on the streets of Port Moresby on Wednesday with many carrying what appeared to be looted goods. Black smoke billowed over the city, and a crowd torched a police car outside the prime minister’s office.
The Chinese embassy said Chinese-owned businesses had been targeted and an unspecified number of its citizens had been hurt.
The Prime Minister told a news conference on Thursday that police reinforcements had been flown into Port Moresby, and the situation in the capital had calmed.
Police went on strike on Wednesday morning after discovering a reduction in their pay packets.
An official told local radio on Wednesday that without police, the city had “lost control”.
Police in the Pacific Islands nation have struggled with a surge in violent crime over the past year.
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