Papua New Guinea security forces attack parliament in row over Apec pay

Papua New Guinea’s national parliament was in lockdown on Tuesday after hundreds of soldiers and police officers attacked the building, smashing vehicles and entryways.

The officers are believed to have attacked the parliament in protest against unpaid allowances from the Apec conference over the weekend, and then blocked surrounding streets.

Opposition parliamentarian Allan Bird told Guardian Australia he and other opposition MPs were in a locked conference room when they heard the group.

“We heard them coming in, you could hear them smashing things – the glass entry ways, a few vehicles on the way in,” he said.

“I understand some of the parliament security guards were assaulted, a few ministers may have also been assaulted. I think the [group] were mostly targeting ministers, but anyone who got in their way was roughed up.”

A police spokesman told Guardian Australia he didn’t have any further information beyond some “disgruntled” police officers and soldiers had attacked the building.

Bird said he didn’t feel in danger as the opposition were not the target of the “unhappy” soldiers and officers.

“I know we haven’t done anything wrong as an opposition … but I’d be scared if I was a member of government to be honest,” he said.

“I think it’s a lot of long standing issues, but the trigger was the non payment of allowances from Apec. That was the spark that set them off.”

The crowd of an estimated 300 people later dispersed after meeting with ministers and reportedly receiving assurances they would be paid on Wednesday.

Chris Hawkins, the chief executive of Apec and a senior advisor to the prime minister, said payments had already started.

“The payment of allowances for police, CS and defence normally take a week to process at the end of the end of a major event,” he told the ABC.

“The meeting ended two days ago and the security operation is now winding down.

However by Tuesday evening there were widespread reports of looting in different areas of Port Moresby.

Opposition MP Bryan Kramer said police were on site shortly after the incident.

“Members of the armed forces including CIS [Corrective Institutions Service] and police stormed parliament over grievances over their allowances,” he said on social media.

Kramer said he and colleagues were told the police commissioner Gary Baki, the police minister and members of police had met this morning to discuss the allowances issue. After the meeting members of the police force travelled to parliament and stormed the building, he said.

“Numerous staff of parliament were assaulted as part of this confrontation.”

He said the group was waiting outside the parliament waiting to be addressed by government.

Media were escorted into the building on Tuesday afternoon to wait for the prime minister, Peter O’Neill, commissioner Baki, and Apec minister Justin Tkatchenko, who were holding an emergency meeting.

The Police Association appeared to support the rogue officers and said it was a “slap in the face” that officers weren’t paid for helping the government host thousands of dignitaries and delegates.

“It is an absolute disgrace that these efforts are not adequately recognised.”

It called for immediate payment, warning delays would escalate the situation. Funds had been budgeted within Apec costs and there was no excuse for non-payment, it said.

Apec wrapped up on the weekend without a joint communique from attending leaders – the first time in the conference’s history – and with extraordinary confrontations between Chinese and PNG officials.

In the lead up, PNG nationals held two nationwide strikes in protest at the government’s spending on the conference, including exorbitant infrastructure projects, and the purchase of a fleet of Maseratis and several Bentleys. Tkatchenko claimed the luxury cars were to drive dignitaries around, and that all would be purchased by the “private sector” resulting in no cost to the government.

The government has also been widely criticised by it’s people for cutting the salaries of teachers and other public servants, and presiding over a health crisis and medication shortage. It has also struggled to pay electricity bills for government departments in the past.