State of Emergency in Port Moresby ends at midnight

The National Executive Council sanctioned 14 days State of Emergency [SOE] in Port Moresby will end tonight. 

SOE Controller and acting Police Commissioner Donald Yamasombi said the main purpose of restoring normalcy in the nation’s capital has been achieved.

“But we will have police and PNG Defense Force personnel on the streets to give confidence, to businesses and the general public when SOE ends at 11:59pm tonight”.

Mr. Yamasombi told media “investigation is on foot and will continue into the future” but was unable to give a timeframe of when the investigation report on the conduct of police personnel on January 10 will be ready.

The events that had unfolded on that day was due to the over deduction on salaries for public servants in their first pay cheque of this year which saw police in the city walk off their jobs resulting in city wide looting and burning of business house.

The National Executive Council used provisions under Section 228 of the Constitution for an emergency.  

The law reads “If the National Executive Council is of the opinion that an emergency exists or is about to come into being such that it is necessary that the powers conferred by the succeeding provisions of this Part be available, the Head of State, acting with, and in accordance with, the advice of the National Executive Council, may publicly declare the existence of a national emergency in relation to the whole or part of the country.”

The Constitution further clarified that any extension after 14 days will need Parliament approval.