March 19, 2001

9:08 AM

PNGDF soliders take arms, hold Port Moresby barracks
PM Morauta in hiding
The Defence Force is protesting pay and planned downsizing of the military. The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the takeover was sparked by rumors of an Australian seizure of the Moresby barracks. As of yesterday, more troops have joined the takeover
There are unconfirmed reports that the soldiers would stage a protest march on the Parliament building. The Parliament is not currently in session.
posted by rschram (5 comments total)

If the military has got the guns, and the PM has absented himself, then we could have another typical Oceania coup.
posted by rschram at 9:10 AM on March 19, 2001

Yeeesh. I know what it's like to live through a coup -- two, as a matter of fact -- so I feel for everyone else who has to go through one of them. It's hard to describe how frightening they are, even when most of the action is happening in military camps.
posted by lia at 9:20 AM on March 19, 2001

Anyone got the latest on the rebellion in Irian Jaya/West New Guinea? That's one turbulent island right now.
posted by holgate at 11:41 AM on March 19, 2001

It seems like all of Indonesia is coming apart at the seams, and not necessarily for all the same reasons. "Ethnic tension" is a rather tired cliche; it doesn't even begin to describe it. For the latest on West Papua, see West Papua Action, an Irish human rights group web site. See also Melanesia.org/westpapua.htm
posted by rschram at 1:55 PM on March 19, 2001

The latest news -- that the army rebels want the PM to turn up to the defence barracks to receive a petition -- could either be good (defusing the tension by making their demands clear, and then they back down) or bad (let's get the PM out into the open and take him hostage, kill him, or whatever). This is not a happy region, whatever happens.
posted by grestall at 7:22 PM on March 19, 2001