PNG Students' Anti-IMF Protests End in Riots, 3 Dead

June 26, 2001 8:54 PM

PNG Students' Anti-IMF Protests End in Riots, 3 Dead
University of Papua New Guinea students were petitioning the Prime Minister to stop economic reforms, and PNG's reliance on World Bank and IMF funds. Here's another report. The protests started in the capital, Port Moresby on June 25th. And the Peace Corps evacuated the other day. But that doesn't have anything to do with anything. I guess even recognized peoples have their problems too...
posted by rschram (9 comments total)

Oops, the demonstrations were going on for 5 days. In that case, the students must have a web site by now.
posted by rschram at 8:57 PM on June 26, 2001

Ohhhh, for a second there, I thought you meant that violence had broken out in the pro-PNG protest.

Me: "My name is Jay, and I'm a geek."
Group: "Hi Jay!"
posted by fooljay at 9:16 PM on June 26, 2001

dangit. a couple minutes too late... i was hoping to be the first to throw in the allusion to the PNG file format with, "The GIFs aren't going out with a fight."
posted by lotsofno at 9:22 PM on June 26, 2001

going down without a fight, rather... :hides:
posted by lotsofno at 9:37 PM on June 26, 2001

I listen to Radio New Zealand International a lot; they reported on this a night or two ago. Suffice it to say PNG's been a mess for a while now, with occasionally violent tensions between different ethnic groups going back at least four years. This IMG thing is not just some sudden rising up of the people angry at globalization.
posted by aaron at 10:23 PM on June 26, 2001

IMG as in HTML image tag or IMF as International Monetary Fund? Will this cursed ambiguity never end?
posted by lagado at 4:15 AM on June 27, 2001

I don't think that one can equate these protests with tribal fighting, though I see them as related. (Here's an interesting pic that appeared in the Post-Courier on Friday. I don't think this merely points to the fact that PNG is "a mess". PNG is "a mess," but the IMF (PR firm for Chevron and mining interests) played its part, and UPNG students are pissed at them and "globalization." I don't think they'd use that term, but they might, and in any event, who cares. It's just a word. Port Moresby is Seattle is Quebec City is Prague.
posted by rschram at 10:15 AM on June 27, 2001

Wantoks Forum is discussing the protests and riots. This post says that five people have died. (But this SMH story says between four and six.) It also says that S11 (the anticapitalists who protested in Melbourne last year) members are planning a march on the PNG High Commission (I don't know what that is...) S11 features pictures of naked protestors (??).
posted by rschram at 11:07 AM on June 27, 2001

This SMH story, that is
posted by rschram at 11:07 AM on June 27, 2001