Tear gas used to disperse rioting ‘marauders’ PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A student is dead and buildings have been b

urnt to the ground in an attack at Papua New Guinea’s University of Technology.

The Unitech campus in PNG’s second city, Lae, has been the site of unrest between groups of students in the last week, as classes resumed following weeks of anti-government protests.

A statement from the university said a group of men armed with bush knives attacked a male student at 10.00pm on Saturday local time.

Vice Chancellor Dr Albert Schram said the group of men also set fire to various academic buildings which resulted in electricity and telephone lines being cut off.

Among the buildings destroyed or substantially damaged were the Student Representative Council residence and the campus mess facility.

Police reinforcement moved into campus but were outnumbered by what the Vice Chancellor called “marauders”.

Dr Schram said security forces and police were outnumbered for some time before reinforcements arrived, and the situation was eventually brought under control early on Sunday morning when police fired tear gas into the crowd.

He said police investigations had began and students found to be involved would be dealt with accordingly.

Students are being evacuated out of campus and the mess facility will be out of operation for some time.

Papua New Guinea university students have reportedly begun fighting among themselves over whether to continue a class boycott to protest against government corruption.

However, some reports claim the trouble is being caused by “alcohol fuelled” non-students taking advantage of the disorder.

Dr Schram told the ABC on Friday security was needed at the campus to control a minority of students who had been harassing those who had opted to return to class.

Police Minister Robert Atiyafa has warned that anyone preventing students from returning to class would be “caught and arrested”.

“Most students are ready to go back to class, but there are people, mainly non-students acting under the influence of alcohol, who are breaking the law and obstructing these students.

“This is now a law and order situation and the law will be enforced.”

Earlier Unitech’s Dr Schram said he was confident the majority of his students would return to class this week.

He said Unitech’s female students were leading the return to study.

“The female students all met yesterday and they decided to go to classes. So that is a very, very positive development. And 40 per cent of our student population is female so we have that group already onboard.”

Dr Schram estimated the six week boycott had cost Unitech about US$1.2 million which the university will try to absorb if the government does not provide additional funding.

Meanwhile, the University of Papua New Guinea has brought police on to both the Waigani and Taurama campuses in Port Moresby in the wake of Thursday’s violent clashes.

Police said four vehicles were set on fire belonging to the University’s security force, Uniforce, as well as a fifth private vehicle.

Police said they believed a number of university staff, including security officers, were injured in the violence.

Deputy Police Commissioner Jim Andrews said the latest action was criminal and Police Forensic staff as well as CID were on campus to investigate.

He said police would maintain a strong presence on both campuses to protect life and state assets as long as necessary.

- PNC sources