by Serah Aupong – EMTV News, Port Moresby
Rabaul MP, Dr. Allan Marat, was rather blunt in asking Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, yesterday in parliament who ordered the shooting at the University of Papua New Guinea.
This question was raised soon after parliament opened yesterday morning.
Dr. Marat also asked why the Prime Minister was not stepping aside to allow investigations into allegations against him to take place.
Prime Minister O’Neill is adamant that there are criminal elements behind the confrontation between the students and police that took place at the University of Papua New Guinea.
In an official statement released yesterday afternoon, O’Neill condemned “agitators responsible for instigating this violent confrontation.”
He said the student protests, and people who are not students involved in these protests, were factors that lead to the shooting incident.
The Prime Minister called for parents to remain calm and said students must go to class and complete their studies, reminding them of the privilege of education.
O’Neill said the facts relayed to him were that a small group of students were violent, threw rocks at police and provoked a response that came in the form of tear gas and warning shots.
He added there were no confirmed deaths, as reported by certain media outlets, with five students injured and in a stable condition at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
The Prime Minister reiterated his call in parliament that members of the opposition have been engaging with students and have politicised this matter.
He even went as far as to say that, “the blood of the injured students is on the hands of those members and their supporters.”
