By Eric Haurupma – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Classes at the University of Papua New Guinea have been forcefully cancelled due to many students are not attending lectures.
Students said they are mourning for their colleagues shot by police and recovering at the hospital.
EMTV News was there to speak some of these students.
Instructions from the UPNG Administration and the University Security, Uniforce, reportedly ban students calling for media coverage at the campus.
However, EMTV News spoke with students who are in mourning. They have painted their faces with mud to pay their respect to the students injured in a confrontation with police last week.
East Sepik Students Union members, who represented the Momase students block, said it’s not a protest. The face painting symbolises a Melanesian way of haus-krai which is a token of mourning to express their sympathy and grief with their Highlands brothers injured in the incident.
The UPNG Administration on the other hand took out a restraining order to stop students boycotting classes.
Students were also ordered by the administration to return to class today, but this did not eventuate.
“The stay order invoked by the administration will do nothing to bring them back to class however, there should be a way forward to solve this issue,” students said.
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