The anti-Chinese violence in PNG was sparked by a protest march last week in the capital Port Moresby, where demonstrators complained about the number of Asians, especially Chinese, moving into business.

The attacks have spread to other towns in violence which has killed at least two people.

Similar resentment surfaced in attacks on Chinese-owned businesses in riots in the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara in April 2006 and in the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa in November the same year.

Chinese migrants first settled the Pacific Islands in the 19th century but an influx of new migrants -- some illegal -- since the 1980s has seen them become the focus of political unrest.

Graham Hassall, professor of governance at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, said illegal immigration and alleged bribery of immigration officials had helped fuel suspicion.

"There might be questions about their visa status, or there might be questions about whether they paid a bribe to get a permit for work or permanent residence," he said.

"There is also a cultural divide. Some of the Chinese businesses that get hit are those that don't adapt culturally to the Pacific."

Stories of harsh treatment of local workers by some traders is resented by local people and poor locals feel excluded from their own society by the influx of relatively well-off traders.

"There is a feeling of anxiety and frustration, a feeling of being left out and being ignored by a government working in total isolation of its people," PNG opposition leader Mekere Morauta said this week.

"The government is allowing unskilled foreigners who cannot even speak one word of English taking on the forms of business that only Papua New Guineans should be allowed to own and operate."

Burning and looting erupted in Honiara in April 2006 when the unpopular Snyder Rini was elected as prime minister by legislators and Chinese businesses quickly became the focus of rioters.

Stone-throwing protesters marched from parliament to the Chinatown district, looting and burning most of the Chinese-owned businesses there and elsewhere in the impoverished capital.

Prominent local Chinese businessmen were accused of giving money to Rini, which he allegedly used to bribe legislators for support.

In Tonga later that year, a political rally calling for democratic reform turned into a riot where Chinese-owned businesses as well as those linked to the royal family were targeted for looting and burning.

Much of the central business district was reduced to rubble and eight people died in the riot, which led to allegations some local business figures had used the unrest to settle scores against Chinese rivals.

Hassall said most of the targeting of Chinese shop keepers is related to economic opportunism rather than racial tension.

"People in those towns walk past these shops, see things they want and can't afford and when a moment of instability arises, that's their chance."

"It doesn't mean it's an anti-Chinese sentiment, its just a manifestation of urban poverty."

He said it was important to remember that people of Chinese origins whose families had a long history in the Pacific have often become promininent not only in business but also in politics and other professions.

They include former PNG prime minister Sir Julius Chan and the president of Kiribati, Anote Tong.

Ron Crocombe, emeritus professor at the University of the South Pacific, said that growing economic and political links between China and the Pacific islands meant the Chinese presence in the region would only expand.

He said the region's engagement with China was part of an increasing focus on Asia and away from traditional partners such as the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

earlier related report
China demands safety for its citizens in PNG
China demanded Tuesday that Papua New Guinea ensure the safety of its citizens and companies following a string of attacks on Chinese-owned shops in the impoverished country.

At least two people have died in the wave of violence directed at Chinese businesses, led by protesters who say Asian shops overcharge for their goods and are demanding that they be taken over by locals.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said China had "urged Papua New Guinea to take effective measures to bring the situation under control and safeguard the security and lawful rights and interests of our people."

"We have urged the government to increase police presence and better protect our enterprises and citizens, to bring the looters to justice and prevent a re-occurrence of the incidents."

Ma told reporters nine Chinese-owned shops had been looted, but he said he was unaware of any deaths or injuries to Chinese nationals in the unrest, which has hit several towns in recent days.

The National newspaper said Tuesday that police fired more than 50 shots into the air in the town of Mount Hagen on Monday after a crowd of hundreds refused to disperse.

Prime Minister Michael Somare's office told AFP that police were on top of the situation in the resource-rich island nation, which lies off Australia's northeastern tip.

"The police have got things under control now," a spokeswoman said, adding that the government was expected to issue a statement shortly.

Somare is on a visit to Japan but his deputy Puka Temu had expressed "grave concern" about the looting, she said.

The trouble was sparked by a protest march last week in the capital Port Moresby, where demonstrators complained about the number of Asians, especially Chinese, moving into business in PNG, she said.

Protesters brought business to a standstill in Goroka township on Monday, while police also had to fire in the air to prevent the looting of Asian-owned shops in Kundiawa town.

"There is a feeling of anxiety and frustration, a feeling of being left out and being ignored by a government working in total isolation of its people," opposition leader Mekere Morauta told the Post-Courier newspaper.

"The government is allowing unskilled foreigners who cannot even speak one word of English taking on the forms of business that only Papua New Guineans should be allowed to own and operate."

The violence against the traders followed a rampage by local mine workers on May 8 at a major Chinese-run nickel mine in which several Chinese staff were injured and vehicles and equipment ruined.

The first Chinese moved into PNG in the late 19th and early 20th century, but few of their descendants remain, and a fresh wave of thousands of Chinese immigrants has arrived over the past 10 years.

Their rapid move into business, along with Koreans and other Asians, has provoked growing animosity from locals, many descended from warrior tribes who had no contact with the outside world until less than a century ago.

Anti-Chinese feeling has often surfaced at times of social unrest in the Pacific, with the Chinatown district of the Solomon Islands capital Honiara razed in a riot in 2006.

Chinese-owned businesses were also targeted in a riot in the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa in the same year, when much of the central business district was burned and looted and eight people killed.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Global Trade News

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News