Caught In The Crossfire

It started with a fire in a Chinese store. That is as far as I know.  During these times, opportunists thrive.  Looters, thieves, bad elements surface. Neighboring establishments closed.  Then the looting went as far as the top town.  Stones went flying.  And there were those who got hurt.  That was Thursday.


Friday, we learned that the fire might have been intentional.  The chinese store was the source of the things the streetsellers were selling on the streets.  And the local residents were dismayed with the proliferation of these streetsellers as crimes like mugging, hold-ups and rapes abound.  And those complaining were the Morobeans and they are up against the Highlanders who were mostly the streetsellers. 


At around noon, I got a call warning us expats that things were getting out of hand so we better stay indoors.


And the fighting erupted.  Some groups tried to sow havoc in top town but they were driven off by the police.  


And some areas near settlements, barricades were put up and fighting ensued between some groups and the police.  People got hurt. There were reports of dead people but these were not verified.


Saturday, things had not simmered down.  Some police reinforcements flew in from Port Moresby and there were other police troops who came down from the Highlands to beef up the Lae Police force. But still, the rebel groups stood their ground and continued to fight.


Stores were still closed.  We continued to stay at home and we just relied on the text messages that were sent as well as on the updates being sent by the president of Lae Chamber of Commerce.


In our place, things looked normal except for the absence of buses plying the streets.  Without the text messages as well as updates in the Facebook, we thought that everything had gone well but we were dismayed to learn that some houses were burned in the outskirts of the city and when these things happen, we know that it would escalate further.


Sunday, we went to a business meeting in one of the hotels in the city. There were so many expats in the hotel and we also saw some prominent government officials there having their breakfast.  We exchanged informations  regarding the situation and what we shared were a bit alarming.


Then I received another call from a policeman friend informing us that things had not yet improved.


And so the waiting continues.  Until when would this end, that we do not know.  All we have to do is pray and hope that this will not escalate and will be contained immediately.


It is hard to be caught in the middle of this.