SUVA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on Friday extended his sympathy to the people of Papua New Guinea affected by recent riots as dozens of people were reported dead.
The unrest began in the capital, Port Moresby, on Wednesday after hundreds of police officers, soldiers, prison staff and public servants walked off their jobs in protest over a pay dispute. The Papua New Guinea government attributed the pay cut to an administrative glitch.
Violence broke out with shops and businesses being set alight later Wednesday after public servants, including police and army personnel, went on strike over a payroll issue.
The unrest follows wider tensions in the Pacific Island nation over rising costs and high unemployment rate, according to media reports.
Rabuka expressed his hope for the restoration of law and order in the friendly nation of PNG.
A 14-day state of emergency has been declared in Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, after more than a dozen people were killed in the country in rioting. ■
