PORT MORESBY - Police fired shots and tear gas to disperse an angry crowd in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby today, with unconfirmed reports a man died from a gunshot wound and others were wounded.
The disturbance at the seaside Koki Market was sparked by the stabbingdeath of a Wanigela youth late yesterday, allegedly by a member of the Goilala ethnic group.
Hundreds of angry Wanigelas reacted by blocking the main road and burning tyres last night and again this morning before police arrived to quell the disturbance.
Dozens of armed police officers cordoned off the market area and fired rifle rounds and tear gas canisters.
A Wanigela resident said one local youth had died from a gunshot wound and at least three others were injured.
Police at the scene said only warning shots were fired but a media officer at police headquarters said reports of three or four people being hit by police bullets were being investigated.
During the clash outside the market, hundreds of people watched from nearby hillsides or from the roofs of their stilt houses on the waterfront at Koki.
After the confrontation, senior police officers and Wanigela leaders addressed the crowd and appealed for calm.
A police commander told the crowd the matter must be dealt with peacefully and lawfully and police would not tolerate more violent disturbance.
A Wanigela resident told AAP the young man stabbed yesterday died of loss of blood after being attacked by a drunken group of men at Koki.
"As soon as we heard, we mobilised and blocked the roads and burned tyres."
The resident said the Wanigela community wanted the Goilala community to hand over the alleged killer and pay compensation.
Schoolteacher Churchill Rori showed where a police bullet allegedly hit the heel of his shoe as he was on his way to his classroom this morning.
