PORT MORESBY - Police fired tear gas to quell riots in two areas of the Papua New Guinea capital yesterday amid protests about the government's use of mercenaries in the Bougainville civil war.
About 2,000 people demonstrated outside the main army barracks here against the sacking of a military commander. Brig Gen Singirok had demanded that the Prime Minister, Sir Julius Chan, resign over the government's use of mercenaries hired from the British based Sandline International company to train troops to fight against secessionist forces in the island province of Bougainville. It appeared yesterday that at least some of the mercenaries had gone home.