University abandons academic year after student unrest

ABC News 08 July 2016

The University of Papua New Guinea's council has terminated all teaching activities for the remainder of the year, after a student boycott of classes led to violence, writes Eric Tlozek for ABC News.

Chancellor Nicholas Mann told students the organisers of the protest had broken the law, replacing it with “mob rule, intimidation, harassment and violence". "The learning environment has been turned into a tribal war zone with painted faces, war cries and knife-wielding persons."

The student boycott was in protest against Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's handling of corruption allegations. Eight students were wounded on 8 June when police shot into a group that was trying to march to parliament. There has also been violence at Papua New Guinea's two other state universities, the University of Technology in Lae – where a student was killed – and the University of Goroka.
Full report on the ABC site

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