riot

“I must make it very clear here that no one is above the law,” Commissioner Mostyn Mangau said.

Mr Mangau added “We are expected to live and make decisions within the principles of the rule of law regardless of our positions in our society. I therefore forewarned that if anybody is found in breach of such illegal activities, Police will not hesitate to arrest and deal with him/her.”

RNZ Pacific correspondent Georgina Kekea said the government curfew ended this morning at 7am local time, and people are now milling around.

Some people are continuing to loot the shops.

Kekea said the rioters have stolen a lot of alcohol.

RNZ Pacific correspondent Elizabeth Osifelo said the destruction is focused on the city's east.

"Chinatown has now been badly affected and also the industrial area in Honiara, that has also been affected. A lot of local businesses have also gone up in flames," she said.

The Australian government said the deployment would support “riot control” and security at critical infrastructure, a day after demonstrators attempted to storm parliament and topple the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

Canberra said the move was in response to a request from Sogavare under an existing security agreement between the two countries, and should not be seen as taking a position in Solomon Islands’ internal affairs.

RNZ Pacific correspondent in Honiara, Elizabeth Osifelo, said exhausted police were overwhelmed as more people swarmed into town in defiance of a 36-hour lockdown.

Shops in Chinatown which had survived the earlier unrest were ransacked and burned. On the eastern side of town the Ranadi branch of Bank South Pacific was torched as was locally owned and operated hardware store, Island Enterprise.

Osifelo said police were doing everything they could to try and get control of the situation but they were outnumbered.

The riot at the Litoral Penitentiary in the city of Guayaquil reportedly began on Friday evening.

Police tactical units who entered the prison buildings found guns, explosives and blades, reports say.

Officials say they have re-gained control of the jail.

Nearly 300 inmates have died so far this year in the country's prisons, and September's gang-related violence was the worst in Ecuador's history.

Some 119 inmates lost their lives during a riot in the Litoral Penitentiary on 28 September.

The deceased was stabbed during a fight last week at one of the communities in Taraka when he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.

His passing led to a riot among members of the community and police in Lae were on high alert, saying situation was very tense.

Chief Inspector Timothy Pomoso, standing in for the Lae Metropolitan Superintendent, said the incident has caused a disturbance amongst the communities and police were monitoring it.

However, he is confident the police personnel will contain the issue. 

More updates to follow…

The incident occurred at around 7am on Sunday.

A source told TVWAN news that supporters of sitting MP Tobias Kulang tried to enter the counting centre when they were stopped by members of the public, which then led to a big fight.

Provincial Police Commander, Alex N’Drasal, confirmed that Kulang is in police custody in Goroka, firstly for his own safety, and to wait out his court hearing.

PPC N’Drasal said Kulang’s first court appearance this morning did not eventuate because there was no judge to see to it.

Reliable sources at the University of Goroka campus told Loop PNG that the fight broke among the faction of Chimbu/Goroka students and the Western Highlands/Enga students.

The source who wanted to remain unanimous because of safety reasons said the disagreement between the students started on Saturday where students attending their inservice training agreed to resume classes today but this did not go down well with other students.

Currently, the main gate at the campus is closed as people are gathering at the gates.

Police are deployed to patrol the streets on a 24-hour basis to keep the once upon a time beautiful Madang Town from further destruction.

According to police sources, their operation will last at least a week to ensure no  further destruction of properties in Madang.

Police said the riot led to shops, mainly owned  by Asians and resulted  from a  protest called by locals but rejected by police.

The protest notice was turned down by police. Opportunists took advantage of the situation and damaged stores mainly owned by the Asians.