The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea has declared a nine-month state of emergency in the country's rugged Southern Highlands province in response to several days of riots.
The small resource-rich Pacific nation, which is due to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in November,2018, has long struggled with violence and lawlessness.
The riots are due to court ruling that upheld the election of the regional governor William Powi, amid accusations of vote rigging
Thomas Eluh, a former policeman and acting administrator in the province, has been given constitutional emergency powers.