Right outside my window a riot is brewing. The issue believe it or not is the quality of people their ID cards. Voices are raised on all sides and our security people are moving into strategic positions. Because all arguments are in rapid pidgin it is pretty difficult for me to follow it but the gist of the matter is that they are not second class citizens and they want “proper” ID cards.

It’s a bit later now and the situation has died down with a promise that we will review the quality of the ID cards. While to anyone this would seem like a totally laughable situation to our work force it’s utterly serious and their status depends on it.

About ten in the morning now and the mobile squad has arrived. I don’t like seeing them here as their solution to any situation is to beat people up and burn a few houses down. A definite case of the cure being worse then the disease. So I guess now we have to negotiate with them as well. “We will give you a meal and cigarettes if you don’t kill anyone”

The joy of working in PNG.