Caught in the firing line

It had to happen - the day after I posted a blog entry about all the good things in Hagen.

"You don't have to be the target to get caught up in the violence"


This advice was given to me by my PNG hosts when I first arrived in Hagen. Over the months that I've been here I have seen many scuffles/street fights from a safe distance and heard about many more violent incidents from people directly involved. However I have never felt as if I was in any personal danger.


That all changed today at Hagen market.

I have no idea what triggered the fighting but one minute I was happily shopping for fruit and veg with two PNG friends when the world around me suddenly erupted. Within seconds the market was filled with terrified screaming, shouting and a stampede of people running in panic. Most unusually for PNG they were running AWAY from the centre of the trouble - normally the crowds run towards the fight. It soon became clear what they were running from. Crazed young men were rampaging through the market with sticks and clubs attacking anyone in their path and smashing the market stalls to pieces. Amongst the chaos and the screaming there was the unmistakable sound of gunfire.

 I stuck close to Jacob (my personal security guard) - we scrambled over the market stalls to get out of the way (forget all that stuff about not stepping over food!) and crouched low behind the wall and kept our heads down. Fortunately the main focus of the fighting passed us by but within minutes security guards and police, armed with pump action shotguns, were in the market and the risk of being caught in cross fire or a stray round was high indeed.



My two friends and the market stall holders took it upon themselves to give me special protection. They surrounded me and, in spite of my protests, put themselves in front of me as a sort of human shield. They seemed more concerned about me than they did about themselves! After some time (it must have only been 10 minutes but it felt like an hour) the police managed to restore order and the three of us left the market at some speed.

No doubt I will find out tomorrow from my colleagues at the Handicraft Group what caused the trouble.

 Fortunately I had nearly finished my shopping when the trouble broke out - so I got to enjoy my fresh asparagus and strawberries for dinner but Hagen market will never feel the same.