Schools and some businesses have closed their doors for a second successive day in the Papua New Guinea capital, Port Moresby, as a protest continues near Parliament.
A rally by trade unionists and civil society groups demanding that the government rescind controversial legislation that places curbs on the judiciary and commit to elections going ahead on time in June, is now into its second day.
The group intends to give the government a petition setting out their concerns, but that plan was thwarted on the first day when parliament was adjourned for want of a quorum.
The protest has not attracted as much support as expected but the spokesperson for the non-government group, Act Now, Effrey Dademo, says teachers stopped classes for fears there would be disruptions.
"They were anticipating there could be opportunists taking advantage of the situation. It is actually normal when there is talk of a protest march that schools don't open but this is the first time that schoold have not opened for two days."
