Group claims PNG strike has begun

4:57 pm on 13 July 2016

A civil society group in Papua New Guinea says its call for peaceful strike action is being enacted by people in the country's three main cities.

The group issued the call after the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, ignored its ultimatum to stand down by midnight last night to face fraud allegations.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Photo: Supplied

A lawyer representing the group, Moses Murray, said the strike is not militant in nature nor is its purpose to disrupt essential services like water and electricity.

"It's happening in the three city centres. It's happening in Port Moresby, it's happening in Lae and it's happening in Hagen. People are just not going to work. They're staying home. The point of the exercise is that people must exercise their free choice. Do we go to work and continue to keep the machinery going for this one tyrant? Or do we stop?"

Mr Murray said some services in the aviation, maritime, public transport and banking sectors have been disrupted the strike.

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