UPNG students 'not able to back down'

4:16 pm on 25 May 2016
Students at the University of Papua New Guinea have been boycotting classes in protest at the Prime Minister refusing to stand down.

Students protesting in PNG Photo: Supplied / UPNG4PNG

A student leader at the University of Papua New Guinea says protesting students will not back down.

For almost four weeks they have boycotted their classes while demanding the Prime Minister resign and face corruption allegations.

The University suspended the first semester and gave about 5,000 students occupying its campuses 48 hours to leave.

The student leader Hercules Jim said students were demanding the Univeristy fly them home as most stayed in dormitories on the campus.

"It is impossible to get 5,000 students out within 48 hours without providing them tickets to travel home. How can they survive in Port Moresby? But as much as possible we have to fight this battle. There is no hope if we lose this battle. Without this, if we didn't give a fight, our nation will not be a nation anymore. We have come to a point where we are not able to back down."

Mr Jim said students were demanding the University transport them back to their provinces.

"Police will obviously move in. But we have contained the situation without any violence without any harm and without the destruction of any properties. And now they are trying to break it off within 48 hours without giving us the tickets or whatever things we need to travel home because the students have their belongings with them in their rooms. You cannot just send students in the streets."

Hercules Jim said the students' protest had reached a point where they couldn't back down.

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