02-24-2020, 03:25 AM
Security forces clash with MIP, PAP at airport
National Guard soldiers and Border Security personnel were involved in a clash today with a group of Milintica Isolationist Party and Paora Alliance Party members at Independence Airport in the capital, Huānoch. The clash occurred when a group of MIP and PAP members, some of them armed, attempted to force their way into the immigration screening area of the airport.
“The MIP and PAP members tried to enter the immigration screening area by force in an attempt to block overseas arrivals from the country, after we denied them entry,” Iuhtlāchna, commander of the Border Security Force, told the media today. “They were then ejected by the Border Security Force personnel on site, with help from the National Guard contingent that guards the airport.” Iuhtlāchna stated that five members of the security forces suffered injuries, some serious enough to require hospitalization. 25 MIP and PAP members were arrested at the airport, with seven of them taken to local hospitals with serious injuries. Six members of the group that attempted to storm the airport are still being sought by security forces after they escaped from the airport during the chaos.
“This incident at the airport is a blatant example of fear destroying peoples’ rational minds,” President Matōchmizalo told the media in a speech from Haven House, the presidential residence, following the incident. The MIP and PAP members were following through on a threat made earlier to deny entry to people arriving in Milintica from other countries, in the wake of fears over the AD14 Adenovirus. “We will not let xenophobic and idiotic mobs overrun the rule of law and our responsibility to the international community.” The President has reportedly ordered the National Guard to summon reserve troops to ensure ports of entry, such as the airport, are protected from similar incidents in the future.
For their part, the MIP and PAP defended their activists’ actions, saying that they “are just trying to protect the people of Milintica, which the government is unwilling to do as it curries favor with foreigners for their money.” Ikei Enoka, the premier of the PAP, said that his party would continue to challenge the government if they saw fit. “We are free people and we have the right to protest and act when the government is wrong,” Enoka said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the MIP, Cizama, issued a similar threat and also warned that the MIP “would not accept” its members being in custody. Members of the MIP “citizen committees”, the armed wing of the MIP, have clashed with the government in the past, and many Milinticans fear that more unrest could be imminent.
Prime Minister Tupai Tapihana called for calm, and asked both the government and citizens to refrain from any further provocative actions. “Violence is never the answer. Let’s reason with each other and work together, rather than fanning flames of unrest,” the Prime Minister said. He also added that Milintica “cannot continue on an unstable path” if it seeks to gain foreign investment, seen as key to reviving Milintica’s moribund economy. Tapihana had planned to submit proposals to the recently created Global Development Investment Bank to try to jumpstart the economy, but those plans are now on hold with the current unrest.
National Guard soldiers and Border Security personnel were involved in a clash today with a group of Milintica Isolationist Party and Paora Alliance Party members at Independence Airport in the capital, Huānoch. The clash occurred when a group of MIP and PAP members, some of them armed, attempted to force their way into the immigration screening area of the airport.
“The MIP and PAP members tried to enter the immigration screening area by force in an attempt to block overseas arrivals from the country, after we denied them entry,” Iuhtlāchna, commander of the Border Security Force, told the media today. “They were then ejected by the Border Security Force personnel on site, with help from the National Guard contingent that guards the airport.” Iuhtlāchna stated that five members of the security forces suffered injuries, some serious enough to require hospitalization. 25 MIP and PAP members were arrested at the airport, with seven of them taken to local hospitals with serious injuries. Six members of the group that attempted to storm the airport are still being sought by security forces after they escaped from the airport during the chaos.
“This incident at the airport is a blatant example of fear destroying peoples’ rational minds,” President Matōchmizalo told the media in a speech from Haven House, the presidential residence, following the incident. The MIP and PAP members were following through on a threat made earlier to deny entry to people arriving in Milintica from other countries, in the wake of fears over the AD14 Adenovirus. “We will not let xenophobic and idiotic mobs overrun the rule of law and our responsibility to the international community.” The President has reportedly ordered the National Guard to summon reserve troops to ensure ports of entry, such as the airport, are protected from similar incidents in the future.
For their part, the MIP and PAP defended their activists’ actions, saying that they “are just trying to protect the people of Milintica, which the government is unwilling to do as it curries favor with foreigners for their money.” Ikei Enoka, the premier of the PAP, said that his party would continue to challenge the government if they saw fit. “We are free people and we have the right to protest and act when the government is wrong,” Enoka said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the MIP, Cizama, issued a similar threat and also warned that the MIP “would not accept” its members being in custody. Members of the MIP “citizen committees”, the armed wing of the MIP, have clashed with the government in the past, and many Milinticans fear that more unrest could be imminent.
Prime Minister Tupai Tapihana called for calm, and asked both the government and citizens to refrain from any further provocative actions. “Violence is never the answer. Let’s reason with each other and work together, rather than fanning flames of unrest,” the Prime Minister said. He also added that Milintica “cannot continue on an unstable path” if it seeks to gain foreign investment, seen as key to reviving Milintica’s moribund economy. Tapihana had planned to submit proposals to the recently created Global Development Investment Bank to try to jumpstart the economy, but those plans are now on hold with the current unrest.
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