Squads of heavily armed police have been called in to protect Chinese-run businesses in Papua New Guinea, according to Australian Associated Press reports on Monday.

Looting and anti-Chinese violence started in the capital Port Moresby on Wednesday last week and continued over the weekend in Papua New Guinea's Highlands region and Madang Province, on the north west coast.

Two shops in Madang were damaged and robbed by a group of young men on Sunday morning while in the country's Eastern Highlands Province trouble broke out in Goroka and Kinantu.

Papua New Guinea's National newspaper estimated the weekend damage at close to 250,000 kina (US$95,000).

Last week Papua New Guinean workers had violent clashes with management at the Chinese-run Ramu nickel mine in Madang Province after a tractor injured a worker.

On Friday police in Port Moresby had to use tear gas to quell a riot near a popular market.

Papua New Guinean police said that the groundswell of resentment is "copycat attacks" by "opportunists".

But Port Moresby's Governor Powes Parkop blamed police for the outbreak of violence, saying "they (police) probably tolerated a march that should not have taken place."

Zhou Hanbo of the Chinese Embassy in Port Moresby told Papua New Guinea's Post Courier newspaper that the Chinese government was "gravely concerned".

"It is our sincere hope that the Papua New Guinean government will take effective measures to prevent such incidents from recurring, so as to ensure a peaceful environment for all people in the country to live harmoniously and work safely," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2009)