PARIS (AP) — Police in the troubled French Pacific territory of New Caledonia arrested eight people Wednesday, including an independence leader, who are suspected of having a role in the deadly violence that ravaged the archipelago where the indigenous Kanak people have long sought freedom from France.
The early morning raid was part of an ongoing police investigation that began on May 17, just days after unrest broke out for the first timein a wave of armed clashes, looting, fires and other forms of violence that transformed parts of the capital, Nouméaand its suburbs in no-go zones.
New Caledonia prosecutor Yves Dupas said in a statement that eight people were detained as of 6 a.m. in Nouméa and the suburbs of Mont-Dore. He said those detained included Christian Tein, leader of a pro-independence group who French authorities alleged played a leading role in the weeks of violence that erupted in May over contested electoral reforms in New Caledonia. Dupas did not identify the other seven people detained.
The revolt led France to declare a state of emergency in the archipelago and rushed to reinforce police forces that were quickly overwhelmed. The violence resulted in nine deaths, including two police officers, and the widespread destruction of stores, businesses and homes.
The prosecutor said Wednesday’s arrests were part of a police investigation into a wide range of alleged crimes, including complicity in murder and attempted murder, armed robbery, arson and participation in a group created to prepare violent acts. . The possible charges allow investigators to hold detainees for questioning for up to 96 hours, he said. After that, an investigating magistrate would have to decide whether police had gathered enough evidence to justify formal charges.
With France now plunged into a frenzied campaign for early parliamentary electionsFrench President Emmanuel Macron suspended reforms this would have changed voting rights in New Caledonia.
With the unrest now subsiding, the French Pacific territory this week shortened its nighttime curfew by two hours, with its start pushed back from 6pm to 8pm. It also reopened the international airport, which had been closed to commercial flights for more than a month.
