pillage atoll

Call for extension of territorial waters after . . .

Unknown raiders

in Tuamotus

French Polynesia’s Territorial Assembly passed a resolution on February 27 urging the extension of the limits of its territorial waters from three to 12 miles.

The passage of the resolution fol lowed the pillaging of the small atoll of Marokau on February 21 by the crew of an unknown ship.

Marokau is 80 miles west of Hao in the Tuamotu Archipelago.

The raid on Marokau occurred when the atoll’s entire population of about 100, except for a few children and old people, had gone to a neighbouring atoll to cut copra.

When they returned, they found that food, clothing, utensils and money belonging to them had been stolen.

"Some importance"

As one of Papeete’s newspapers put it, “all these articles were no great treasure, but for the people of the atolls whose only communica tions with the outside world are in frequent connections by sea, one can imagine that a casserole dish, a pareu and foodstuffs are things of some importance”.

After the thefts were reported to the French military base at Hao, a Super-Frelon aircraft, with three gendarmes, a party of legionaires and emergency foodstuffs, was sent to Marokau to investigate.

The only clue that the investigators found was a box of Japanese matches. This was not sufficient evidence to claim that the raiders were Japanese, but it was strongly suspected that they had come from either a Japanese, Formosan or Korean fishing boat.

A number of these ships have been seen fishing illegally in the waters of French Polynesia is recent months.

One such ship, a Korean, was arrested in December and fined 410,000 Pacific francs ($A4,100).