assassination
p. 16 · Read in the full issue
Political assassination in Tahiti?
A series of crimes, culminating in a murder with strong political overtones, shattered the “island paradise” image of Tahiti in August-September.
First, there was the theft of a large stock of dynamite from the Palacz Com pany’s establishment at Paea, on Tahiti’s west coast.
This was followed by an explosion at Papeete’s central post office.
Then, on August 27, a 50-year-old French businessman, M Pierre Chatillon-d'Anglejean, was murdered in his home by intruders who left Tahitian language daubings on the walls saying “We don’t want Frenchmen here”, and “Blood of our ancestors”.
Police arrested four men in connec tion with the Post Office explosion, and retrieved seven cases of stolen dynamite.
They later arrested a further four people in connection with the killing of M Chatillon-d’Anglejean.
Events took a new sinister turn when, a few days after the murder, M Francis Sanford, vice-president of French Polynesia’s government council, indi cated that he had received a letter de manding five million francs and giving him eight days in which to find the money or face attacks on his own person or on members of his family. The letter was also signed with the Tahitian phrase “Blood of our ancestors”.
It was reported that the men held for the murder had confessed to that crime, but denied that they were the authors of the letter.
Money For Banabans ... If
The British Phosphate Commissioners have $22 million in reserves in relation to Ocean Island, Senator Withers, Australian Minister for Administrative Services, said in the Senate in reply to questions from Senator P. A. Walsh (WA). Senator Walsh had asked the amount of the reserves and if $lO million was to be paid to the “original inhabitants of Ocean Island” from the BPC reserves.
Senator Withers repeated an earlier announcement that the partner govern ments of the BPC Australia, NZ and the UK had agreed to an ex gratia payment of $lO million to set up a trust fund for the Banabans. That payment would be conditional on the Banabans not going ahead with further litigation, apart from two cases against the BPC already before the UK High Court.