Convoy runs into trouble

Aiolence has flared again in New Caledonia when pro-and anti-independence forces clashed at Thio. A 14-year-old European youth was fatally shot and 11 people were injured after the November 15 incident.

The clashes occurred when a convoy of leaders and supporters from the Loyalist (antiindependence) party, RPCR were stoned as they left Thio to return to the capital Noumea after adressing a rally in front of the Thio town hall.

As the convoy left town they were stoned by about 50 Kanak militants, brawls broke out and one car was set alight. Three people were injured in the clash.

Reports said the situation de teriorated when the loyalist group returned to Thio and set fire to the bakery owned by a European supporter of the FLNKS, Mr Bernard Moule dous. Shots were reportedly fired by members of the RPCR group, and following the firing of the bakery the European youth, James Fels Tournier,

died after being shot in the chest.

A 21-year-old Kanak man, Georges Tomo, has been arrested and charged with assassination after admitting the shooting, police said.

And 13 FLNKS militants have been charged following the stone throwing. Among those arrested was Marie-Fran coise Machoro, sister of the late Eloi Machoro - the FLNKS leader killed by French police marksmen in January 1985.

RPCR leader Jacques Lafleur had organised the rally at Thio

in a bid to test whether law and order had been re-established in the town after the dramatic events of 1984 -1985.

Lafleur said his party’s lead ers wanted to “reassure and strengthen the loyalists of Thio” and prove that Thio “remains a part of the French republic”.

The small east coast nickel mining town hit the headlines in late 1984 when it became the focus of the FLNKS campaign of destabilisation and disruption of the countryside.

FLNKS militants held the town under seige for several

weeks and mining activity was halted.

Thio’s FLNKS mayor, Mr Louis Maperi told reporters he had approved the RPCR writ ten request for the Saturday morning rally and the use of the town hall for a local RPCR meeting. He said the spon taneous stoning of the convoy occurred because the FLNKS saw the arrival of Lafleur and the loyalist leadership as an extreme provocation.

The rally was attended by 200 people, sources said.

In the wake of the violence shots were fired at the suburban Noumea home of FLNKS lead er Mr Yeiwene Yeiwene.

Yeiwene’s wife and family were in the house when the

shots were fired at the windows but were unharmed. Yeiwene, * s a lso President of the Loyalty Islands Regional Coun ci l was in P a ris for talks with the French president at the time, Witnesses said the shots were by three masked men in arm V fatigues, another incident the Noumea printery used by the FLNKS newspaper, Bwenan do, was destroyed in an arson attack.

Meanwhile ‘he Thio loyalists “ lled L a meeting with the French sub-prefect responsible for the central area and asked that the Thio town council be dissolved and replaced by a spedal delegation.

Repercussions from the vio lence spread to Paris where

Prime Minister Jacques Chirac cancelled his scheduled meet ing with FLNKS president Jean- Marie Tjibaou.

Tjibaou met instead with Overseas Territories Minister Bernard Pons who described the Thio violence as “an un acceptable response to the gov ernment’s policy of dialogue in the territory and showed the FLNKS intended to rule the island by terror”.

Tjibaou decribed the incident as “provocation by the RPCR”.

Speculation has arisen follow ing the events in Thio that the incident was in some part en gineered by the RPCR to force Chirac to cancel the Tjibaou meeting and launch an attack on the FLNKS.