Christian Thein is accused of inciting riots last month against electoral reforms that left nine people dead.
Police in New Caledonia have arrested 11 people, including pro-independence leader Christian Thein, following deadly riots in the Pacific island nation last month.
New Caledonia’s chief prosecutor named Thein, leader of the pro-independence group CCAT (Local Action Coordination Centre), in a statement on Wednesday, announcing that the activist and 10 other unidentified people have been arrested on suspicion of “organised crime” and could be detained for up to 96 hours.
The detentions are part of a police investigation that began on May 17, days after unrest escalated into a wave of armed clashes, looting, arson and other violence that led to the capital, Noumea, and parts of its suburbs becoming no-go zones.
The detainees were suspected of inciting riots that left nine people dead, including two police officers, hundreds injured and damage estimated at 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion). France has sent 3,000 soldiers and police to the archipelago, about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) northeast of Australia, to restore calm.
The riots broke out over French plans to grant voting rights and expand the electoral roll to Europeans of French descent who have lived on the island for at least 10 years.
The indigenous Kanak people, who have long sought independence from France, say changes to voting rights would make them a permanent minority and make independence entirely impossible.
French President Emmanuel Macron suspended the plan last week after dissolving parliament to hold general elections on June 30 and July 7.
Pro-independence groups are calling for the bill to be withdrawn in its entirety before talks on the island’s political future can resume.
‘Abusive’ arrests
Thain was detained as he prepared to hold a press conference at CCAT’s offices in the building that also houses the headquarters of the Caledonian Union (UC), the largest pro-independence party, the party said in a statement.
UC elected official Layne Hughes said police “entered the office and took photos, among other things, of documents.”
Prosecutor Yves Dupas said the CCAT offices were searched “without incident”.
The CCAT was founded in November to oppose electoral changes that would require an amendment to the French constitution. France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has called it a “mafia-like organisation”.
Thain was one of the pro-independence politicians whom President Macron met with during his visit to New Caledonia last month.
The Unification Church condemned Wednesday’s “unjustified” arrests, saying in a statement that “local anti-independence leaders and criminal militias are given total freedom to roam.”
But the party urged its supporters “not to react to provocations” and asked for calm until more details about the arrests were known.
