cannabisnews.com: Mauritius Government Sets up Probe into Riots!





Mauritius Government Sets up Probe into Riots!
Posted by FoM on March 01, 1999 at 12:28:49 PT

PORT LOUIS, - Mauritius has set up a commission to examine ethnic riots sparked by the death of a Creole reggae singer in police custody after he was detaimed for smoking marijuana at a protest to legalise the drug. 
A senior official said the government had asked the director of public prosecutions to investigate the singer's death to determine whether it was the result of police brutality. "The commission of inquiry could last for several months as many witnesses and opinion leaders have agreed to participate," said the official, who asked not to be identified. Joseph Reginald Topize, or "Kaya," died in jail on February 21. He was arrested three days earlier for smoking marijuana at a political rally calling for decriminalisation of the drug. His death sparked four days of riots in the capital Port Louis and other towns on the Indian Ocean island as Creoles clashed first with police and then with members of the majority Hindu population. Three people, including another reggae singer, were killed by police during the riots. Creoles, the mixed-blood descendants of former slaves, make up around 30 percent of the country's 1.1 million inhabitants but are generally among the poorer sections of the population and say they are the victims of discrimination. Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968 and the island's Hindus, who account for just over half of the population, have held political control ever since. Business leaders said looting and vandalism during the clashes caused 450 million rupees ($18 million) worth of damage. Police have so far arrested 116 people, and 41 of them appeared in court on Monday. Opposition leader Lindsay Morvan called on the government to improve basic education and housing services for the Creole population and take measures to provide more jobs for Creoles. "There must be a political will to eliminate exclusion. The government is obliged to resolve this problem so as to avoid any rebellion in the future," Morvan said. http://www.cnn.com/
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