Pro-democracy activists in the Pacific island kingdom of Tonga declared success Friday after violent unrest the previous day left roughly three-quarters of the central business district of the capital, Nukualofa, in ruins. Gangs of youths looted stores, smashed windows, and set fire to buildings and vehicles while police were unable to control the situation.
Tonga's leading democracy advocate, Akilisi Pohiva, called the unrest a popular victory and urged citizens to stop causing further destruction. Elected representatives announced by radio that the government had agreed to hold elections in 2008 under a new framework that would strip the king and nobility of their traditional dominance over parliament.
Under the new arrangement, 21 freely elected commoners will hold seats in parliament, outnumbering nine nobles' representatives, giving ordinary citizens a parliamentary majority for the first time.
Rioters targeted businesses linked to King Taufa'ahau Tupou V, who ascended the throne only in September, as well as a supermarket owned by the prime minister and shops belonging to Chinese immigrants. Authorities cordoned off the city center Friday, and both New Zealand and Australia issued travel advisories. All flights to and from Tonga were suspended.
Tonga, a nation of roughly 100,000 people spread across 170 islands, is considered one of the world's last feudal monarchies and ranks among its smallest and poorest countries.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.