20 Dec 2006

Tongan rioters in court today

10:39 am on 20 December 2006

Court proceedings will get underway in Tonga this morning following last month's riot in the capital Nuku'alofa, which saw much of the business district destroyed.

The senior crown counsel at the Tongan Crown Law Office says of the more than 760 people charged, about 105 will appear in court over the next two days.

The first cases to be dealt with will be for theft, looting and breaking and entering, but any cases involving damages of more than 500 dollars will be heard in the Supreme Court.