21 Dec 2012

Protest march in Port Vila over Tongoa man's death

7:02 pm on 21 December 2012

Vanuatu Police today led a protest march that accompanied the coffin of an elderly Tongoa man who was allegedly run over and killed by a bus driven by a man from Tanna.

The accident happened last weekend during a stone throwing clash between two groups of young people from Tongoa and Tanna in the Agathis area of Port Vila.

Over 500 members of the public have taken part in the funeral march organised by the chiefs and the family of the dead Tongoa man.

They aimed to show their frustration at the unnecessary violence between communities in Port Vila.

Speakers in the march called for respect for the chiefs and the people of Efate, and for those found guilty of violent crimes to serve their prison terms on their own islands.

There is also a call for the accident victim's family to be compensated.