French official to visit rebels today

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 6

French official to visit rebels today

By

PETER O’LOUGHLIN,

in Santo Town,

Espiritu Santo

France’s Resident Commissioner in the New Hebrides plans to fly to Santo today to try to end the bow-and-arrow rebellion.

Commissioner Jean-Jacques Robert intends to make the trip in spite of objections by his British counterpart in the condominium, according to French officials. The revolt, which led to the moving out of 1500 people, including about 100 British and Commonwealth citizens, has had no apparent effect on the second largest town in ~ the New Hebrides. ' But it has pitted British and French administrations against each other and led to emergency meetings in Paris and London. The "Sunday Times” reported yesterday, that London was . backing the legitimate Government, that of the New Hebridean Prime Minister (the Rev. Walter Lini), while Commissioner Robert supports French nationals against Mr Lini’s “unjust” blockade of / the island held by the Frenchspeaking rebels. Commissioner Robert plans

to fly to Santo, also known as Luganville, today, in a plane sent from the French territory of New. Caledonia. French officials said. ■ The leader of the band of 500 villagers who walked into Santo 11 days ago arid declared an independent republic called Vemarana is the self-styled Prime . Minister, Jimmy Stevens. Mr Stevens wants to restore land to its, traditional tribal owners' and claims the pro-Britisff Government in Vila , wants to nationalise it through a land board. Mr Lini has issued a set of demands including the surrender of hostages, firearms, and dynamite before negotiations can take place.

. The town of .5000 citizens is being patrolled by Mr Stevens’s own police force, armed with clubs.. So far they have arrested and jailed two of their own followers who smashed a shop window and stole three transistor radios. s

The French claim the British evacuation caused personal hardship to many fearful Melanesians who quit their jobs and fled to their home villages on other islands which could not accommodate them. They also are annoyed that. Barclays, the British bank, closed, leaving some irate depositors without cash.

The “rebel headquarters” is a dilapidated shack on the

outskirts of town, painted in blue and green, the colours of the rebels’ Vemarana federation. The rebels, who number about 20 at headquarters, dress in a motley collection of clothing, mostly shorts, rubber jandals, and T-shirts, some of which advertise “Fosters beer” and “I’m a virgin.” None of them had weapons of . any kind, even bows and arrows and devoted most of their time to a huge iron pot of beef stew bubbling on an open fire.