Vanuatu Tourism Chief Is Dismissed After Riot
Prime Minister Walter Lini on Monday dismissed Tourism Minister Barak Sope, his chief political rival.
Sope’s dismissal cames a week after a riot in which one man was killed and 10 injured. The riot followed a march by about 2,000 tribesmen led by Sope supporters demanding land reforms in the South Pacific island state.
Lini told a news conference that Sope “organized and participated in the demonstration that ended in violence.”
Sope remains secretary general of the ruling Vanuaaku Party.
Lini, an Anglican priest, fought off a leadership challenge from Sope last December after general elections that returned the Vanuaaku Party.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
