Vanuatu Parliament Ousts 18 Members

The small South Pacific state of Vanuatu slipped further towards political turmoil on Thursday when 18 opposition members were dismissed from Parliament.

The Speaker of the House ruled they had lost their seats because of a continued boycott of the 46-member Parliament aimed at toppling Prime Minister Walter Lini.

Lini on Monday had expelled five members of the ruling Vanuaaku Pati party, including his arch-rival, Barak Sope, and placed security forces on alert in a constitutional confrontation reflecting growing unrest in the 80-island group.