Vanuatu Tourism Chief Is Dismissed After Riot
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PORT VILA, Vanuatu — 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.
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