Easter Island tensions grow

A MILITARY plane carrying riot police reinforcements landed on Easter Island, and Chile’s Interior Minister said they will continue evicting Rapa Nui islanders who have been squatting in government buildings built on their ancestral properties.

Dozens of people were wounded by police buckshot and batons after violently resisting the first such eviction on Friday on the usually tranquil South Pacific island, where as many as 50,000 tourists come each year to see the Moai — huge stone heads carved by the Rapa Nui’s ancestors.

Documentary filmmaker Santi Hitorangi, who dug 14 pellets from his backside after police shot him while he videotaped the clash, said the atmosphere remained tense, with families squatting in a dozen other properties refusing to back down despite the police pressure.