Nice to look at every day

But Scary to live there

BURNING ... angry residents burned down Palm Island's police station and barracks during yesterday's riot.


Anarchy on Palm

27nov04
HUNDREDS of Palm Islanders exploded into a violent rage yesterday, forcing public servants and contractors to be evacuated from the island.

About 80 police officers were flown to the island to restore order after the police station and courthouse were torched and an emergency situation was declared.

Reports from island residents suggested fire bombs were thrown at the buildings about 1pm yesterday and people were walking armed in the streets.

Twenty officers were inside the police station when it was stormed by a mob of residents, who also destroyed some police accommodation, and stole and later burnt a police vehicle.

Soon after up to 1000 people surrounded the hospital where police and hospital staff were held hostage until reinforcements arrived.

A garbage truck was parked across the road to the airport to block police from accessing the town after flying in on helicopters.

The riot erupted after residents attended a public meeting, during which the results of an autopsy report into the death of resident Cameron Doomadgee were made public.

Doomadgee died in police custody last Friday, with the report revealing he died from internal bleeding.

Last night the situation was described as calm, with police regaining control of the airport, closing the canteen and securing other important areas.

All but one of the police officers living on the island had left, along with half the police who were flown to the island earlier this week.

Contractors and public servants were evacuated in droves yesterday afternoon.

Some begged authorities to be flown to Townsville in the emergency helicopters that were transporting police to the island.

One of the workers, who did not wish to be named, told the Townsville Bulletin he saw hundreds of people in the streets of the retail area as he drove from his compound to the airport.

He said that people were yelling and screaming at him.

"I'm happy to be off there," he said."I've never experienced anything like that before."

A television crew that was on the island also fled after the mob of locals storming the police station turned on them, threatening to kill them.

Major incident rooms were set up at the Mundingburra Police Station and in Brisbane to co-ordinate the police response to the incident.

Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson, who flew to Townsville late yesterday, appealed for the community's elders to restore order and calm among residents.

"The critical thing currently is to get through this evening, through the hours of darkness," he said.

"After getting through the night the key objective for us is to identify and have placed into custody and appear before courts the people who we believe are the key ringleaders responsible for these actions.

"I am asking these people to surrender themselves and give themselves up."

Palm Island Council chairwoman Erykah Kyle did not appeal for community calm last night.

She said the residents would do that themselves.

She instead vented her anger at non-Aboriginal workers who fled the island.

"In relation to all those non-Aboriginal people who are here in our community, who are servicing our community and who left our community because of this crisis . . . do not bother returning," she said.

"I am very angry about that - they should be here standing in solidarity with us. When are we going to stand together?"