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Senior political figure found murdered on nudist beach in New Caledonia
Police in the southwest Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia are investigating the brutal murder of a senior political figure who was found badly mutilated on a nudist beach
Jean-Pierre Deteix was found dead with his face bruised beyond recognition
Jean-Pierre Deteix was found with his face barely recognisable from bruising, according to French daily Le Figaro, which cited a judicial source.
His car, with his phone inside, was found several kilometres away, it added.
It was not immediately clear if his death was a political killing although two people have been arrested in connection with the crime.
Deteix, who was in his 70’s, was secretary of the local branch of the socialist party, which is pro-independence.
New Caledonia, which was annexed by Paris in 1853 and used as an overseas prison for thousands of French convicts, has suffered political divisions between its native and European populations, especially regarding the question of independence.
Deteix was also a strong supporter of Kanak rights and worked as the chief of staff to the island’s vice president until February.
The archipelago nation, around 2,000 km from Sydney, Australia, is due to hold an independence referendum in 2018, the culmination of more than a century of political antagonism.
