French police arrested eight people in the Pacific territory of New Caledonia, prosecutors said.
One of the leaders of the CCAT independence movement, which organized weeks of unrest last month, has been detained, AFP reported.
The head of CCAT, Christian Thane, has been arrested for "organized crime" offences, under which he can be detained for up to 96 hours.
BGNES recalls that on May 13, riots broke out in New Caledonia, located about 1,300 km northeast of Australia, because of France's plans to update the electoral rolls so that they include people residing in the country for more than 10 years.
The indigenous Kanak people feared the move would curtail their rights. |BGNES
