Nine arrested after Australian island riot

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Police have arrested nine people on a remote Australian island after about 200 islanders
protesting against the death of a man in custody burnt down a police station, police residence and a courthouse.

The nine face charges of destroying public property and riotous behaviour on Palm Island, off Australia's far
northeast coast, said Queensland state police minister Judy Spence.

"Police are obviously very concerned that there may be flare up as the day progresses and they consider the
next 24 to 36 hours on Palm Island as very important," Spence told reporters on Saturday.

Palm Island is home to predominately Aborigines and lies offshore from the tropical city of Townsville.

The police station on Palm Island was set on fire by a petrol bomb on Friday in protests that erupted after
Aborigine Cameron Doomagee, 36, died in a police cell.

Doomagee, arrested for being drunk, died last Friday.

Police reinforcements flew to Palm Island late on Friday to restore order and more were deployed to the island
on Saturday.

Some residents, contractors, police and public servants, including 22 teachers, were evacuated on Friday
night.

Australian radio said the riot started after the release of a post-mortem examination of Doomagee. The autopsy
found he had four broken ribs and died from a punctured lung.