Reunion Island protesters greet Australian, NZ cruise passengers
Passengers on a Princess Cruises liner have been threatened by violent protesters in Reunion Island.
Australian and New Zealand passengers on a Princess Cruises liner have been threatened by violent protesters at Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean amid growing fears of a global coronavirus pandemic.
Immediately after arriving in the Pointe des Galets port early on Sunday morning, the Sun Princess ocean liner was met by 30 angry protesters calling for stringent health checks of the tourists before disembarking the ship.
Shuttle buses of passengers avoided being hit with pebbles and bottles being hurled by the angry crowd. Police were forced to intervene who used tear gas on the protesting locals of the French territory.
The Sun Princess’ Captain, Diego Perra, ordered the passengers back aboard the ship to avoid any danger. Around 300 other passengers from the Sun Princess had already left the port either by bus or taxi for different excursions on the island.
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“Of course we are not against the arrival of tourists, they are necessary for the development of our economy. We just want to be sure that there is no risk of the coronavirus propagating,” protester Yannis Latchimy said.
“We don’t know if these people are sick, they were not tested. It is very dangerous.”
Earlier on its voyage, the Sun Princess was refused entry to Madagascar after it was found that 14 days had not passed since its stopover in Thailand in mid-February.
The ship then stopped over in South Africa before heading for Reunion, and is scheduled to leave for Mauritius on Sunday evening.
The Sun Princess started its journey in Fremantle in Western Australia on January 20 and visited Singapore, Thailand, the Seychelles, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Madagascar, four ports in South Africa and Reunion.
No cases of coronavirus have been reported in Reunion, which has a population of around 900,000.
The Sun Princess belongs to the same cruise company as the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship which saw passengers quarantined on board for more than three weeks.
On Friday, all passengers on the Diamond Princess had been evacuated, the company confirming there were fewer than 500 team members remaining on board.
“Princess Cruises can confirm that disembarkation of all guests aboard Diamond Princess is complete,” the company said.
“Specialists from the Princess Care Team and Family Assistance programs remain available to both guests and team members,” a statement from the company said.
The crew members will be quarantined near Tokyo for two weeks and allowed to return home if they test negative to the virus.
With AFP
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