Riots have broken out in the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa, amid over the slow pace of the government's constitutional reforms. The protesters overturned cars, started fires and hurled stones at public buildings, including the office of Fred Sevele, the Tongan prime minister. Firefighters were called as flames spread due to high winds and more than half the city's central shopping area was estimated to have burned down.The riots began after hundreds of people met to demand that the parliament make changes to the country's constitution. "It's a full-fledged riot," said a reporter from New Zealand's National Radio.
Protesters also broke into a supermarket owned by prime minister Sevele and managed by his daughter. Other shops and businesses have also been damaged. Police helped people to escape the neighbourhood and tried to protect property but are not reported to have arrested any protesters.