France sends troops to Guadeloupe

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7897943.stm

Version 0 of 1.

France is sending four military police units to Guadeloupe after one person was killed during month-long riots and strikes on the French Caribbean island.

Interior minister Michele Alliot-Marie said 260 gendarmerie officers are being deployed to the restive French region.

A general strike over rising prices has crippled the island since 20 January.

In overnight riots, union official Jacques Bino was shot dead by armed youths at a barricade in Guadeloupe's largest city, Pointe-a-Pitre.

Six members of the security forces were also slightly injured during the clashes, which led to the closure of Guadeloupe's airport on Tuesday.

Thousands of tourists have cancelled their holidays in Guadeloupe and Martinique, another French island 160km (100 miles) to the south, where looting has been reported amid mass rallies over wages.

Correspondents say many residents feel their salaries are not keeping up with the rising cost of living.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to meet officials from Guadeloupe in Paris on Thursday to take stock of the situation.

<hr />

Are you in Guadeloupe? Are you affected by the issues in this story? What are your experiences? Send us your comments using the form below.

<i>In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.</i>

<a name="say"></a><form method="post" action="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/cgiemail/newstalk/form_all.txt"> <input name="email_subject" type="hidden" value="Guadeloupe protests 7896598"> <input name="mailto" type="hidden" value="talkingpoint@bbc.co.uk"> <input name="success" type="hidden" value="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/7465538.stm"> Name