FOCUS-MAURITIUS RIOTS EASE, TENSION STILL HIGH

PORT LOUIS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Violent ethnic riots subsided on the holiday
island of Mauritius on Thursday morning but fighting between rival groups
was reported outside the capital.

Police said three demonstrators had been killed in four days of riots
sparked by the death in police custody of Creole reggae singer Joseph
Topize, or Kaya, who was arrested last week for smoking marijuana at a
rally to decriminalise the drug.

On Tuesday, a 49-year-old police officer died of a heart attack when he
returned to his station after trying to control the rioters, police said.

Most banks, government ministries and businesses reopened on Thursday,
after the worst riots for 30 years on the Indian Ocean island forced a
two-day closure. Schools remained shut.

Police said they had removed roadblocks set up by Creole demonstrators who
torched at least 200 vehicles in the clashes.

"The main roads linking Port Louis to other towns and villages of the
island are now opened, but some areas of the city are still very tense," a
senior police officer told Reuters.

Creoles clashed with police around the island from Sunday, and on Wednesday
witnesses also reported fighting between hundreds of Creoles and members of
the majority Hindu population in the town of Quatre-Bornes.

Smaller clashes between Creoles and Hindus were reported in the town of
Triolet, around 12 km (7 miles) north of the capital on Thursday.

The riots have brought to the surface underlying ethnic and economic
tensions. Creoles, who make up around 30 percent of the island's population
of 1.1 million, are the mixed blood descendents of former slaves and many
argue they are discriminated against.

Politicians and religious leaders from Catholic, Moslem and Hundu faiths
called for an end to the violence.

Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam said on state-owned television on
Wednesday night that the clashes had tarnished the island's reputation and
the rioters would be severely punished.

"Our country is witnessing a sad moment in its history. A group of persons
are sabotaging our economy, but the police have been vested with all powers
to provide peace and security to persons in danger," Ramgoolam said.

Opposition leader Paul Berenger said the island would be fragmented along
ethnic lines if the authorities did not put a stop to the troubles.

Mauritius gained independence from Britain in March 1968 and since then a
series of alliances between parties based around the island's Hindu ethnic
group have ruled.

Hindus make up just over 50 percent of the population, with Moslems
accounting for around 15 percent. There are also small Chinese and European
communities.