PAPEETE (Tahitipresse/PINA) — The Assembly of French Polynesia paid tribute to the three MPs from the pro-autonomy Fetia Api party who disappeared on May 23 in the Tuamotu islands aboard a light aircraft.
“We all know that our three colleagues are missing but their seats will remain vacant as long as there is a slim chance to find them,” said Assembly Speaker Lucette Taero. Large pictures of the MPs — Boris Leontieff, Arsen Tuairau and Lucien Kimitete — were posted within the assembly during the session.
Said the president of the government of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse: “The government has done everything possible to search the missing plane. We have not ruled out any hypothesis and we checked all the information we had even if they seemed far-fetched.”
He added, “We relied on technical analysis to try to locate the plane but we also followed the advises given by the families of the missing.” MPs were asked to stand while Taero paid tribute to the missing Fetia Api members. But some pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira MPs refused to do so.
