Police Who Kidnapped President Release Him

Riot police who kidnapped the president early Saturday to force him to pay overdue wages released him at day’s end.

Throughout the day, the 30,000 residents of Port Vila, the capital of this South Pacific archipelago, went about their business. A cricket match was played as scheduled near the president’s home and people shopped on the coconut palm-lined streets.

After the Cabinet settled the dispute, the president, Jean Marie Leye, broadcast the appeal for a calm. Most, however, seemed unaffected by the political intrigue in Port Vila, a favorite harbor for yachts and Australian vacationers because of its spectacular coral reefs.