PORT LOUIS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Mauritian government has approved a proposal to amend the Police Act to allow curfews to be imposed across the entire country, according to the Highlights of Cabinet Meeting published on Friday.
According to the document, the proposed amendment will be submitted to the National Assembly.
During a televised address on Friday evening, Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam said that "a return to calm" had been observed in most parts of the country on Thursday evening, with the exceptions of a sugarcane field fire and an incident in which a motorist allegedly drove at residents who were keeping watch over their neighborhood.
The Prime Minister's Office announced on Friday that the curfew would be in force from 10:00 p.m. local time to 4:30 a.m. local time the following morning, from Friday to Sunday, with shorter hours than under previous curfew measures.
Ramgoolam said the Cabinet would meet next Monday to assess the situation and decide on further measures in light of developments over the weekend.
Mauritius has been under a nightly curfew since Tuesday, following incidents of unrest that began on Monday evening in several parts of the country. During the disturbances, individuals set fire to various objects, blocked roads, vandalized police stations and shops, and torched vehicles.
The acts of violence come amid tensions over water supply difficulties and public outrage over the shooting and injury of Elodie Thomas, a 27-year-old woman, in an incident involving a police officer on Oct. 9. According to reports, Thomas was shot without any apparent justification. ■