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Tonga's capital of Nuku'alofa was ablaze last night after a democracy protest erupted into a riot involving rampaging youths.
Mobs roamed the streets, overturning cars, smashing windows and setting fires while police watched.
Property owned by Tonga's royal family and Prime Minister were targeted by scores of angry youths, many fuelled by alcohol.
Journalist Mateni Tapueluelu told the Herald from the city streets at 8pm (NZ time) that hundreds of Tongans were roaming the inner-city area smashing windows, trashing businesses, looting goods and setting fires.
Firefighters stood by helplessly as flames raged.
"I would say 80 per cent of the CBD is burning."
The violence broke out after thousands rallied in the capital demanding a vote on proposed democratic reforms to the country's semi-feudal political system.
When the vote did not happen before Parliament went into recess for the year, youths began trashing the Prime Minister's office, the court house and other public buildings.
There were conflicting reports last night that the Government had capitulated and agreed that Parliament would be democratically elected.
But Prime Minister Fred Sevele told the Herald he would not comment on the groups' demands.
Speaking from his office about 11pm, Dr Sevele said: "It's very disappointing and very sad that this has happened. We didn't expect we would get to this stage."
He said his Cabinet would meet today. "We will see where we go from there and what the latest situation is."
The riots had quietened by 8.30pm and a proclamation was issued declaring the downtown area to be "under surveillance" to ensure large groups could not gather.
Dr Sevele had gone on Tongan radio appealing for calm.
"The police and Army are trying to restore order and calm. All we can say at the moment is for people to stay away from the centre of town where there have been fires."
Tapueluelu said the Army had cordoned off part of the capital including the Prime Minister's office, the Treasury, Parliament Buildings and the central police station, although the soldiers were not armed.
He said the police were severely outnumbered and could not control the situation.
"The cops are asking the looters for a candle because of a power blackout.
"There is no shopping centre left in the capital," said Tapueluelu.
"The main shopping centres are already burned out in blocks - it started first with the Prime Minister's own shopping centre.
"They started drinking the beer they looted and from there no one could control them."
Dr Sevele's daughter, Maliana , was managing the store at the time. She told the Matangi Tonga news service that staff had no time to flee.
In New Zealand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade last night said there was some risk to travellers' safety in Tonga.
Its travel advisory website www.safetravel.govt.nz advised New Zealanders to avoid the downtown area of Nuku'alofa, especially areas around government buildings.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement the riots were a "disaster" for Tonga.
He was holding urgent talks with his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, and it would be top of the agenda of a meeting he and Defence Minister Phil Goff would have with Prime Minister Helen Clark when she arrived in Hanoi today for the Apec leaders' summit.
Air New Zealand delayed the departure of its 10.30pm flight to Tonga until 1pm today. A spokesman said the move would allow Air NZ to assess the situation.
Late last night, the looting and burning had spread from the central business district to Chinese-owned shops in nearby villages.
Tapueluelu said the rioters were pro-democracy supporters, and some had been at a rally at which thousands of people demanded that a vote approving democratic reforms take place in the Legislative Assembly before the House rose for the year.
"They demanded that if the Government did not agree to political reform by 2008, they would do something - nobody knew what they meant," he said.
"None of the leading activists or people's representatives were leading this: they tried to stop it but they couldn't stop it."
As well as the Prime Minister's office, the youths attacked public buildings including the Magistrate's Court, the Public Service Commission Office and the Ministry of Finance, plus the Nuku'alofa Club, offices of the Shoreline power company, the ANZ Bank, the Pacific Royale Hotel and other businesses.
Tapueluelu reported that the rioting and burning continued after the Government held an urgent Cabinet meeting and agreed to the people's demands that 21 MPs be elected democratically by 2008.
At present just nine of the 32 MPs are elected by popular vote. The rest are appointed by the King.
It appeared many of the rioters were not aware the Government had apparently acceded to their demands - because their leaders were not able to communicate with them as the kingdom's AM radio station was off the air.
