Paris
The French government this week suspended the monthly stipend it pays the king of Wallis, a French island in the South Pacific, because the monarch is harboring his fugitive grandson. King Tomasi Kulimoetoke, 86, allowed his grandson Tunghala, 25, to take refuge in the royal palace after the young man killed a pedestrian in a drunken-driving accident. The king said Tunghala had given the victim’s family several pigs and received their pardon, so under tribal law the case was closed. French authorities, though, say that French law applies in manslaughter cases, and they want to prosecute. As long as the standoff continues, the king will forfeit his nearly $7,000 stipend.
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