Setting a great example

If Howard signed the ASEAN non-aggression treaty, he might at least have some moral high ground.

Angry mobs burnt down buildings and threatened to kill police and media during a riot over a death in custody on troubled Palm Island, off the north Queensland coast.

Up to 300 residents of the Aboriginal community rampaged over the death of local man Cameron Doomadgee, torching the island's police station, lobbing petrol bombs at the police residential barracks and attacking other government-owned buildings.

Palm Island resident Nicky Bull said the situation was worse than during this year's Redfern riots in Sydney.

"The atmosphere is just anger amongst the residents here but it's very, very freaky here at the moment because a lot of those people are not used to seeing our people like this," she told ABC radio.

abc