Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Easter Islands opts for immigration limits

Posted at 03:16 on 26 October, 2009 UTC

The inhabitants of Easter Island have voted overwhelmingly to restrict immigration because of fears of overpopulation.

4,000 people live on the island off Chile which measures 32 kilometres from one end to the other.

The government of Chile, which administers Easter Island, says residents are struggling to cope with the 50,000 tourists who visit each year to see the island’s famous stone statues.

More than 90 percent of those who voted in this weekend’s referendum say they’re worried about an influx of residents from Chile, who’ve moved there to work in the islands tourism industry.