Pro-Aborigine protesters arrested in Australia

Eighteen demonstrators were arrested Monday in the office of an American-based oil company in Perth as protests against exploratory drilling on a site held sacred by Aborigines gathered force. The drilling is opposed by trade unionists, churchmen, and other Aborigine supporters as well as the Aborigines themselves. Several attempts have been made to stop the convoy by blcoking the road or forming picket lines, but strong police contingents, which usually out-numbered protesters, have kept the route clear.