premise: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is alarmed by the recent violence in the Kingdom of Tonga, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.
  "He urges the parties to persevere with inclusive national consultations to support the democratic reform process, and to overcome their disagreements through dialogue," the spokesman said in a statement.
  "The secretary-general stands ready to support national and regional efforts aimed at facilitating a broad political consensus, " the statement said.
  Riots erupted in Tonga on Nov. 18 when hundreds of pro- democracy rioters destroyed around most of the capital Nuku'alofa' s business district. Nearly 30 Chinese-owned stores were set afire or looted by the mobs.
   What led to the UN Secretary-General to be alarmed?
hypothesis: the democratic reform process