Sydney/Wellington: The governments of Australia and New Zealand have announced plans to dispatch government airplanes to new caledonia, where citizens evacuated from French territory after a week of violence over the French government’s changes in Paris.
The French High Commission on Tuesday explained its commercial airports were still shut with the army being sent to protect public buildings.
Over 3,200 people are stuck in New Caledonia due to disruptions that began last week following cancellation of commercial flights, local authorities said.
More than 1,000 gendarmes and police from France were reported to be on duty by the French High Commission in addition to another 600 personnel who will be deployed soon.
Burned out car carcasses and debris are being cleared away as roads in Noumea open up again for traffic.
Six people died in riots that saw businesses burned down, cars destroyed, stores looted and roadblocks erected cutting off access to essential medicine and food. It also said that 150 business enterprises one hundred and fifty companies have been looted or burnt down.
This followed reports by Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers that both countries have had waiting for permission from France before they could send militarized planes there for evacuation purposes.
During a subsequent meeting of the French Defense Council there was an agreement on arrangements allowing tourists to return home.
“There is little doubt that these days will prove difficult for many New Zealanders in New Caledonia; therefore delivering them home is an urgent task,” stated NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
He added: “We wish to acknowledge that we have been assisted by authorities in Paris and Noumea who helped us make this flight possible,” more flights were on their way later this week he promised
In her social media post on Tuesday Australian Foreign Minister Wong Yin-yin noted consent had been granted for two “flights supported by the Australian Government departed today from New Caledonia for Australians as well as other tourists.”
protest Their response resulted in an outbreak last week. Aboriginal Kanak people The French government has approved a constitutional amendment that would change who can stand in elections, which local leaders fear will weaken votes in Kanak.
According to Viro Xulue, a member of a community group providing social assistance to other Kanaks during this crisis, it looks like a return to the 1980s civil war, and people are afraid.
“We are really scared by the police, the French soldiers and also we are afraid of anti-Kankak militia terrorist groups”, he said Xu Lu in video interview with Reuters.
In an earlier statement on Monday night the French High Commission had reported that out of six people who died during the riots three were young kanaks killed by armed civilians while others were killed following confrontations between kanak protestors and private defense forces or militias formed for self-protection.
“The French government doesn’t know how to control the people here. They sent more than two thousand troops to control it but it failed,” Xu Lue said.
Pro-independence parties have stated that they will only restart dialogue if electoral reforms proposed by France are withdrawn; France insists there must be a return to order first before talks can commence.
