Protesters block New Caledonia roads as French police pour in (updated)

Nickel Industries

20/05/2024 07:02

(Adds nickel prices in paragraph 5, adds airport closure
information in paragraph 7, adds political comment in paragraph
20.)
    By Kirsty Needham and Layli Foroudi
       SYDNEY/PARIS, May 20 (Reuters) - A thousand police
arrived in New Caledonia from France and streets were relatively
calm after a week of unrest, the French High Commission said on
Monday, but roads were blocked by protesters and the airport
remained shut, stranding tourists. 
    Blockades of roads would continue, Field Action
Co-ordination Cell (CCAT), the activist group organising the
protests in the French-ruled Pacific island, said in a
statement, urging protesters to use a peaceful approach. 
    Road blocks were making it a challenge to get food supplies
to stores in several areas or to provide secure travel for
medical staff, New Caledonia government officials said, adding,
however, that there were no shortages of supplies or staff.
    Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "the
situation there is deeply concerning", after a night of fire and
looting.
    France's top official in the territory, Louis Le Franc, said
on Sunday a police operation to regain control of the road from
capital Noumea to the international airport would take several
days. Gendarmes had dismantled 76 road blocks, the High
Commission said on Monday.
    Airline Aircalin said the airport would remained closed
until Thursday.
    Protests erupted last week, sparked by anger among
indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved
in France that would change who is allowed to participate in
elections, which local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote.
        Six people have been killed and the unrest has left a
trail of burnt businesses and cars and looted shops, with road
barricades restricting access to medicine and food. The business
chamber said 150 companies had been looted and burnt. 
  
        
  
        EVACUATIONS AWAITED
  
        Pro-independence political parties say they want the
French government to withdraw the electoral reform before they
restart talks.
  
        "We need strong actions [from the government] to calm
the situation ... this is a political, not a security issue,"
said Dominique Fochi, secretary general of the pro-independence
Caledonian Union.
  
        Shares of Australian nickel miners were on the rise as
underlying prices surged by 7% over the weekend due to unrest in
New Caledonia, a key global supplier of the metal.
  
    Australia's Albanese earlier told ABC radio his country was
awaiting approval from French authorities to send an evacuation
flight to pick up tourists stranded in New Caledonia hotels.
    Around 300 Australians have registered with consular
officials in the French territory, which lies in the southwest
Pacific, some 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia.
    There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New
Caledonia as commercial flights were cancelled due to the unrest
that broke out last week, the local government said.
    New Zealand defence aircraft were on standby and also
awaiting the French go-ahead to repatriate nationals, its
Foreign Minister Winston Peters wrote in a post on X on Sunday. 
   

 (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney, Lucy Craymer in
Wellington and Layli Foroudi in Paris; Editing by Sonali Paul
and Bernadette Baum)
 ((Kirsty.Needham@thomsonreuters.com;))