France declared a 12-day state of emergency in the Overseas Territory of New Caledonia, following riots and arson that left at least four people killed. The trigger of the violence came after the French assembly in Paris passed a contentious voting bill, according to New Caledonia High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, who said that a curfew and a ban on TikTok were now in force.
The government of the French Overseas Territory of New Caledonia, to the east of Australia appealed to security forces and issued a 12-hour overnight curfew for Tuesday night following violent protests and rioting in the capital Noumea.
Voters on the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia were on course to reject breaking away from France in a referendum on Sunday, partial results showed. With votes from 282 out of 304 polling stations tallied, the partial results showed the no camp ahead with 53.6% support after expanding its lead as results came in from the capital, Noumea, traditionally a bastion of pro-Paris loyalty.
New Caledonia, an idyllic French Overseas Territory island territory in the southwestern Pacific, votes Sunday on whether to seek full independence from Paris, 18,000 km away Thirty years in the making, Sunday’s referendum will call 174,154 voters to the polls to test the appeal of remaining a part of France, a vector of state subsidies but also, some feel, a kind of neglect.