By Gwynne Dyer - With the sole exception of the 50 people on Pitcairn Island, the United Kingdom (once known as the British Empire) liquidated its holdings in the Pacific Ocean long ago. France, by contrast, has a half million citizens in the Pacific (and another 2 million living in other bits of its former empire on islands in all the world’s major oceans).
French President Emmanuel Macron is currently in the Overseas Territory of New Caledonia where he flew urgently for a political solution to ending street killings, riots and arson after a recent change in voting rights infuriated the indigenous population of Kanaks, many groups of whom are seeking independence.
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.
Voters in New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, will choose whether they want independence from France in a referendum that marks a milestone in a three-decade decolonization effort.
The French Pacific island territory of New Caledonia will hold a referendum on independence from France on October 4, a month later than originally planned, due to the coronavirus, the government said on Wednesday.
A fisherman has been killed by a bull shark in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, police said, days after a boy had his leg bitten off in another shark attack.
President Philippe Germain of New Caledonia committed to protecting 200,000 to 400,000 square kilometers of marine waters within the Coral Sea Natural Park, which the government established in 2014.
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.