MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian military transported 115 passengers in two flights from the restive French Pacific territory of New Caledonia and a French government flight was expected to evacuate another 100 stranded passengers on Wednesday, an Australian government minister said.
Six people were killed, including two police officers, and hundreds of people were injured during recent armed clashes, looting and arson in New Caledonia.
Unrest broke out on 13 May when the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make changes to New Caledonia’s voter lists. Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-French politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who once suffered from strict policies of segregation and widespread discrimination.
French president Emmanuel Macron is expected to land on Thursday in New Caledonia, where indigenous people have long sought independence. The unrest has raised new questions about Macron’s handling of France’s colonial legacy.
Australian citizens made up 84 of the passengers who flew in two Royal Australian Airforce C-130 Hercules from the capital Noumea to the Australian east coast city of Brisbane on Tuesday night, Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said.
Conroy did not say what the nationalities of the remaining 31 passengers were. But he said Australia had reciprocal agreements with Canada and Japan to help their citizens in crises.
More than 200 other Australians have been registered with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to leave the South Pacific territory, where a 12-day state of emergency has been declared.
“We prioritized the elderly, pregnant women and the most vulnerable,” Conroy told Nine Network television.
“We will continue to work with the French government to ensure we remove all Australians from New Caledonia who want to leave,” Conroy added.
Conroy said he was told France was planning more flights to Brisbane on Wednesday.
“The French have indicated that they intend to continue to repatriate foreign nationals, especially tourists, so the main plan is more French flights, but… we have contingency plans and we have planes on standby in case there are any problems with that course of action,” Conroy he later told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“A French plane is expected to leave for Brisbane this afternoon or evening and we expect around 100 Australians to be on it,” Conroy added.
A New Zealand Defense Force C-130 Hercules transported 48 passengers “with the most urgent needs” from Noumea to the New Zealand city of Auckland on Tuesday night, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement. communicated.
A French-operated flight would bring the stranded New Zealanders home via Brisbane on Wednesday, the statement said. The New Zealand military would fly on the Brisbane-Auckland leg. Around 265 New Zealanders wanted to leave New Caledonia.
Australian tourist Malisa Plesa said she expected to be evacuated by the Australian air force on Tuesday, but remained in a Noumeau hotel on Wednesday.
“We actually didn’t receive any notification that we wouldn’t be on these flights. Basically, we were told that we had to wait all day because we might get 20 minutes notice to board one of these flights,” Plesa told Nine.
“However, at around 9pm last night we received communications saying that the French authorities will now coordinate the evacuation of all tourists still remaining in New Caledonia, so for us I think that means we don’t know when we will be able to to go home,” she added.
Australian tourist Fadi Chemali was on board the first Australian military flight to Brisbane.
“Everyone applauded when we landed, we were all so happy,” he said at Brisbane airport.
Chemali had been on holiday with his wife and daughter for a week before the riots began and spent eight days struggling to find a way home.
“I didn’t see any violence up close, but we heard a lot, including gunshots coming from where we were. It’s been quite intense,” Chamali said.
The road to New Caledonia’s international airport remained closed on Wednesday.
