Noumea [New Caledonia], May 17: French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday proposed to hold negotiations with New Caledonia officials, and called for the resumption of political dialogue.
The riot broke out because of a new bill, passed by French lawmakers on May 14, allowing residents of the country who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in provincial elections. Some local leaders are concerned this will dilute the votes of the indigenous Kanak people.
Faced with the above situation, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the rioting situation was "causing serious concern throughout the Pacific region". Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for calm, promoted exchanges between the parties, and advised Australians to consider moving to the city of Noumea in New Caledonia.
The countries of Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands warn that property destruction will greatly affect the economy and negatively impact the lives of people in New Caledonia.
According to The Guardian , French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that the army had been deployed to ensure security for ports and international airports in New Caledonia. Local authorities also banned the social networking platform TikTok due to suspicions of its use by rioters.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper