Kirsty Needham and Lucy Kramer
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Australia and New Zealand said they would send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate citizens from France, which has been grappling with deadly unrest for a week sparked by election changes adopted by the French government in Paris.
The French High Commissioner to New Caledonia said on Tuesday that the airport remained closed to commercial flights and the military would be deployed to protect public buildings.
About 3,200 people were waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were canceled due to unrest that erupted last week, according to local government data.
The French High Commission said more than 1,000 gendarmes and police officers from France were on the job, with another 600 staff to be added in the coming hours.
Six people were killed, the unrest left a trail of burned businesses and cars, looted stores, and road barricades limited access to medicine and food. The Business Chamber said 150 companies were looted and burned.
The foreign ministers of New Zealand, France and Australia met on Monday evening after New Zealand and Australia said they were awaiting permission from French authorities to send military aircraft to evacuate tourists.
A later meeting of the French Defense Council agreed on measures to allow tourists to return home.
“New Zealanders in New Caledonia have had a difficult few days and getting them home was an urgent priority for the government,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the relevant authorities, both in Paris and Noumea, for supporting this flight,” he added. Further flights will be launched in the coming days, he added.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a social media post on Tuesday that approval had been granted for two “Australian Government flights today to assist with departures from New Caledonia for Australian and other tourists.”
Protests erupted last week over anger among indigenous Kanaks over a constitutional amendment approved in France that would change who is allowed to vote in elections, which local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote.