France: France has declared a state of emergency in the island New Caledonia in the Pacific and sent in police and military forces to put an end to days of turmoil over the French government’s decision to alter the regulations governing provincial elections.
Despite a nighttime curfew, violence that broke out on Monday night has left three Indigenous Kanak people and a police officer dead. Numerous people have been hurt.
The state of emergency, which grants the authorities broad search and arrest powers, went into effect at 5 a.m. on Thursday (18:00 GMT on Wednesday).
Five persons have been placed under house arrest as “alleged sponsors of the violent disturbances,” according to a statement from the high commission, which is the French government’s representative in New Caledonia. Additional searches are scheduled to occur “in the coming hours.”
It said that around 200 “rioters” had been taken into custody. According to the statement, the government is “determined to quickly restore public order and take all necessary measures to protect the population of New Caledonia.”
To assist in securing New Caledonia’s ports and international airport, which has been closed since the beginning of the week, a contingent of troops was en route from Marseille.
Plans to weaken a 1998 agreement that restricted voting rights by allowing anyone who have lived in New Caledonia for ten years to vote in the territory’s provincial elections have been the source of resentment for weeks.
About 40 percent of the approximately 300,000 residents of the area are Indigenous Kanak people, and many of them are afraid that the transfer will weaken their standing there.
The rioting this week coincided with a vote to approve the bill by the National Assembly in Paris. The new regulations are a constitutional reform, thus before they become operative, a joint session of the National Assembly and the Senate must be called.
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