New Caledonia independence party refuses to meet French president's dialogue mission

By Esra Taskin

Paris (AA) - The Caledonian Union, a pro-independence party in New Caledonia, one of five French island territories across the Indo-Pacific, refuses to meet the dialogue mission set up by French President Emmanuel Macron.

France caused chaos and turmoil in New Caledonia in front of the eyes of the world, said the Caledonian Union.

A statement noted that despite the lifting of a state of emergency in New Caledonia, French police and soldiers continued to exert pressure on the island.

It added that 500 people have been detained since May 13 in incidents on the island against the constitutional reform initiative that would undermine the power of locals caused by the French government.

Many New Caledonians have been transferred to prisons in France under miserable conditions, said the statement.

New Caledonia gained autonomy through the Noumea Agreement in 1998, which restricted voting rights to those who resided on the island before 1998 and their descendants, to prevent the indigenous population from becoming a minority.

The indigenous Kanaks believe the French government's constitutional reform initiative violates the Noumea Agreement. The proposed changes would allow French citizens who have lived on the island for at least 10 years to vote in local elections.

On May 13, protests began in response to a French constitutional reform that would marginalize the indigenous Kanak people in elections. Police and gendarmes were deployed throughout the island to quell the Kanaks' legitimate demands, particularly in the capital, Noumea.

Two days later, the New Caledonia administration banned TikTok and declared a 12-day state of emergency.

French official sources said seven people were killed and more than 370 people were detained during the unrest.

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli