The first flights carrying Australians returning home from New Caledonia after a week of deadly rioting landed in Brisbane on the night of May 21.
This comes as French President Emmanuel Macron is making a surprise trip to the Pacific territory to deal with the unrest that resulted in six deaths and significant destruction to buildings and properties.
A total of 108 people–84 Australians and 24 other nationals–were evacuated from New Caledonia via two Royal Australian Air Force planes.
On May 22, Pacific Minister Pat Conroy provided an update on the rescue operation.
“We’ve prioritised the elderly, the pregnant and the most vulnerable,” he told Nine News.
“We'll continue to work with the French government to make sure we get every Australian out of New Caledonia who does want to leave.”
The minister said the military planes also helped evacuate other nationalities due to reciprocal agreements with countries like Canada and Japan.
At present, there are still 200 Australians trapped in New Caledonia who are awaiting rescue.
While the French government has planned to organise flights from Noumea to Brisbane on May 22, Mr. Conroy said the Australian government had other backup plans if the flights did not eventuate.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong also said the Australian government would continue to work with other countries to secure more evacuation flights.
Prior to that, the minister had spoken with her French counterpart on May 20 to request access to the territory and received clearance for two flights on May 21.
The Australian government has advised citizens against travelling to New Caledonia and told those trapped in the territory to limit their movement.
Socialist-led pro-independence supporters voiced their concerns over moves by the French National Assembly to introduce voting changes.
The movement is concerned it will weaken the local indigenous Kanak vote by giving voting rights to French residents who have lived in the territory for over 10 years.
The rioters caused significant damage to the territory as they set buildings alight, looted shops, destroyed vehicles and barricaded roads.
As the riot escalated, violence was no longer confined to pro-independence protesters and French police and spread to demonstrators and civilian groups of pro-French residents, with frequent clashes between them.
The French government has deployed 1,000 security personnel to the territory to stabilise the situation, with hundreds more to be sent.
So far, 270 rioters have been arrested, while the territory is under a 12-hour curfew between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
French President to Visits New Caledonia
On May 21, a French government spokesperson said Mr. Macron had decided to fly to New Caledonia to deal with the situation there.The president will arrive on May 23 and is expected to stay in the territory for one day.
“Faced with the outbreak of violence, the priority is the return of order to allow dialogue to resume in New Caledonia,” French government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot said.
“We are clear: Much remains to be done before the return to normal. The government is fully mobilised.”
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Mr. Macron would meet with local leaders to seek “a comprehensive political agreement.”
Three ministers will also join the French president on his trip to New Caledonia.
