France lifts state of emergency in New Caledonia, paving way for political dialogue

The decision comes after Mr Macron visited New Caledonia on May 23 to meet with political and community leaders and pledged dialogue with stakeholders. The lifting of the state of emergency, effective from 8pm Paris time, is expected to help ease tensions and facilitate negotiations.

Smoke rises during protests in Noumea, New Caledonia, on May 15. Photo: AP

The state of emergency was imposed on May 15 to give police increased powers to tackle violence. However, after careful consideration, President Macron decided to lift the measure to encourage the parties involved to engage in dialogue. During his visit, he also called on all parties to engage in “concrete and serious” talks to resolve the issues at hand.

The unrest in New Caledonia began earlier this May after the French government proposed changes to electoral laws that were seen as favoring French Europeans over the indigenous Kanak people. The Kanaks staged protests, leading to violent clashes with police.

Unrest in New Caledonia has been a persistent problem for decades. The archipelago has held two independence referendums, in 1987 and 2018, but both were rejected.

The lifting of the state of emergency is seen as a positive step in efforts to resolve the unrest in New Caledonia, but concerns remain about the possibility of renewed violence if talks fail to make progress.

Thu Giang (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phap-do-bo-tinh-trang-khan-cap-tai-new-caledonia-post297021.html