close 
First Australian flight evacuating citizens from New Caledonia touches down
The French territory of New Caledonia has been consumed by riots sparked by electoral changes by the French government. Australia has begun to evacuate its citizens who are stuck there. (Credit: Australian Broadcasting Corporation/Reuters)
The first Australian government flight from New Caledonia landed in Brisbane on the evening of Tuesday, May 21, after evacuating people from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris.
Around 3,200 people are waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were canceled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said.
FRANCE’S MACRON TO MAKE UNEXPECTED VISIT TO VIOLENCE-HIT NEW CALEDONIA
Bystanders hold a flag of the Socialist Kanak National Liberation Front on a roadblock in Ducos, France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on May 21, 2024. The Pacific territory of 270,000 people has been in turmoil since May 13, when violence erupted over French plans to impose new voting rules that would give tens of thousands of non-indigenous residents voting rights. The unrest has left six people dead, including two police officers, and hundreds injured. (Delphine Mayeur/AFP via Getty Images)
France’s High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings.