Ministry of Foreign Affairs in contact with Dutch people trying to flee New Caledonia

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with “a limited number of Dutch citizens” in New Caledonia who are trying to flee the region due to unrest. A spokesperson for the ministry confirmed that it was in contact with fewer than ten people.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Netherlands is in contact with Australian and New Zealand authorities about the evacuation of the Dutch citizens. Both countries are sending planes to the French overseas territory to get people away from the area. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to have the Dutch people board those planes if there is space available.

The island group east of Australia has been a source of unrest for days due to protests. An estimated 3,000 people are stuck on the island. The international airport on the island is closed because separatists have refused to lift roadblocks that have paralyzed the Pacific archipelago for a week.

France has deployed over 600 heavily armed police officers to control the road connecting the capital city Noumea with the international airport, but they have been unsuccessful so far.

New Caledonia is a French territory with a special status. Separatist groups are protesting against French plans to allow people to vote who have lived on the island for over ten years. Most of the unrest has occurred in the evenings over the last few weeks. There have been six deaths, including two police officers, and hundreds more have been wounded.

Yet French President Emmanuel Macron said that “progress is being made in the restoration of order” in New Caledonia. He said this during a military meeting in which he decided to temporarily send soldiers to the archipelago to ease the burden on the safety troops in the area. Reports say that a thousand security forces will be sent to the overseas territory in addition to the police officers already sent.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New Caledonia, which manages the airport, reports that it will remain closed for commercial flights until at least Thursday.