Evacuation flights land in New Caledonia and Macron is on his way

Reports stated that, on Wednesday night, police removed about 90 barricades set up by demonstrators, and two fires broke out. Reuters.

Jimmy Naona, spokesman for the Alliance of Independence Parties, told the news agency that the police go around removing these barriers, but immediately afterwards the youth put them up again, so it is like a game of cat and mouse.

Reuters reported that about 20 people were arrested on Tuesday. In all, about 280 people were arrested last week in what was described as the deadliest riot in 40 years.

The airport is still there Closed to commercial flights until at least May 25. But during Tuesday, the first evacuation flights landed from New Zealand and Australia to bring back tourists who had been stranded over the past week. On Wednesday, another 100 Australians were able to leave the island group, but many were still left behind, reports said. ABC.

– When we landed in Brisbane, it was like: “Oh, thank God we're here!” Mary Hatten tells the channel.

France is expected to be able to evacuate about 500 people by military aircraft in the coming days, he writes Reuters.

Late Tuesday French President Emmanuel Macron boarded the plane heading to New Caledonia. Also with him are the Minister of Defense and Interior. They will meet with politicians from all parties and talk about post-riot reconstruction and politics, Reuters reported. But the news agency wrote that the visit is unlikely to lead to any decisive decisions.

At the same time, residents hope that the president will withdraw the new law, or at least postpone it.

– If he comes here just to provoke, it will only be bad, Jimmy Naona tells Reuters.

Six people have Hundreds have been killed and injured, including police officers, since the outbreak of demonstrations. Hundreds of French police were sent to the island to try to quell the violent protests, as indigenous people demonstrated against a new French law granting voting rights to French residents on the island for 10 years. The indigenous people, who make up about 40 percent of the island's population, believe that the law is an attempt by the French government to strengthen its control over New Caledonia. Supporters, for their part, believe the law would make the pool of eligible voters better represent the island's residents.

The Pacific island group was colonized by France in the mid-19th century and today is a French territory with special status. Over the years, political tensions between the French government and the indigenous population rose CNN.