Australians planning to holiday in New Caledonia in the South Pacific have been advised to reconsider due to ongoing tensions and crime in the island nation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade updated its advice on Tuesday, urging Australians to avoid unnecessary travel to the French archipelago as arson attacks and vehicle thefts continue amid civil unrest.
Political protests planned for the coming days could quickly turn violent, the department warned.
“Demonstrations and protests may increase in numbers leading up to the Sept. 24 national holiday,” the department’s update said. Smart traveler site read.
The warnings come despite increased police and security presence in the region.
The nationwide nighttime curfew will be increased between September 21 and 24, and will apply between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The current curfew is from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
The department urged Australians currently in New Caledonia to avoid demonstrations and public gatherings and to follow the advice of local authorities.
Tourists have been warned to “reconsider” their need to travel to New Caledonia
The island paradise was engulfed in protests and riots in May following a French electoral plan
DFAT fears tensions sparked in May could become dangerous in the run-up to a national day
“Please reconsider your need to travel to New Caledonia due to ongoing civil unrest and travel disruptions,” the site warned.
Historical political tensions between the indigenous Kanak people and the French ruling authority came to a head in May after French President Emmanuel Macron planned electoral reforms in the territory.
The government aimed to extend provincial voting rights to French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for more than 10 years.
It would have given the right to vote to 24,000 people in the territory, almost 40 percent of the territory’s population is Kanak.
However, the government’s ambitions, since put on hold, angered locals who believed the move would appease the Kanak vote.
Many feared the plan would hamper New Caledonia’s independence movement and plunge the island into chaos and protests.
In May, activists clashed with police, sparking civil unrest that has yet to fully subside.
Houses, cars and public buildings were set on fire amid prolonged unrest, which was further intensified by the arrests of pro-independence leaders.
The French government tried to reform the electoral processes in the territory, provoking unrest
Ten people are said to have died in the conflicts and tourists have largely abandoned the islands.
Australian tourists were among those stranded in May when a state of emergency was declared in New Caledonia and commercial flights were suspended in May.
The New Caledonia Chamber of Commerce estimates that losses and damages on the island since the beginning of the crisis amount to around $1 billion.
In some suburbs, residents maintain hastily constructed barricades on their streets.
