Australians evacuated from New Caledonia after being stranded for over a week amid violent protests have expressed immense relief upon returning home.
On Tuesday night, two Royal Australian Air Force planes touched down in Brisbane, bringing back 108 Australians and other tourists who had been stranded due to the closure of the French Pacific territory’s international airport.
Simultaneously, the New Zealand military airlifted 48 people to Auckland.
France announced plans to evacuate around 500 people using military aircraft starting Wednesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron is en route to the territory, which is experiencing its most severe unrest in decades, and is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. He will be accompanied by the country’s interior minister and armed forces minister to initiate a dialogue mission.
Macron’s visit comes in response to over a week of turmoil triggered by his government’s voting reform plans, which have been rejected by the indigenous Kanaks.
Indigenous leaders argue that the reforms, which would allow more French residents to vote in local elections, would undermine the political influence of native people.
Among those evacuated by the Australian rescue flights was Mary Hatten and her family, who were on vacation in the usually idyllic destination.
“By [last] Tuesday morning… the place was just in a mess, which was very sad for the locals, for the tourist industry, and I suppose to some extent for our own personal enjoyment. We were pretty much confined to the hotel,” Ms. Hatten told the ABC.
“When we landed [in Brisbane], it was just like: ‘Oh, thank God we’re here!'”
Others who were evacuated have deep connections to New Caledonia.
Gary Salmon, a Gold Coast resident in Queensland, has worked in New Caledonia’s nickel mining industry for 20 years.
“It’s very unfortunate what’s happening there at the moment, it’s such a beautiful country,” he told the ABC.
“I’d hate to estimate the damage over there, it won’t be millions, it’ll be billions.”
Many Australians remain in New Caledonia, with about 300 registered as being stranded in or near the capital, Noumea.
“We continue to work with partners on further flights, prioritising passengers based on need,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on social media.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated that the government is “working with France and Australia on a further flight [on Wednesday] to bring another group of Kiwis in New Caledonia home via Brisbane, using French and New Zealand aircraft.”
Evacuation flights will continue “until the reopening of La Tontouta International Airport,” the French High Commission in Noumea said on Wednesday.
In its daily update on the crisis, it reported that 84 police officers and gendarmes had been injured since the start of the disturbances, with over 280 rioters arrested, including more than 20 on Tuesday.
A state of emergency remains in effect, which includes a night-time curfew and a ban on gatherings and the sale of alcohol.