Paradise Retained?

 This possibly remaining vestige of colonialism is hardly brought up by the mainstream media.

The recent riots in Noumea, blamed on the Melanesian Kanak independence movement, is part of a brewing dissatisfaction evident in New Caledonia in as many years.

The bright side - Even if the French territories in the South Pacific are so far away from Europe, their residents of whatever background amazingly are given full rights to vote in French  elections - something the British, Germans, Portuguese and Dutch never did in Africa or Asia.

Noumea is pretty scenic and is part of the romanticised chain of still French controlled part of South Pacific locations that include Tahiti and Bora Bora.

It is nearer for Aussies from the east coast to fly to New Caledonia than to fly to Singapore or Bangkok.

There is a direct flight from Changi Singapore to
Noumea on AirCalin.

The Down side - it can be very expensive to maintain political, military and supply logistic control  over a few isles on the other side of the world.

Still Paris can quickly send a thousand troops to New Caledonia quickly following the recent extensive riots in May this
year in Noumea.

Tiny New Caledonia is the world's fourth largest producer of Nickel,  after Indonesia, Phillippines and Russia.  Almost a quarter of people employed in New Caledonia work in the nickel production sector.

South east and East Asians migrated to New Caledonia in the past for this nickel mining rush.

There can be issues with environmental impact from nickel mining.


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