N. Caledonia violence to increase?

Press, 29 August 1984, Page 1

N. Caledonia violence to increase?

NZPA Tuvalu Violence in New Caledonia will inevitably increase because of the South Pacific Forum leaders’ decision not to have the country put on the United Nations decolonisation list, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister, the Rev. Walter Lini, believes. Forum leaders yesterday urged France to speed up moves towards independence for its colony and set up a five-country committee of New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa, and Vanuatu to talk over the problem with both the French Government and the Independence Front. That New Zealand initiative was agreed to because of the Forum leaders' fear that the Independence Front, which has already approached Libya for help, would move increasingly towards violence, but the leaders stopped short of recommending that the issue should be sent to the United Nations Decolonisation Committee.

They thought there was a danger France would give New Caledonia independence without setting up a new Government system or providing protection for the rights of the Kanaks, a minority of the country’s population. Vanuatu pushed strongly

for the issue to go to the United Nations, and it is believed the Solomon Islands were also in favour of that.

Father Lini told a press conference that Vanuatu alone would try to have the matter taken to the Decolonisation Committee and would again raise it at the United Nations General Assembly next month. He said the Independence Front members had said they would not again bring the issue to a Forum meeting “and I think they mean it.” Violence in the colony would increase now, he said, beginning in the next few weeks.

One man had been killed on August 25 and “it will continue in the direction. It will become more more.”

independence leaders had already approached Libya and with the Forum decision against going to the United Nations “the door is wider open for them to go outside and see where they can get help. "Revolution can take place in a lot of countries including those which are now big Powers,” said Father Lini. “I believe that frustration always causes people to find a way. I consider that the independence group view is legitimate.”