Repatriation Of Tonkinese

May Resume Soon

From a Noumea Correspondent The repatriation of the Tonkinese in New Caledonia and ic New Hebrides may be resumed soon, according to the 7 ice-President of New Caledonia’s Government Council, Mr.

Lock Pidjot.

R. PIDJOT said this recently after returning to Noumea from s where he had talks on the sub with French Government officials.

Maurice Lenormand, New Cale a’s Deputy in the French Parlia t, also attended the talks and re ed with Mr. Pidjot. )me 1,638 Tonkinese, more than of them children, were re lated from New Caledonia to th Vietnam about two years ago, about 2,000 are still awaiting ages. one has been repatriated from New Hebrides, where about 90 cent, of the 2,000-odd in the up have opted to go home. Those wish to stay are mainly Roman lolics. Those who wish to go are imunists. . plan to repatriate the Tonkinese n New Caledonia and the New irides stopped suddenly in April, 1, after a chartered ship, the tern Queen , had made three

voyages from Noumea. She was on her way to the New Hebrides to embark the first contingent of 400 Tonkinese from that Group when the voyage was cancelled because of diplomatic pressure on the French Government from South Vietnam authorities.

The Tonkinese were imported into New Caledonia and the New Hebrides before the war to work as labourers on French plantations.

They had contracts providing for their repatriation after five years.

However, after 1940, wartime con ditions made it impossible to re patriate them; and the division of their country after the war into a Communist north and a non- Communist south further delayed their repariation until the French signed an agreement in Hanoi with North Vistnam in 1960.

Most New Caledonians agree that the Tonkinese have had a pretty rough deal over their repatriation.

most all the Tonkinese in the New Hebrides live in shanties such as his outside either Vila or Santo. This photograph was taken at Santo.