Bitter Confrontation To Noumea

Policeman's Fatal Shot Brings A

From a Noumea correspondent

The fatal shooting of a young Melanesian by a Noumea policeman during an incident on December 27 in Noumea’s central square has aroused further bitter confrontation between New Caledonian Melanesians and the French administration.

Victim of the shooting was 22year-old Richard Kamouda, from the east coast town of Poindimie.

He was shot around 10 pm by a metropolitan French policeman, one of three police to intervene in what appeared as a brawl between three young Melanesians. Needless to say, the whole population was shocked at the killing, with resentment and indignation on the Melanesian side and fear of reprisals among the European community.

The shooting led, almost within minutes, to gatherings of up to 2,000 people in the streets of Noumea, with militant Melanesians and their supports using microphones to call for Kanaka independence in New Caledonia. An Action Committee for the Kamouda Affair (CAAK) was straightway formed and included five Kanaka leaders in the Territorial Assembly.

On the other hand, another com mittee was formed in support of police action to maintain law and order. On January 8, groups of police walked the streets of Noumea handing out pamphlets to defend their position. At the earliest signs of public demonstrations, bands of police and riot squad (gardes mobiles) had been sent on to the streets equipped with arms, helmets and shields.

These incidents led to violent re criminations in the Territorial Assem bly. Melanesian Yann Celene Uregei, leader of the Union Multiraciale Party, accused the territory’s Secretary-General, Mr Claude Erig nac, of having tried to hide the real cause of Kamouda’s death when he went to the young man’s tribal village.

Mr Erignac, acting head of the territory in the absence of Governor Eriau in France, hotly denied the accusation and the assembly debate was closed in up roar.

Amid a rapidly-deteriorating cli mate in Noumea, a second meeting of the assembly on January 7 con demned the distribution of tracts inciting the locals to violence.

Numerous speakers condemned the French administration for its tardi ness in tracking down those respons ible for a violent tract distributed on New Year’s Eve calling for direct action in the name of an “Action Committee against Independence”.

Assembly members pointed out that in September, 1969, the Mela nesian authors of certain tracts had been rapidly arrested, brought before the courts and imprisoned.

In an emotional speech denouncing the anti-independence committee and their tract, Mr Uregei said: “Let them realise that death is part of our struggle and if we must die we will die, our heads held high for a Kanaka New Caledonia”.

Other assembly members con demned a tract distributed by the Kamouda Committee (CAAK), which called for a “general uprising”, for “rebellion against French colonialism” and referred to the day “when the French Government will be expelled from the territory”.

Maurice Lenormand, a leader of the Union Caledonienne, denounced the “armada” of armed, helmeted police sent out to every street demon stration and said this was “sheer provocation”.

Lenormand also pointed out that it seemed only Melanesians were

victims of the authorities’ guns. He mentioned a second incident on De cember 30 when gendarmes chased and shot at a car near Paita, just beyond Noumea, simply because it did not have a number plate.

Mr Erignac said the car had driven through two road blocks. However, this second use of guns, this time by the gendarmerie, also shocked the Caledonians.

It is strange to note that the be ginning of protests over Richard Kamouda’s death in Noumea and the massive 2,700-man protest meet ing by Jimmy Stevens directed against the British in the New Heb rides, both occurred on December 27.

The whole turmoil of events occurred against a serious economic background, with the Caledonian Territorial Assembly again urging employment preference for the locals over new arrivals from France.

In addition, the assembly has been repeatedly refusing exhortations from Mr Erignac that they must vote the SA2O million extra local taxes pro posed by the French Administration to overcome the budget deficit. The Caledonians are stolidly replying that they are not responsible for local economic problems engineered by Paris.

At the time, Governor Eriau, High Commissioner for France in the Pacific, was on mission in France. Both New Caledonia and the

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Teive Gorodey of Group 1878 harangues a crowd of about 2,000 gathered in Noumea to protest against the shooting.

Photo: Chris Plant

New Hebrides have growing move ments calling for independence and this on the eve of the arrival of French Overseas Territories Minister, Olivier Stirn, expected in Noumea by early February.

Some observers would see the bitter confrontation since December 27 as a repeat of past French ad ministration performances in allow ing, if not inciting, Melanesian vio lence to overflow, thereby frightening the Europeans and thus giving France another opportunity to sup press opposition and declare that her presence is essential to maintain the peace between what would allegedly otherwise be economic exploitation (of the Melanesians) or death (of the Europeans).

Mr Uregei, leader of the Union Multiraciale Party, in an atempt to enlist support in Fiji and, perhaps, have Fiji’s delegation at the United Nations raise the matter there, visited Fiji in the second week in January.

He had a meeting with Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau. Later, he saw com mittee members of the Conference for a Nuclear Free Pacific and said that, after the fatal shooting, the administration censored radio, tele vision and newspaper reports. • The Niue Hotel, opened in March, 1975, had accommodated only 20 tourists by about the end of November. The hotel which cost about $220,000, was paid for by NZ government grants. It can accommo date up to 40 guests. In an effort to boost the tourist industry for the island, room tariffs have been halved till March 31.