“Talk independence

New Caledonia

“Talk independence or we don’t talk at all” - U.C.

More than 3000 Union Caledonienne members gathered at Sarramea, 130 kilometres north of Noumea, in November, for the 13th annual congress of their party.

A major resolution to emerge by unanimous decision from the three-day congress was that dis cussions on autonomy will be

possible only if they are clearly

designed to lead to independ ence. The French Government has promised a reform of New

Caledonia’s statute in order to grant more autonomy. But now no leaders of the Union Caledonienne can participate in autonomy discussions without a prior guarantee of independence.

The congress also adopted in principle the outline of a con stitution for a Kanak socialist state, in the form of a democratic decentralised republic. The na tional parliament would com prise a national assembly elected by universal suffrage, and a se nate of “custom” chiefs. The latter would rule on matters af fecting customary Kanak socie ty, while the national assembly

would legislate on matters of state.

One guest at the congress was Pastor Simon Buama of New Caledonia’s Evangelical Church, who stressed the support of his church for the Independence Front and their goals.

Other speeches of support were given by union leaders, leaders of other parties in the Independence Front, and by Jean-Claude Routier, a member of the executive bureau of the French Socialist Party. Mr Routier said his visit to New Caledonia had enabled him to see first hand the “scandalous and extraordinary conditions” in which the Kanak people existed.

He assured the congress that changes were taking place, even though these were not sufficient ly in evidence for some. He said his party was aware of the Inde pendence Front’s aim for inde pendence in 1984, but that he hoped decisions would be taken democratically, in a spirit of sol idarity and friendship.

During the same weekend as the congress, a group of Melane sians occupied land belonging to the Devillers family near Baco, 300 kilometres north of Noumea.

The group was led by Rene Guiart (son of French an thropologist, Professor Jean Guiart), and Augustin Wabealo.

They set up barricades on roads leading to the property, and built a symbolic house on the farmer’s land. Several hundred Garde Mobile personnel were at the scene but did not intervene for fear of provoking violence. A Right-wing deputy, Justin Guil lemard, and three other members of his RPCR party, attempted to visit the Devillers family but found their way blocked. Later Mr Guillemard criticised the “nonchalance of the au thorities”, and described French law as being ineffectual in New Caledonia. At an RPCR press conference, party leaders called upon their supporters to be “vigilant and aware of the dangerous political situation which exists.”

A party communique called on the high commissioner and French authorities to ensure that French law is firmly applied to all in New Caledonia, especially laws relating to freedom of movement, personal security and protection of private property.

The RPCR statement added that they will not accept that extremist groups can illegally oc cupy land, erect road barricades,

Jean-Marie Tjibaou, vice president of the New Caledonia Government Council. - Pic tures on this page by David Robie.

Yeiwene Yeiwene, parliamen tary whip for the Independence Front in the Territorial Assem bly of New Caledonia. He at tended a Micronesian solidarity conference in Guam.

obstruct people, and act outside the scope of the law.

Union Caledonienne’s deter mination to declare independ ence in September 1984 was also criticised - the communique said only New Caledonian voters will decide democratically on this point.

When High Commissioner

Jacques Roynette was questioned

on local television about the inci dent of the land occupation and subsequent criticism, his view was that he “did not see a place for incidents which create disor der, when the land reform text is ready, when all speakers are be ing heard and when all (land) claims are being taken into ac count ”. Mr Roynette declared that he would not be pressured from any side, and that order would be maintained. The appli cation of the French land reform project, which seeks to return much land to its tribal owners, is expected to be in place by January 1, 1983.

The political events of November led Jean-Pierre Aifa,

President of the Centrist FNSC, to appeal for moderation from the two major parties, RPCR and Union Caledonienne. He said that these provocations could on ly lead to violence, and that the pressing question now was not whether New Caledonia will re main French or become indepen

dent, but whether the territory would be a land of peace or violence.

Independence Front leader Yeiwene Yeiwene, attended a Micronesian Solidarity and Edu cation Conference in Guam on November 17-19. Mr Yeiwene and Yann Celene Uregei had both been invited to address the conference, which adopted a spe cial resolution on New Caledonia, demanding the inclu sion of the territory on the list of the UN Decolonisation Committee.

The conference also gave its support for the Independence Front proposal that independence be declared on September 24, 1984, and asked member coun tries of the South Pacific Forum to support this timetable. - Helen Fraser in Noumea.

Peacemaker buy

in USA

The anti-nuclear Pacific Peacemaker project, born in Australia and New Zealand, has struck root in the United States.

Articles of incorporation of the new, Seattle-based Pacific Peacemaker project were filed in Washington in October.

American supporters of the project plan to buy the original yacht, Pacific Peacemaker, and promote the anti-nuclear cause in a voyage to the Marshall Islands, Palau, the Soviet Union and Ja pan. The voyage is to begin before June 1983.

Noumea-Cairns

race planned

The Cairns (Queensland) Yacht club intends to conduct a biennial yacht race from Noumea, New Caledonia, to Cairns following the finish of the Club Med Aust ralia—New Caledonia race or ganised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia starting in May from Sydney and Brisbane.

The race is to be known as the

“ 1983 Inaugural

Noumea-Cairns Race”

and will start off Petite Passe, Noumea, New Caledonia on June 6, 1983 at 10.00 hrs. local time, in co-operation with the Cercle Nautique Caledonien.

Course: From the Start, through Amedee Passe, Bougainville Reef (port), Grefton Passage, Fitzroy Island (Stbd.) Finishing Line, Fairway Beacon, 1,330 nautical miles. From a Cairns Yacht Club press release.

The prefix “anti” was inadver tently dropped from the caption to this picture of an anti

independence rally held in

Noumea in July and published in PIM October (p17). The Noumea weekly Corail reacted with one of the paroxysms of rage to which it is so prone, accusing PIM of having perpet rated a “big lie”, and, more serious, utterly unjustly accus ing PIM’s Noumea correspon dent Helen Fraser of involve ment in the “infamous” affair.

The omission was entirely the fault of PIM’s editorial office in Sydney, and PIM’s apologies go to Ms Fraser for inadvertently exposing her to the scurrilities of Corail.