Lemoine cools

it - for now

As New Caledonians waited tensely for the mid-May visit of the Minister for Overseas Ter ritories Georges Lemoine, a fatal shooting in the northwest spark ed off a round of angry demonst

rations by the Independence

Front and the Palika Party.

On May 11, Louis Poitchily, 31, a member of the revolutio nary socialist Palika Party, was shot dead at Temala village, 320 kilometres northwest of Noumea. Poitchily was killed af ter an argument between four Kanaks and a European outside the village store. A 47-year-old

European, Alphonse Sauvageot,

later gave himself up to police.

In retaliation for the shooting, a larger group of Kanaks then burnt five buildings in the vil lage, including the post office and the store, as well as two cars.

Police had arrived at the scene but were forced to leave for reinforcements. Before burning the buildings, the Kanak group had first thrown rocks at the houses. A woman and two chil dren were reported to be slightly

injured by the rocks.

News of the shooting which amazingly was first reported on local TV as concerning a diffe rent man produced a quick reaction from Independence Front and Palika members. Sev eral hundred Independentists marched that night through Noumea streets, and then held a sit-in in front of the French High Commission, protesting against what they termed “yet another assassination”.

Central Noumea walls and footpaths were extensively spray-painted with protest slogans.

The following day, as Inde pendence Front members demon strated through Noumea and in the interior, Kanaks from Temala and neighboring villages carried Poitchily’s coffin through the streets of Voh, the nearby town.

The burial of Poitchily that afternoon without a death certifi cate or an autopsy posed prob lems for the French judicial sys tem. The family of the dead man had refused permission for the

authorities to enter the tribe and examine the body. A spokesman for the family said: “An autopsy won’t bring him back to life and we are fed up with French justice.’’

Independence Front leaders organised another demonstra tion, of 1000 people, in Noumea on Friday, May 13, as well as smaller ones in the countryside.

The French prosecutor told re porters that Mr Sauvageot, un employed since being laid off by the nickel company SEN, had admitted the killing. He said that an alcohol reading of 0.239 was taken from Sauvageot two hours after the shooting.

After appearing briefly in Noumea’s court to be charged with wilful homicide, Sauvageot was sent to Noumea’s jail Camp Est, pending trial.

Two weeks later, after discreet negotiations between the au thorities, the Poitchily family and Palika, the body was ex humed and an autopsy conducted within the Temala tribe and in the presence of representatives from neighboring tribes.

For the arrival on May 19 of Georges Lemoine, more than half of New Caledonia’s adult population turned out to demons trate their feelings for and against the independence issue. A senior police officer estimated that

25,000 members of anti independence groups marched through Noumea before assembl ing in Noumea’s central park the Place des Cocotiers. En route they delivered a motion to the French High Commission, cal ling for the dissolution of the Territorial Assembly and for new elections in the territory. They claim the Independence Front- Centre party coalition in local power is not representative of the majority. (The Centre party changed sides in June last year and the next elections are not due until July 1984).

For the Independence Front and Palika demonstration, police estimated 7000 to 8000, and again demonstrations also oc curred in country towns. The Independentists marched through Noumea streets and later leaders handed the French High Com mission a motion asking France to set a timetable for independ ence, with autonomy as the first step. The motion also called on France to recognise the legitima cy of the Kanak people as the first occupants of New Caledonia.

At one stage, as the opposing demonstrators assembled at either end of the Place des Cocotiers, they passed within yards of each other. Three squads of riot police successfully

Noumea Notebook Helen Fraser

kept the two groups apart and there were no incidents. Both demonstrations had well or ganised marshals of their own and leaders had called on their supporters not to respond to any provocation. But Mr Lemoine, whose plane arrived three hours late, was taken to the French High Commission by helicopter, where he met political leaders in the afternoon.

On Thursday, May 19, Mr Lemoine visited the interior of New Caledonia and personally experienced the New Caledonian reality that of a vocal and determined anti-independence movement, and, on the other hand, an equally determined pro independence force, with very little middle ground.

During his helicopter trip around the countryside Mr Lemoine visited development projects, farms, schools, war memorials etc. At Poindimie on the east coast, 100 members of Palika demonstrated during the minister’s visit. As Mr Lemoine approached the leader, he de manded to know if the minister really thought the land he was standing on belonged to France.

To shouts from the demon strators of “Reply . . . reply . . Mr Lemoine reflected for

some time before walking away in silence.

When Mr Lemoine crossed to Bourail on the west side of New Caledonia’s main island he found among the welcoming crowd a demonstration of several hun dred. The welcome speech of Bourail’s Centre party mayor was interrupted by abuse and heckling, and calls for New Caledonia to remain French. As the minister left the town hall the noisy group shouted “Reply to us . . . ’ ’ and followed him as he toured the town. Bourail mayor Jean-Pierre Aifa (who is also Speaker of the Territorial Assem bly) later described the behavior of the demonstrators as disgust ing, and said they were people from Noumea not Bourail.

But the long-awaited event was the speech given by Mr Lemoine before the assembly on Friday, May 20, concerning French intentions for the territ ory. However, to the packed and well-guarded assembly, the minister made a “solemn call for responsibility’’ and said that Caledonians must sort out their problems.

The speech, which was broad cast live by local TV and radio, offered something to both sides: for the Independence Front, re

cognition by France of the legiti macy of the Kanak people as New Caledonia’s first occupants, and a guarantee for anti independence forces that all in habitants (except itinerants) would be consulted on the territ ory’s future.

Such a consultation would al most certainly lead to an anti independence vote. The 60,000 Kanaks have become a minority (43 per cent) in their own land in recent decades due to France’s encouragement of immigration to the territory and heavy settlement after colonisation in 1853. There are 80,000 white, Polynesian and Asian settlers in the territory.

On the question of self determination the minister said “France rejects no hypothesis, including independence”, but that all communities would de cide this issue. “If New Caledonia decides one day to become a nation it will be be cause Caledonians themselves have decided to do so and not because the French government decreed it,” he said. In a message to extremists from either side, Mr Lemoine told the assembly that France was determined to maintain law and order and would tolerate no further violence.

The minister also invited New Caledonian political leaders to come to Paris at the end of June for discussions on the proposed statute of autonomy. After the speech the leader of the anti independence republican party (RPCR), Jacques Lafleur said he was “very satisfied’’ with its contents. “For the first time in the past two years the legitimate rights of all communities in New Caledonia have been recog nised,’’ he said.

However, Mr Lafleur is a moderate harder-line anti independence leaders were said to be most displeased with the speech. The Centre party (FNSC) also welcomed the speech. Their leaders said they had waited a long time to hear talk of dialogue and consensus.

In a cooler response, the Inde pendence Front said the speech was made only to appease the population, and that it “categor ically denies colonisation as the indisputable source of the present situation”.

The brief statement added that the minister’s words “cultivated ambiguity, and offered no guarantee for the future in disre garding the Kanak people’s ina lienable right to recover their

sovereignty”.

Helen Fraser.