'Massive' French police deployment arrives to secure New Caledonia
French police reinforcements have started arriving in New Caledonia as part of a massive operation to regain control of the capital, an official said.
French police reinforcements have started arriving in New Caledonia as part of a massive operation to regain control of the capital, Noumea, the top French official in the Pacific island territory said Friday.
The number of police and gendarmes on the French-ruled island will rise to 2,700 from 1,700 by Friday evening.
After rioting that began on Monday resulting in four deaths and hundreds of arrests, Thursday night was relatively calm, France’s High Commissioner Louis Le Franc told reporters in a televised news conference.
There were still points of confrontation and concern in the city of Noumea, he said.
Operations to supply food and medicine to the public will begin with teams, including specialists in mine clearing, removing road barricades that have been booby trapped by activists, he said.
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