Mixed situation report on Tuesday in New Caledonia. The High Commission confirmed that in Houaïlou, the Mining and Quarrying Techniques Training Center burned down. But also that operations were carried out in Mont-Dore, near Saint-Louis and La Coulée, while 37 roadblocks were “lifted” during the night in Noumea.
Difficult night in the village of Poro, in Houaïlou. The Training Center for Mining and Quarrying Techniques suffered a fire, as confirmed by the High Commission in a situation update broadcast on Tuesday. The firefighters were unable to intervene.
The fire spread from the archives side to the rest of the facilities.
Amar Chalal, Director of CFTMC
“Is this the end of a story? ?”asks the CFTMC on Facebook.We no longer have any words to express our dismay at such acts, so incomprehensible to destroy a country training tool in the Northern Province.” The center, created in 1989, has seen the passage ofaround three thousand trainees.
Gcreated by an association, It had been closed since May 7 due to a blockade. Since the beginning of the insurrectional crisis, the structure has suffered various abuses. It will not be able to receive trainees in the coming months. The nineteen staff members are on partial unemployment.
The destruction by fire continues, while New Caledonia is in its eighth week of unrest and violence. Houaïlou is also experiencing a particularly tense situation as demonstrated by the events that occurred this weekend, preventing voters from casting their ballots.
However, state services believe that “Thanks to the work of the police, the public order situation continued to improve during the night and during the morning, with the exception of a few isolated incidents.”. To facilitate, underlines the haussariat, “the continuation of clearing operations on the roads”. According to this press release, in Noumea, “No less than 37 roadblocks were lifted during the night”.
In Mont-Dore, a town split in two since mid-May, “This morning, the gendarmes carried out operations to secure the ‘locks’ located [au Nord et au Sud] from Saint-Louis”. On the Coulee side, “the southern lock was advanced to the outskirts of the place called Rocheliane”that is to say the big turning point after the river when heading towards Noumea. And that “to allow the integration of many residents into the security perimeter”.
A whole series of subdivisions located between Rocheliane and the La Coulée bridge felt very isolated and exposed. However, the notion of a lock in this case refers to a point held, and possibly closed, by the police on either side of the area that is not secure.
“In parallel”confirms the high commission, “a clearing operation took place upstream of the ‘North lock'”which is located on the Thabor side in Saint-Michel. Finally, it is specified that security continues in the South of Mont-Dore. And that 1,675 people have been arrested since the start of the riots, including nearly 700 in the gendarmerie zone.
