harryopal1
Doubtless all forum members have seen new of the riots in New Caledonia. Here is a link to the story and the background to the uprising. I am curious as to what is Balifrog's take on the issue?[URL]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-16/france-declares-state-of-emergency-on-new-caledonia-amid-riots/103853654[/URL][ATTACH type="full"]4102[/ATTACH]
Balifrog
WrDoubtless all forum members have seen new of the riots in New Caledonia. Here is a link to the story and the background to the uprising. I am curious as to what is Balifrog's take on the issue?[URL]https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-16/france-declares-state-of-emergency-on-new-caledonia-amid-riots/103853654[/URL][ATTACH=full]4102[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]Well, that article gives a fair enough resume of the situation.The problems go back several decades, the worst episode being this one :[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouv%C3%A9a_cave_hostage_taking']https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouvea_cave_hostage_taking[/URL]The economic situation is bad, the mining industry doesn't make money and the owners / investors want to get out. Paris have pushed them to stay as a closure of those mines would have terrible consequences on local employment.China is waiting in a corner to economically take over the place. Unaceptable for Paris...Loss of face, and end of us being an "important player" in the Pacific.Continuing to support the place financially doesn't make sense, but it is all about geopolitics... and the economic interest in the 200 nautical miles zone around the islands (fishing, rear earth nodules)The extremist Canaks target (see my post in the other thread) is to make life for metropolitans unbearable so that they leave and feck off back to France.Then the Canacs will have an numeric advantage at regional elections.With the actual system, people who arrived on the island after 1998 can not vote. In ordet to tilt the voting balance about independance to the Paris side, they have decided to change this and any residents with 10 years of presence would be allowed to vote.As those "recent arrivals" are mainly Metropolitan, they will of course vote AGAINST independance, and give Paris an "democratic" reason to keep the place.Keep in mind there are only 270.000 inhabitants with 170.000 having voting rights. So the margins between pro / against independance is very smal.Adding, say 10k new voters can tilt the balance.Ok, time for my morning swim !
harryopal1
Thank you for the reasoned response. Interesting that there are many parallels with New Caledonian and Australian history usually starting with "discovery" by Cook. There is plenty of evidence that there were other European ships hit Australian shores before Cook and possibly so with New Caledonia. It is certainly a Eurocentric point of view to still say Cook "discovered" the various places he visited a if there were no local inhabitants. Cook's visits were followed by similar patterns of a rapid influx of foreigners, displacement of locals and atrocities. The big difference is I guess due to scale. Sheer numbers of English and other Europeans totally overwhelmed Australia's indigenous inhabitants. Ironically, after two hundred years and more of treating Aboriginal people like vermin we are now reaping the whirlwind but not as dramatically as is the case at the moment in New Caledonia. Across much of northern Australia alienated young Aboriginal people are showing their contempt and disdain for white Australians with an explosion of petty crime, car stealing, house break ins and assaults. It is now at a level where in quite large places such as Broome, Alice Springs and Darwin we are seeing white inhabitants leave. In Tasmania recently the historical, bronze statue of a former premier was cut off at the feet. This premier had once beheaded an Aboriginal corpse to keep the head. A sign was sprayed on the plinth, "What goes around......"[ATTACH type="full"]4103[/ATTACH]
Balifrog
Australia was discoverew by Dutch sailor (wikipedia)"The first known landing in Australia by Europeans was in 1606 by Dutch navigator [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Janszoon']Willem Janszoon[/URL] on Australia's northern coast.[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Australia#cite_note-2'][2][/URL] Dutch navigators explored the western and southern coasts in the 17th century and named the continent [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Holland_(Australia)']New Holland[/URL]. [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makassan_contact_with_Australia']Macassan trepangers[/URL] visited Australia's northern coasts from around 1720, and possibly earlier. In 1770, Lieutenant [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook']James Cook[/URL] charted the east coast of Australia and claimed it for [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain']Great Britain[/URL]. "The same James Cook discovered New Caledonia"British explorer [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook']James Cook[/URL] was the first European to sight New Caledonia, on 4 September 1774, during his second voyage.[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-ped-16'][14][/URL] He named it "New [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonia']Caledonia[/URL]", as the northeast of the island reminded him of [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland']Scotland[/URL].[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-ped-16'][14][/URL] The west coast of Grande Terre was approached by the [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Galaup,_comte_de_Lap%C3%A9rouse']Comte de Laperouse[/URL] in 1788, shortly before his disappearance, and the Loyalty Islands were first visited between 1793 and 1796 when Mare, Lifou, Tiga, and Ouvea were mapped by English whaler [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Raven']William Raven[/URL].[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-17'][15][/URL] Raven encountered the island, then named Britania, and today known as Mare (Loyalty Is.), in November 1793.[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-maritimeheritage.org-18'][16][/URL] From 1796 until 1840, only a few sporadic contacts with the archipelago were recorded. About 50 American whalers left record of being in the region (Grande Terre, Loyalty Is., Walpole and Hunter) between 1793 and 1887.[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-maritimeheritage.org-18'][16][/URL][URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-19'][17][/URL] Contacts with visiting ships became more frequent after 1840, because of their interest in [URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalwood']sandalwood[/URL].[URL='https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia#cite_note-pres-hist-14'][12][/URL]"France took it over in 1853[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia[/URL]
harryopal1
Indonesians had been trading across the top end of Australia for centuries. It seems Portuguese ships may also have touched shores in Australia and there are remnants of a Chinese junk off north western Australia. Not to mention flying saucers.[ATTACH type="full"]4104[/ATTACH]
AuroraB
The economic situation is bad, the mining industry doesn't make money and the owners / investors want to get out. Paris have pushed them to stay as a closure of those mines would have terrible consequences on local employment.China is waiting in a corner to economically take over the place.[/QUOTE]1. China financing massive expansion of nickel mining in Indonesia. 2. Nickel prices see a dramatic drop causing shutdown of loss making mines.3. China waiting in the wings for non-China owned miners needing a "helping hand".Classic China playing all sides to expropriate resources.[HEADING=1][I][SIZE=4]"Indonesia's Growing Control Over the Global Nickel Price[/SIZE][/I][/HEADING][I]In Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, this nickel production surge continues to spark political, environmental, and ethical dilemmas. The implications of this oversupply are far-reaching, affecting prices, market dynamics, and future approaches to production. An export ban successfully attracted foreign investors, predominantly from China, who constructed smelters and significantly boosted exports. This eventually led to a staggering 250% increase in Indonesia's nickel production since 2021."[/I][URL]https://agmetalminer.com/2024/03/27/experts-predict-nickel-price-drop/#:~:text=The%20Indonesian%20supply%20surge%20resulted,to%20near%20three%2Dyear%20lows[/URL].
Balifrog
1. China financing massive expansion of nickel mining in Indonesia.2. Nickel prices see a dramatic drop causing shutdown of loss making mines.3. China waiting in the wings for non-China owned miners needing a "helping hand".Classic China playing all sides to expropriate resources.[HEADING=1][I][SIZE=4]"Indonesia's Growing Control Over the Global Nickel Price[/SIZE][/I][/HEADING][I]In Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, this nickel production surge continues to spark political, environmental, and ethical dilemmas. The implications of this oversupply are far-reaching, affecting prices, market dynamics, and future approaches to production. An export ban successfully attracted foreign investors, predominantly from China, who constructed smelters and significantly boosted exports. This eventually led to a staggering 250% increase in Indonesia's nickel production since 2021."[/I][URL='https://agmetalminer.com/2024/03/27/experts-predict-nickel-price-drop/#:~:text=The%20Indonesian%20supply%20surge%20resulted,to%20near%20three%2Dyear%20lows']https://agmetalminer.com/2024/03/27/experts-predict-nickel-price-drop/#:~:text=The Indonesian supply surge resulted,to near three-year lows[/URL].[/QUOTE]The problem of our (France's) overseas territories is that they want to have the same living standards and salaries as in France. Considering everything is imported cost of life is 30%.higher there than in metropolitan France.For the mining industry, high salaries, social unrest, strikes, high energy cost have made them non competitive with countries like Indonesia.And for having been / lived in most of our overseas territories (Tahiti, Reunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Mayotte) they were OK 50 years ago.Nowadays to have turned to hellish places, and locals are very racist with metropolitans.Criminality and drugs are.rampant everywhere.Sure France did some serious "management" problems, and nobody in Paris really cared. Till the shit hit the fan .....A reall pity as they all have great touristic potential, as well as being a retirement place for French (as you enjoy all French social benefits) .My personal opinion : cut them all lose, stop financing them and give them independance.Then wait for the disaster...But first move out all metropolitans and expats, if not we end up with an Algeria war bis....
