New Caledonia Conflict - I'm Clueless

[JJK2008]

I admit I'm out of touch on so many things😌. This morning, I read about the fighting going on in New Caledonia between the indigenous population and the French colonists. This conflict is getting Zero press here in the US, at least from what I've seen. Until I saw this news on the internet this morning I had no idea about the conflict, its reason or how long it has been brewing. Also saw that Australia and New Zealand are sending planes to evacuate their citizens. I hope all on this thread and their families or friends who may be in that region stay safe. This is a place Nancy, and I were looking at for a cruise. Not going to happen now or at least in the immediate future. Pre-covid we had a Baltic Sea cruise booked that included stops in Russia. That didn't happen because of the pandemic and sure isn't happening anytime soon. We have a Japan cruise booked for next August. We are also looking at doing another Australia visit perhaps this is the perfect time to combine the two and plan it. The last trip in Oct., Nov., (my first to Oz) was one of the best trips we had ever taken. As much as we did and experienced, we still left lots to do on the table. If we do another Oz trip, I'll be right back on this thread looking for advice and suggestions. Stay Safe & Hope all on this board are doing well. 

 

John  

[arxcards]

It has been in our news cycle, but also much has been unreported until we sent some planes to repatriate Australian citizens.

 

The world is going mad it seems. The New Caledonia issue has flared over the past two weeks, but there has been an underlying issue for decades. Taking New Caledonia out of our cruise scheduled drops 4 ports, although two of those have been closed since covid anyway.

 

We can handle having Fiji & Vanuatu ports and still getting a decent South Pacific  cruise,  but when the summer season starts, there will be more ships than ports.

 

Anyway, I don't know if you have caught up on the topic here

 

[MicCanberra]

President Macron visiting today, so that may kick it off again. There are still 150 aussies stranded there, apparently out of medicines and food, and no evacuations today due to Macron's visit.

[JJK2008]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

It has been in our news cycle, but also much has been unreported until we sent some planes to repatriate Australian citizens.

 

The world is going mad it seems. The New Caledonia issue has flared over the past two weeks, but there has been an underlying issue for decades. Taking New Caledonia out of our cruise scheduled drops 4 ports, although two of those have been closed since covid anyway.

 

We can handle having Fiji & Vanuatu ports and still getting a decent South Pacific  cruise,  but when the summer season starts, there will be more ships than ports.

 

Anyway, I don't know if you have caught up on the topic here

 

Thank You for the info. Until this morning, I no idea what was going on there. I've been dealing with some other issues (health), so I have been distracted and have not been following the news or goings on here on CC. You're right the World is losing it. Don't know if you in Oz heard about the uprising in Haiti??? The gangs took over a prison and released almost 4000 inmates. These are hardcore inmates, NOT petty thieves. It was all over the news here when it first happened. Now it's "old" news and we don't hear a peep. RCCL stopped all visits to their resort on Haiti - Labadee. Who knows how long that will last. Haiti also shares a border with the Dominican Republic. Cruise ships are still going to the DR, but reports are that the DR has really beefed up the security at the border. Hopefully things will resolve soon ALL OVER. Definitely think we are going to make our way back to Oz. What's the worst thing that can happen in Oz, we get a bad meat pie???🤣 OK, maybe there's no such thing as a "bad" meat pie. Anyway, Thank You for the info, much appreciated.

 

John 

[arxcards]

30 minutes ago, JJK2008 said:

Thank You for the info. Until this morning, I no idea what was going on there. I've been dealing with some other issues (health), so I have been distracted and have not been following the news or goings on here on CC. You're right the World is losing it. Don't know if you in Oz heard about the uprising in Haiti??? The gangs took over a prison and released almost 4000 inmates. These are hardcore inmates, NOT petty thieves. It was all over the news here when it first happened. Now it's "old" news and we don't hear a peep. RCCL stopped all visits to their resort on Haiti - Labadee. Who knows how long that will last. Haiti also shares a border with the Dominican Republic. Cruise ships are still going to the DR, but reports are that the DR has really beefed up the security at the border. Hopefully things will resolve soon ALL OVER. Definitely think we are going to make our way back to Oz. What's the worst thing that can happen in Oz, we get a bad meat pie???🤣 OK, maybe there's no such thing as a "bad" meat pie. Anyway, Thank You for the info, much appreciated.

 

John 

Thanks.

Haiti is a bit far away. I was aware of Labadee being dropped from schedules due to unrest, but nothing more than that. I guess if I was planning to be on a cruise there that I might have sought more detail.

 

Lots more ships have been getting back to cruising to Mexico. I guess that will be next.

Edited May 22 by arxcards

[MicCanberra]

They still avoid Acapulco 

[Bubbeh]

2 hours ago, JJK2008 said:

What's the worst thing that can happen in Oz, we get a bad meat pie???

Hmmm.... maybe you've not heard all there is to hear (hope this link works)-

https://www.google.com/search?q=scared+weird+little+guys+come+to+australia&oq=scared+we&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDwgAEAAYFBiHAhjjAhiABDIPCAAQABgUGIcCGOMCGIAEMgwIARAuGBQYhwIYgAQyBwgCEC4YgAQyDAgDEAAYFBiHAhiABDIGCAQQRRg5MgcIBRAuGIAEMgcIBhAuGIAEMgcIBxAuGIAEMgcICBAAGIAEMgcICRAuGIAE0gEIMzUxN2owajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4d9beed8,vid:eNEeq5qGh8I,st:0

[SinbadThePorter]

3 hours ago, JJK2008 said:

What's the worst thing that can happen in Oz, we get a bad meat pie???🤣 OK, maybe there's no such thing as a "bad" meat pie.

 

If you need a list of the best pies in Brisbane, shout out. 😜

 

I can also supply a list of the worst pies. 🥵

 

As for New Caledonia, it's a long, long story of the native Kanak people. Land alienation, broken promises from Paris and inequality favouring French expats. It has previously boiled up, but this last one looks more intense than those before.

 

This latest conflict was kicked off by Paris deciding that the rules on who constituted a citizen of New Caledonia should be changed in favour of the expats. The Kanaks consider many, if not most of these expats to be interlopers who should not have a say in the future of the islands. The expats generally have a very European standard of living funded by French government jobs based mostly in Noumea, and the Kanaks who are mostly rural, do not.

[ilikeanswers]

3 hours ago, JJK2008 said:

Don't know if you in Oz heard about the uprising in Haiti??? The gangs took over a prison and released almost 4000 inmates. These are hardcore inmates, NOT petty thieves. It was all over the news here when it first happened. 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if Kanaks revolting like the Yellow Vests in Paris are looking at Haiti as the prime example of why they shouldn't trust the French government😞 

 

If there is anything to worry about in Australia it is mostly natural disasters. Maybe that is why these days we don't burn things down during protests, Mother Nature does enough burning for the both of us😂

Edited May 23 by ilikeanswers

[JJK2008]

3 hours ago, arxcards said:

Thanks.

Haiti is a bit far away. I was aware of Labadee being dropped from schedules due to unrest, but nothing more than that. I guess if I was planning to be on a cruise there that I might have sought more detail.

 

Lots more ships have been getting back to cruising to Mexico. I guess that will be next.

Lots of issues going on in Mexico as well right now. The Cartels have moved into the tourist areas. Tourist areas were always unofficially "off limits" for the Cartel gang wars. That has changed. Recently there have been several tourists caught in crossfire from rival gang shootouts and others have just gone missing. There were also 2 brothers from Oz and an American surfer who were all killed. Things are just crazy all over. Stay Safe. 

[arxcards]

16 minutes ago, JJK2008 said:

Lots of issues going on in Mexico as well right now. The Cartels have moved into the tourist areas. Tourist areas were always unofficially "off limits" for the Cartel gang wars. That has changed. Recently there have been several tourists caught in crossfire from rival gang shootouts and others have just gone missing. There were also 2 brothers from Oz and an American surfer who were all killed. Things are just crazy all over. Stay Safe. 

Plenty of news here on the Oz brothers and their US friend. Another cautionary tale. When we were last in San Diego, it was a day-to-day proposition on whether it was safe to cross the border and go to Tijuana. Travel can come with plenty of adventure, not always positive.

[icat2000]

Get all sort of news around the world. Its all in google. 

[MicCanberra]

8 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Plenty of news here on the Oz brothers and their US friend. Another cautionary tale. When we were last in San Diego, it was a day-to-day proposition on whether it was safe to cross the border and go to Tijuana. Travel can come with plenty of adventure, not always positive.

Tijuana, the only place I have been with Star rating for the toilets. 

[ilikeanswers]

31 minutes ago, JJK2008 said:

Lots of issues going on in Mexico as well right now. The Cartels have moved into the tourist areas. Tourist areas were always unofficially "off limits" for the Cartel gang wars. That has changed. Recently there have been several tourists caught in crossfire from rival gang shootouts and others have just gone missing. There were also 2 brothers from Oz and an American surfer who were all killed. Things are just crazy all over. Stay Safe. 

 

Sad to hear how things are going in Mexico. Few years ago I had an amazing time road triping around southern Mexico and would love to return to explore more of the country but it does seem things are becoming more unstable. 

[arxcards]

9 minutes ago, icat2000 said:

Get all sort of news around the world. Its all in google. 

Enough bad news circulating without searching out more of it. I am happy to stick to viewing bad news on a need-to-know basis.

 Much more fun searching for new McMop memes today.

[Haoie]

So far officially only this round of current ships have cancelled Noumea as a port. Although I'm certain that's soon to change. We're due there in a month and a half and I have doubts.

[bazzaw]

On 5/23/2024 at 11:34 AM, ilikeanswers said:

 

 

 

If there is anything to worry about in Australia it is mostly natural disasters.

I worry a bit about the large Eastern Brown snake that has take up residence in my garden just outside our front door - you know the Eastern Brown supposedly the most deadly snake in the World 😞

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, bazzaw said:

I worry a bit about the large Eastern Brown snake that has take up residence in my garden just outside our front door - you know the Eastern Brown supposedly the most deadly snake in the World 😞

I'd worry about him too. 🙂 Just keep your distance and one day soon he/she might decide to take up residence outside someone else's house. Alternatively, call a snake catcher to re-locate him.

[MicCanberra]

Call a snake handler.

[arxcards]

Pacific Adventure was due in Noumea today and as expected, they have bypassed their stop. It looks like they are just taking an extra sea day instead of a replacement port and heading on to their scheduled stop at Mystery Island tomorrow.

[Haoie]

Still haven't had any other official confirmation (from Carnival at least) about how long Noumea will be skipped.

[arxcards]

A bit of background that contributed to the unrest.

The Times: Brutal French colonial history behind New Caledonia’s riots (news.az)

 

The state of emergency has been lifted, but there are still plenty of restrictions. The problem has only been deferred, and there is lots of damage in Noumea. Lifou may have fared a bit better.

[possum52]

2 hours ago, arxcards said:

A bit of background that contributed to the unrest.

The Times: Brutal French colonial history behind New Caledonia’s riots (news.az)

 

The state of emergency has been lifted, but there are still plenty of restrictions. The problem has only been deferred, and there is lots of damage in Noumea. Lifou may have fared a bit better.

Thanks Geoff, an interesting article. The first time we went to Noumea we visited the Tjibaou Cultural Centre which we found quite fascinating. We learnt quite a lot about the Kanaks and their culture and heritage, and the fight for independence.

[MicCanberra]

Carnival and P&O will not be going back for some time. They are being cautious as they wouldn't want any passengers getting involved by accident, misadventure or deliberately targeted.

[Ondine]

Reconsider your need to travel to New Caledonia due to ongoing civil unrest and travel disruptions.

 

This is the travel advice from the Australian Government so I guess there is not much the cruise companies can do.  This warning will probable impact or void people's travel insurance also.  The Australian Consulate is closed and while the govt is evacuating Australians from Noumea I don't imagine they want any new ones to go.