Noumea
France’s South Pacific territory of New Caledonia risks seeing the closure of a nickel factory that has long been the lifeblood of its economy, a threat that could weigh heavily on a looming independence vote.
Advocates of remaining part of France worry that separatist parties could capitalise on a shutdown to press their case for taking back control of a strategic archipelago and its key industries.
“With the referendum just three weeks away, we are following this matter very closely and are indeed worried about the 3,000 jobs under threat,” an official in the office of France’s overseas minister Sebastien Lecornu told AFP.
Under a 1998 deal to devolve powers to the territory, Paris promised to hold votes on the future of New Caledonia, which gives France a large, exclusive economic zone in the Pacific and rich fishing resources.
It also provides a military foothold in a region where China is looking to bolster its influence, a worrisome development for Australia and New Zealand, as well as other Asia Pacific nations.
The first referendum two years ago saw independence rejected by 56.4 percent of voters, but the contest was much closer than polls had predicted, raising the stakes for the next vote on October 4.—Agencies