Nic Maclellan @MaclellanNic Twitter profile

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Nic Maclellan

21 hours

From ‘Rear vision’ on ABC Radio, an introduction to #NewCaledonia and the long path to today’s crisis. Interviews with French scholar David Camroux, former diplomat Denise Fisher and yours truly.

Paris politics in the pacific – why riots broke out in New Caledonia - ABC listen

Its colonial history, the fight for independence and why this archipelago in the heart of the pacific is so important to France.

www.abc.net.au

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

6 months

For those mourning the death of Henry Kissinger, let’s not forget his infamous throw-away about the fate of Marshall Islanders impacted by the 67 US nuclear tests at Bikini and Enewetak atolls: “There are only 90,000 people out there. Who gives a damn?”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

16 days

#NewCaledonia is usually invisible in the international media, except for tourism ads promoting “a little bit of France in the South Pacific.” But President’s Macron’s botched policy on electoral reform and the traumatic reaction has sparked international headlines. THREAD.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

So sad to hear of the death of Haunani-Kay Trask, a driving force in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. A leading scholar, she was a central figure in the development of Hawaiian studies at UH and an inspiration for many community activists in her commitment to indigenous power

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Protests continue across #WestPapua : this rally in Yahukimo region calls for a referendum on self-determination and the release of imprisoned nationalist leader Victor Yeimo of the Komite Nasional Papua Barat ( #KNBP - National Committee for West Papua).

Ruben Yallenang Wakla

@RubenWakla

2 years

KNPB bersama rakyat Yahukimo Papua mendesak Jakarta bebaskan Victor Yeimo tanpa syarat dan menuntut gelar referendum di west Papua 🌹 KNPB wilayah Yahukimo

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

Today is the anniversary of the first flag raising of the Morning Star flag, in Port Numbay (Jayapura) on 1 December 1961. Even before Western Samoa gained its independence in 1962, Dutch New Guinea – West Papua – was on the path to decolonisation.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

1 year

Today is the anniversary of the largest-ever nuclear detonation by the US military. On 1 March 1954, the US exploded a thermonuclear weapon, codenamed #Bravo , on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. With an explosive yield of nearly 15 megatons, fallout spread across the region.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Hundreds of Pacific students march through the University of the South Pacific campus in Suva, to remember survivors of nuclear testing across the region and current n-threats. Marshall Islands' students joined by peers from across the region to commemorate the 1954 US Bravo test

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

11 days

After just 18 hours on the ground in #NewCaledonia , French President Emmanuel #Macron has captured the headlines, but failed in his mission. He flew out in the early morning (Noumea time), after meeting separately with independence leaders and three conservative parties. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Hundreds of Pacific students march through the campus of the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, to mark Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day (March 1 is the anniversary of the 1954 US nuclear test, codename #Bravo , on Bikini Atoll in Marshall Islands).

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Indonesia continues to use social media bots to spread disinformation about #WestPapua . A new ICP report ‘The Shaping of Public Discourse on West Papua’ details how Indonesia organised online media manipulation to influence public opinion on West Papua.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

Today is the 60th anniversary of the first official flag raising of the Morning Star, in Port Numbay (Jayapura) on 1 December 1961. Even before Western Samoa gained its independence in 1962, Dutch New Guinea – #WestPapua – was on the path to decolonisation

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

17 days

Writings by an earlier generation of Kanak leaders provide vital understanding about today's struggle in #NewCaledonia for recognition of #Kanak identity, culture and sovereignty. The best material is in French, but there are lots of places to start for English speakers…. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

5 months

#Israel has significant diplomatic support in the Pacific Islands, but since 7 October there have been small but extensive protests across the region, calling for a ceasefire in #Gaza . The number of rallies, petitions and vigils in support of #Palestine is unprecedented. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

19 days

French President Macron has declared a state of emergency for #NewCaledonia , taking effect for a fortnight at 5am (Noumea time). The French State has enhanced powers "to ensure the maintenance of order", and can "pronounce travel bans, house arrests and searches." Updates. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

Major protest in West Papua, as people reject Indonesia’s proposed revision of Special Autonomy laws. As #NewCaledonia moves to a referendum on 4 October and #Bougainville elects a new President, West Papuans want a vote on self-determination.

Veronica Koman 許愛茜

@VeronicaKoman

4 years

The people power of West Papua demand an independence referendum and reject special autonomy. Nabire, 24 September 2020

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

Honoured to receive the 2020 Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism, alongside journalist Jo Chandler. Thanks to the Walkley Foundation @walkleys , Sean @carrierpidgin and all contributors to the award. I’ll be reporting on France and Pacific self-determination in the COVID-era.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Tragic news from #NewCaledonia with the death of Déwé Gorodé: teacher, poet, novelist, politician, feminist and one of the leading intellectuals of Kanak nationalism (pictured here in Melbourne in 1987).

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

Congratulations to Talei Luscia Mangioni @talei_luscia , winner of the inaugural Teresia Teaiwa prize at the 2021 Conference of the Pacific History Association. Her research brings new verve to the history of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

West Papuan leader Benny Wenda issues call to the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva #PIF2022 #PIFLM51 : "Indonesia continues to undermine the PIF by refusing to allow a United Nations visit to take place.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

13 days

As he flies to #NewCaledonia to meet political leaders, French President Emmanuel #Macron will be accompanied by Overseas and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Locornu. But both ministers bear heavy responsibility for the current crisis. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Video of the massive procession in Jayapura, as people mourn the death of West Papuan leader Filep Karma. The former prisoner of conscience was a key champion of independence for #WestPapua .

Veronica Koman 許愛茜

@VeronicaKoman

2 years

Thousands joined the funeral procession for Filep Karma. There are more Morning Star flags today than there were during the 2019 West Papua Uprising. The crowd is either similar or larger.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

1 month

On 26 April 1984, West Papuan anthropologist, ethno-musicologist and musician Arnold Ap was murdered by the Indonesian military. Ap co-founded Mambesak with Sam Kapissa and Eddie Mofu – the band preserved traditional songs that still inspire the movement for Papua Merdeka.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

I find it truly worrying that an ABC journalist goes to a US Pacific colony, finds it “looks and feels so American”, but says he didn’t have time to report on colonisation (or decolonisation!). How about next time @billbirtles you meet some CHamoru who don’t want to be a target?

Bill Birtles

@billbirtles

2 years

Perhaps most surprising to me is how Guam, a tiny island 9,000 kms from the US west coast, looks and feels so… American. There’s a whole other story we didn’t have adequate time to delve into… about locals not being able to vote, colonisation etc. Nor was there time to dive 😭

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

75 years on, we remember the hibakusha, scarred by the US atomic attack on Hiroshima. But let us also remember nuclear survivors around the Pacific: Bikini, Enewetak, Monte Bello, Emu Field, Maralinga, Malden, Kiritimati, Johnston, Moruroa, Fangataufa.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

1 year

Joe Biden’s not coming to Port Moresby, but Narendra Modi forges ahead with his Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation #FIPIC . However India has snubbed #NewCaledonia and #FrenchPolynesia , refusing to invite the full Forum membership to FIPIC. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

18 days

Forty years ago, I visited #NewCaledonia at the height of the Troubles (Les évènements). At the time, much of the conflict played out in rural areas, with FLNKS battling “colon” farmers. Horrific events on the periphery: the 1984 Tiendanite massacre, the 1988 Ouvea crisis etc.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 months

Front page expose from The Age and 60 Minutes, on an investigation into corruption allegations around Australia’s offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island. But from the beginning of the so-called Pacific Solution, Australian officials knew what was happening. THREAD

60 Minutes Australia

@60Mins

4 months

The super yachts, mansions, and displays of extreme wealth stemmed from a lucrative contract from the Department of Home Affairs. Watch #60Mins on 9Now

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

19 days

I took this photo in 1985, after a state of emergency in #NewCaledonia was declared in December 1984 - the start of four years of armed conflict known as Les évènements. From 1986, French military deployed across the country – a crisis that culminated in the 1988 Ouvea massacre.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

6 months

And then there’s Kissinger’s track record: support for the Pakistani military's 1971 invasion of East Pakistan; backing Pinochet in Chile; dragging out the war in Vietnam; the “secret” bombing of Cambodia; his greenlight for the 1975 Indonesian invasion of Timor-Leste etc etc etc

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

20 days

Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, current chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group , has reaffirmed "MSG support of the FLNKS position opposing the French government’s constitutional bill aimed at unfreezing New Caledonia’s electoral roll." @MsgSecretariat

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 months

Seventy years ago, on 1 March 1954, the US government exploded a thermonuclear weapon on #Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, codenamed #Bravo . The health and environmental consequences continue to this day. My report from Majuro for @IBIupdate . THREAD.

Tackling nuclear legacies, 70 years after Bravo

This year, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) will hold ceremonies on 1 March to mark the 70th anniversary of the Bravo test.

islandsbusiness.com

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

After a long campaign by French researchers and Ma’ohi anti-nuclear activists, France has begun to open the archives about its nuclear testing program in #FrenchPolynesia . The blanket of "national security" is crumbling, as groups like Moruroa e Tatou seek evidentiary documents.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

8 months

Today's the 70th anniversary of the first British atomic test on the mainland of Australia, codenamed Totem 1. On 15 October 1953, the UK government – with the complicity and approval of Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies – sent radioactive fallout across the desert. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

1 year

The Pacific Islands Forum @forumsec has re-affirmed its condemnation of Japan’s proposal to dump treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific from storage tanks at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons #TPNW will enter into force in January after 50 ratifications. Ten of those 50 come from members of the Pacific Islands Forum: New Zealand, Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, Samoa, Cook Islands, and Niue. #nuclearban

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

@timhollo One of the shocking failures of #4corners climate program was its absolute silence about the role of the mining and fossil fuel industries. Not a word, not a question, about the influence of lobbyists from major energy corporations, or the way industry drove policy. Disappointing

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

5 months

In a close vote, Senator for Aur Hilda C. Heine wins the Presidency of the Republic of the Marshall Islands #RMI . Dr. Heine previously served as President in 2016 – 2020. She defeated outgoing President David Kabua, as the Nitijela met following November’s national elections.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

9 months

In a gesture of solidarity with Japan (but not fellow members of the Pacific Islands Forum) diplomats at the Australian embassy in Tokyo tuck in to a dinner of #Fukushima fish (not mentioning of course that the stricken Fukushima nuclear reactor was fuelled by Australian uranium)

Justin Hayhurst ジャスティン・ヘイハースト

@AusAmbJPN

9 months

Fukushima fish and chips at the 🇦🇺 embassy

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

As someone who’s been reporting in the Pacific islands for more than a quarter of a century, can I suggest that journalists have been badly treated BEFORE China got involved? Happy to share stories about the fun of reporting on Australia’s offshore processing of asylum seekers!

Edwina Seselja

@ESeselja

2 years

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's whirlwind visit to the Pacific has seen press conferences and media access heavily restricted, highlighting the growing threat to journalism in the region. via @ABCaustralia

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

9 months

Protest rally today in Suva, condemning Japan’s decision to commence release of ALPS nuclear wastewater from the stricken #Fukushima reactor. To cut costs, #TEPCO and the Japanese government have begun a 30+ year program to release treated cooling water into the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Feminist Community of Practice

@pacfemcop

9 months

We are people of the ocean! Keep the Pacific Nuclear Free! How dare you Japan!

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Sad news of the death of West Papuan human rights and self-determination advocate Leonie Tanggahma, on 7 October in the Netherlands.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

French govt will announce official #NewCaledonia #referendum result tomorrow, but unofficial results show 53.26% to remain within French Republic and 46.74% for independence (increase of 3.4% for Yes vote since 2018). Increased participation rate of 85.64% (up 4% from 2018)

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

15 days

Researcher Nicole George is an Australian visitor to #NewCaledonia , unable to leave the country. From Noumea, she writes for The Conversation on “why Australia must shift its foreign policy to support New Caledonia’s decolonisation as a matter of urgency.”

Is it time for Australia to reassess its position on France’s role in New Caledonia?

The plight of Australians trapped in New Caledonia should focus the government’s attention on France’s failures in the territory.

theconversation.com

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

15 days

Statement on #NewCaledonia from Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations Alliance. Major regional church and civil society networks (PCC, PIANGO, PICAN and PANG) are joined by CSOs and youth groups around Oceania, from PNG, West Papua, Fiji, Mā`ohi Nui, NZ, and Australia.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

8 months

Unprecedented victory for Kanak independence politician Robert Xowie, winning one of #NewCaledonia ’s two seats in the French Senate in Paris. His second round victory, over Loyalist leader Sonia Backes, came on 24 September 2023, the 170th anniversary of France’s annexation.

Suport Internacional Kanaky

@KanakySuport

8 months

Le 𝗙𝗟𝗡𝗞𝗦 au palais du Luxembourg 🇳🇨 Ce 𝟐𝟒 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 ;au 2nd tour des élections sénatoriales ;les grands électeurs de KNC ont choisi 𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗫𝗢𝗪𝗜𝗘 pour représenter notre pays au Sénat.C'est la première fois que notre mouvement🇳🇨 accède au Sénat☝🏽

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 months

Aerial footage of the rallies in Noumea #NewCaledonia gives you a sense of the size of the protest, in a Pacific territory of around 270,000 people.

Boris Tranyiko Ajapuhnya

@tranyiko

2 months

Cortège de l’après midi 🇳🇨

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

18 days

France’s Overseas Minister showcases the arrival of police reinforcements at Tontouta (the international airport outside Noumea under French military control). Darmanin proclaims the return of “Republican order”, even though this colonial status is at the heart of the crisis

Gérald DARMANIN

@GDarmanin

18 days

Les renforts annoncés par le Président de la République sont arrivés en Nouvelle-Calédonie. La fermeté et le rétablissement de l’ordre républicain sont impératifs. Merci aux agents du ministère de l’ @Interieur_Gouv .

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

14 days

Lots of Australian think tanks and universities have positioned themselves to benefit from the ALP government’s work to strengthen the strategic partnership with France in the Indo-Pacific. But it seems France’s colonial policy in #NewCaledonia is causing second thoughts. THREAD

Kate Clayton

@kateclaytn

14 days

The new Australia-France Centre of Excellence for the Indo-Pacific is looking increasingly difficult for Australia to justify alongside strengthening its relations with "our Pacific family" and France's decades-long hesitation towards decolonisation .

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

Solomon Islands received its first batch of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines today, from the multilateral COVAX facility, the second Pacific island country after Fiji to receive the vaccines through the facility. The 24,000 doses are the first of 108,000 scheduled through COVAX.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

7 months

This week, Forum leaders in Cook Islands receive a report on the Treaty of Rarotonga #SPNFZ . But spare a thought for the UK, NZ and Fijian military and i-Kiribati and Cook Islands citizens, seeking compensation from Britain for the legacies of 1950s UK nuclear testing. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 months

In the 1980s, Australia worked to water down the scope of the Rarotonga Treaty. Declassified documents from the National Archives reveal opposition in Canberra and Washington to a comprehensive nuclear-free zone that might hamper US nuclear deployments in the Pacific. THREAD

Senator Penny Wong

@SenatorWong

10 months

Australia joined Pacific partners in signing the Rarotonga Treaty, establishing a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the South Pacific, on this day in 1985. Nearly 40 years later it’s still a regional cornerstone as we work towards a world without nuclear weapons.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Calm before the storm - Pacific journos meet with PIF Secretary General Henry Puna to discuss the Forum's 2050 Strategy for a Blue Pacific Continent. However, it seems the Suva Agreement is falling apart, with some Micronesian leaders pulling out of #PIF2022 . More to come...

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 days

The body of Jybril, a young Kanak shot dead last week, is carried aboard a ferry to carry him home to Nengone (the island of Mare in the outlying Loyalty Islands). There have been 7 deaths in the #NewCaledonia crisis, including four Kanak and two police (one shot by accident).

Laurent Dinclaux ⏚

@LDinclaux

10 days

RIP Jybril, bon retour sur ton île natale, que les vieux veillent sur toi. 💔😭 #Kanaky #NouvelleCal édonie 🇳🇨

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

7 months

At the Forum in Rarotonga #PIFLM52 , President Moetai Brotherson of #FrenchPolynesia tells @IBIupdate : “We have to listen to what everyone has to say about it, but the position of French Polynesia is very clear: we want a moratorium on any exploitation of deep sea resources.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

It's after 6pm (Fiji time) and Pacific leaders are still locked in discussion at the 2020 Pacific Island Forum special leaders' retreat #PIF2021 #BluePacific (Photo courtesy Forum Secretariat)

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 months

Congratulations to Kanak scholar and researcher Anthony Tyaou Tutugoro, who has just defended his doctoral thesis. Researching the ties and tensions between customary and political leadership, it’s the first political science doctorate in #NewCaledonia .

Sieur Naufragé des îles

@HmanaWawalaha

3 months

Félicitations à M. Anthony Tyaou Tutugoro qui devient le 1er docteur en sciences politiques de Nouvelle Calédonie 👏🏽👏🏽

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

Church leaders across the region raise concern about ongoing human rights violations in #WestPapua by Indonesian police and military forces. Rev. James Bhagwan @PadreJB of the Pacific Conference of Churches has highlighted renewed pressure on the West Papua Council of Churches

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

In a major transformation, the incoming government of #NewCaledonia has a pro-independence majority. For the first time in nearly forty years, it will be led by an independence leader. This afternoon, New Caledonia’s 54-member Congress chose eleven new members of the government.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 months

It’s been an honour to guest edit a special edition of The Journal of Pacific History @journal_pacific on “Resistance and Survival – the nuclear era in the Pacific.” Great articles on Pacific anti-nuclear activism in the 20th Century. The edition's online!

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

13 days

Statement today from the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front #FLNKS , on French President Macron’s visit to #NewCaledonia . Unofficial translation of excerpts of statement issued by the FLNKS Political Bureau (executive of the coalition of four major independence parties).

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

11 days

This crisis was entirely predictable, but President Macron and the Attal government forged ahead regardless. New Caledonians are now paying the price for this colonial arrogance.

Young Kanaks speak out as President Macron visits New Caledonia | The...

Tensions in New Caledonia are still simmering. French President Emmanuel Macron is there to try and find a political solution to the crisis that's engulfed t...

www.youtube.com

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s behaviour during the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum is generating comment across Pacific media. Eating during the opening ceremony of any summit, livestreamed to the world, would usually be seen as rude. But it’s part of a pattern! THREAD

Samoa Observer

@samoaobserver

3 years

Social media users have chastised Australia's P.M. for eating while in an historic digital meeting of the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Islands Forum on Friday in an act condemned as disrespectful.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

Sixty one years ago, France conducted its first atmospheric nuclear test, codename Gerboise Bleue. This was the first of four tests held in the Sahara desert at #Reggane , Algeria.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

6 months

At the 12th General Assembly of the Pacific Conference of Churches @lotupasifika in Noumea, PCC General Secretary Reverend James Bhagwan of Fiji has been re-appointed to the post for another term. Congrats @PadreJB ! The next General Assembly will be hosted by Fiji.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

12 days

The deployment of French troops and police in #NewCaledonia has damaged France’s diplomacy across the Pacific islands. Regional organisations @forumsec and @MsgSecretariat have called for calm and dialogue, but churches and civil society groups sharply condemn French colonialism.

PANG

@pangmedia

13 days

The atrocities being carried out by the French govt in #KanakyNewCaledonia must not be tolerated. The @EmmanuelMacron Govt is incapable to administer the decolonisation process & uphold the Noumea Accord. #kanaklivesmatter #FreeKanaky #FranceStopColonization #PacificArise

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 months

So apparently the old imperialists took Melanesian land and that means they have a Melanesian culture. If Macron’s “new imperialists” takes Melanesian land, does that mean they’re Melanesians too? No wonder northern hemisphere countries are lining up to be friends with Oceania!

Emmanuel Macron

@EmmanuelMacron

2 years

France is close to Papua New Guinea, due to its geographical proximity to New Caledonia. However we share much more: a Melanesian culture and common projects regarding energy transition and biodiversity protection. We plan to strengthen them.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

14 days

Rummaging in my archives for some information about the current crisis in #NewCaledonia , I stumbled across this little gem. It’s part of the transcript from a 2008 press conference between Australia’s then Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon and his French counterpart Hervé Morin.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 months

Congratulations to Taloi Havini, winner of a major UK contemporary arts award @ArtesMundi . Taloi is daughter of human rights and independence campaigners Moses and Marilyn Havini and was born in Arawa, Autonomous Region of Bougainville from the Nakas tribe

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

11 months

As the US Department of Defense held public hearings in Hagåtña over its plans to construct a 360-degree air and missile defense system in Guahan (Guam), local CHamoru held protests signs saying “We are not the tip of the spear.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

14 days

So to whichever university rakes in the loot to establish the ‘Australia-France Centre of Excellence for the Indo-Pacific’, could I humbly propose your first research study? “How French colonialism contributes to regional insecurity in the Pacific Islands.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

6 months

His reputation as an intellectual on nuclear policy was based on showmanship rather than substance: nuclear wonks like Henry “Strangelove” Kissinger and Herman Kahn justified the Cold War nuclear build-up that led to 317 nuclear tests across Oceania.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 days

Headline in The Age newspaper: “Macron’s supreme arrogance to blame for Noumea riots”. It’s by French journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, republished from the Daily Telegraph in London. The original headline was: “Macron’s supreme arrogance is now tearing apart the French empire.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

As the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons #TPNW enters into force today, congratulations to Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Tuvalu, Samoa and Vanuatu, which have all ratified the new #nuclearban treaty.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

If you wonder why many Pacific island leaders are skeptical about Australia’s security agenda in the region and the lack of focus on their primary security concern - climate change - have a look at today’s headlines. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

As the Trump administration plans resumption of nuclear testing, join an online seminar on the legacies of Pacific n-tests with RMI Ambassador Gerald Zackios and journalist Nic Maclellan, organised by CANZP at Georgetown University, Washington DC, 18 June.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

1 year

Not so much beautiful, as a striking reminder that colonial powers seized territories across the islands region. The tragedy is that a 2023 map still has (French), (US), (UK) etc scrawled across it, and that colonialism continues to divide our sea of islands.

Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer

@jeangene_vilmer

1 year

A beautiful 🇦🇺 map of the #SouthPacific islands dating back to 1914.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

8 months

The Assembly of #FrenchPolynesia has just passed a resolution supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Even though France is not a signatory, the Assembly adopted a resolution recognising the Treaty as a new norm of international law. THREAD

ICAN France

@ICAN_France

8 months

ALERTE l’Assemblée de la #Polyn ésie🇫🇷a adopté une résolution relative au soutien au Traité d'interdiction des #armesnucl éaires. Cette action politique vient reconnaître cette nouvelle norme de droit international refusée par la France... #fild éfense #TPNW

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

12 days

Statement on #NewCaledonia from #ULMWP of West Papua: “What is happening in Kanaky is modern-day colonialism in action. The proposed electoral changes being debated in the French Parliament would fatally damage Kanaky’s right to self-determination.”

ULMWP message of solidarity for the people of Kanaky in their anti-colonial struggle - United...

Wa wa wa wa wa. Today I am sending a message of solidarity to the people of Kanaky and our brothers and...

www.ulmwp.org

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

An MOU was signed on 25 July by Benny Wenda of the United Liberation Movement for #WestPapua (ULMWP) and Daniel Goa and Roch Wamytan of the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) in #NewCaledonia . Melanesian pledges of support for each others' independence struggles.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

On today's anniversary of the 1954 Bravo test, I remember the words of the late Lemeyo Abon, exiled from Rongelap: “The United States has to live up to their responsibility and make sure our children and grandchildren will be cared for.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

At 8.15am on 6 August 1945, the clocks stopped. Today is the 76th anniversary of the devastation of the city and people of Hiroshima with one US nuclear weapon. Today is also the 36th anniversary of the signing of the Rarotonga Treaty for a South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone (SPNFZ)

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

In a major ceremony in #NewCaledonia , the remains of 19th century Kanak warrior Chief Ataï have been buried at a site near La Foa, 143 years after he led a revolt against the theft of Kanak land. THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 days

Emmanuel Macron flew halfway around the world, but failed to achieve a breakthrough in a crisis that’s damaging French diplomacy in the Pacific. My report for Inside Story @insidestorymag unpacks the theatre and substance of his 33,000 kilometre voyage.

Eighteen hours in Nouméa • Nic Maclellan

Emmanuel Macron flew halfway around the world but failed to achieve a breakthrough in a crisis that’s damaging French diplomacy in the Pacific

insidestory.org.au

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 months

Dancers welcome President Emmanuel Macron to a village near Touho, asvlocals raise concern over coastal erosion and climate change. Notable that the dancers’ backs are daubed KNKY - the shorthand for Kanaky - and wear a headdress with the flag of Kanaky, symbol of independence!

Emmanuel Macron

@EmmanuelMacron

10 months

Il y a des rencontres qui marquent à jamais. Comme en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Un immense merci pour votre accueil, vos danses, vos mots, nos échanges sincères. Je pars avec une partie de vous.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

4 years

More than 600 sailors from USS Theodore Roosevelt test positive with #COVID19 , but nearly 60% of these have not shown symptoms. Major implications from this, showing coronavirus spread in a population of young, healthy people without signs of symptoms

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

18 days

Great report about #NewCaledonia from ‘The Pacific’ on ABC News, with striking footage from Noumea and interviews with locals. Thanks to the team for inviting me to join the program as the talking head! @JonsRaela @alicelolohea @gabby_marchant

Deadly riots in New Caledonia trigger state of emergency | The Pacific

French President Emmanuel Macron has declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia after multiple people were killed as violence engulfs the French territor...

www.youtube.com

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 years

Former Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Meg Taylor critiques Western-led initiatives such as #AUKUS , the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Partners in the Blue Pacific: “These initiatives all deliver a fait accompli to the Pacific without consultation.”

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 months

With #Fiji serving as a member of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation, key independence leaders from #NewCaledonia have written to Fiji’s UN Ambassador seeking support, as France moves to change electoral laws for the French Pacific dependency.

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

20 days

Things are moving fast in #NewCaledonia , but here’s my take from 6am today, in an interview on the ‘Pacific Beat’ program. Thanks to Radio Australia’s @AggieTupou , for looking at the current crisis in Noumea (it didn't make the news last night on ABC TV!).

New Caledonia's government calls for calm after riots rock Noumea - ABC Pacific

New Caledonia's government is calling for calm following political riots from pro-independence supporters, which has seen businesses torched, police injured and dozens arrested.

www.abc.net.au

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

3 years

At 9pm (Fiji), the 2021 Special Pacific Forum Leaders Retreat is still in session and is likely to continue into the night. The scheduled post-Forum press conference has been postponed. Come back tomorrow for updates!

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

6 months

As regional ministers and military officers meet in Noumea for the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting #SPDMM , French police report 1,500 Kanak independence supporters have rallied against “the militarisation of our country.” (Photo @lncnc )

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

2 months

Successive French governments and “loyalist” leaders in #NewCaledonia have long hoped a younger generation of Kanak would give up their elders’ quest for an independent and sovereign state. The current polarisation in Noumea shows how wrong this is - decolonisation is incomplete.

Mathias Chauchat

@ChauchatM

2 months

Une grande manifestation pour le destin commun et la citoyenneté calédonienne #ilestencoretemps

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

8 months

A new policy paper from Dame Meg Taylor on Pacific regionalism. The former Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum @forumsec says “our regional unity is deeply challenged and undermined by the encroaching influence of competing geopolitical agendas”

Pacific-led Regionalism Undermined

Dame Meg Taylor writes about the geopolitical challenges the Pacific Islands face, internally and externally.

asiasociety.org

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

9 months

US President Joe Biden will host the White House for the US-Pacific summit on 25-26 September, so expect lots of pledges. But it’s more important to look at implementation and follow through of past commitments to members of the Pacific Islands Forum @forumsec . THREAD

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

7 months

At a recent UNGA vote, Pacific island states cast 6 of the 14 votes against a Jordanian resolution on humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. But on the streets of Avarua, the flags of Palestine and West Papua fly high, on the fringe of the Pacific Islands Forum #PIFLM52 .

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

17 days

Amnesty International statement on #NewCaledonia : “The state of emergency declared by the French government and the deployment of the French army, coupled with a ban on the social media app TikTok, must not be misused to restrict people’s human rights.”

Kanaky New Caledonia: French authorities must uphold rights of the Indigenous Kanak people amid...

Responding to ongoing unrest in the non-self-governing French territory of Kanaky New Caledonia after the French Parliament adopted a bill changing the territory’s voting rules, Amnesty Internation...

www.amnesty.org

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

10 months

Interesting study in #PacificJournalismReview , of how six Indonesian media organisations use the term ‘terrorist’ in their reporting of West Papua movements seeking self-determination and independence, replacing older terms like 'armed criminal gangs.'

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

6 months

This morning, former Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor presented a seminar on emerging priorities across the Pacific, at the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice in Sydney @ERCAus . A few excerpts….

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

1 year

The 10 January arrest and detention of Governor of Papua Lucas Enembe by Indonesian authorities is causing widespread protest in #WestPapua . Leading PNG politician Belden Namah from Western Province has now joined international criticism of Enembe’s arrest

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Nic Maclellan

@MaclellanNic

12 days

"Republican order" is at the very heart of the #NewCaledonia crisis. Leaders across the political spectrum want an end to violent clashes. But significant numbers of New Caledonians, including the vast majority of indigenous Kanak, do not want to remain in the French Republic.

France in Australia 🇫🇷 🇪🇺

@FranceAustralia

12 days

"The security forces mobilised in the next few hours in New Caledonia will remain as long as necessary. The priority is to restore republican order" - French President Emmanuel Macron

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