New Caledonia marks anniversary of French colonization with tight security and simmering tensions

NOUMEA, New Caledonia (AP) — New Caledonia marked the anniversary on Tuesday of France's takeover of the Pacific archipelago with tight security and simmering tensions between the pro-independence Indigenous Kanak people and the white settler communities loyal to Paris.

The 171st anniversary of the French colonization of New Caledonia, which is east of Australia and 10 time zones ahead of Paris, comes four months after protests by Kanaks against French President Emmanuel Macron’ s voting reforms in New Caledonia turned violent, leaving 13 people dead and widespread destruction.

The violence on the archipelago of about 270,000 people widened the gap between communities that have long faced an existential dilemma over New Caledonia's status within France. At least 6,000 police officers have been deployed in and around the capital, Noumea, since unrest started in May. On Tuesday, security forces were on high alert to prevent any violence during the Sept. 24 anniversary, a public holiday known as Citizenship Day.

It marks the day in 1853 when French Admiral Auguste Febvrier-Despointes declared French sovereignty over New Caledonia in the name of Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon’s nephew and heir. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.

Underlining how far apart the communities stand on the territory's future, the loyalists in Noumea on Tuesday celebrated New Caledonia's French identity, waving national flags, honking car horns to the sounds of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, and other patriotic songs, blasting from a radio broadcast, and vehicles carrying police officers and firefighters joining in.

For the Indigenous people, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination, Sept. 24 is a reminder to continue their struggle for independence. The National Council of Chiefs of the Kanak people was meeting on Mare Island, across from Noumea, and was expected to unilaterally declare sovereignty over the Kanak nation on their customary territories.

In Paris, New Caledonia's pro-independence Kanak lawmaker, Emmanuel Tjibaou, hailed people in his faraway homeland for “peacefully marking this Citizenship Day" and showing that “we stand steadfast in our fight for dignity ... that is non-negotiable," he said in a social media post.

Nicolas Metzdorf, New Caledonia’s loyalist lawmaker, was beaming with pride over the Pacific archipelago's French identity and vowed that his supporters have every intention of keeping the territory a part of France.

On Citizenship Day, New Caledonia “celebrates our attachment to France,” Metzdorf said. “It's a celebration of all citizens, including those who are still excluded from voting,” he said in reference to those residents, who have recently settled in the archipelago but can't vote in local elections in line with the 1998 Noumea Accord that gives New Caledonia more political power and broader autonomy.

In the spring, Macron rushed a bill through Parliament aimed at amending France’s constitution and changing the electoral register in New Caledonia to grant voting rights to residents who have settled there in the last decade, leaving the Indigenous people in fear of further erosion of their rights and erasure of their identity.

The adoption of the controversial bill by both houses of the French Parliament in May led to mass demonstrations that turned violent, prompting Macron to declare a state of emergency and fly thousands of police and army reinforcements to the faraway territory. Thirteen people, mostly Kanaks, and two police officers were killed and nearly 3,000 people have been arrested.

Among those detained in broad police raids were 11 Kanak activists with the pro-independence group known as The Field Action Coordination Unit, which has organized protests against French rule since April. Seven of the detained activists, including Christian Tein, a Kanak leader, were flown 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) away from home to seven prisons in mainland France for pretrial detention.

Macron sidelined the controversial voting reform in June after he dissolved Parliament and called early legislative elections.

France held three referendums in New Caledonia on independence between 2018 and 2021 as part of an agreement known as the Noumea Accords that followed a 1988 peace deal that ended violence between rival factions.

A majority of voters chose to remain part of France instead of backing independence. The pro-independence Kanak people rejected the results of the last referendum in 2021, which they boycotted because it was held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that severely affected the Kanak community.

Associated Press writer Barbara Surk in Nice, France, contributed to this report.

Indigenous Kanaks wave independent flags during the 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

Indigenous Kanaks hold independent flags as they gather near the Field Action Coordination Unit building during the 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

A pro-loyalist barricade with French flags is photographed during the anniv 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

An indigenous Kanak holds the independent flag during the 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Imprisoned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was convicted Friday following a corruption trial tied to multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund.

The nation’s High Court found Najib, 72, guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering related to more than $700 million channelled into his personal bank accounts from the 1MDB fund.

Najib's defense team was expected to make mitigation arguments before sentencing later Friday.

Najib denied any wrongdoing and maintained the funds were a political donation from Saudi Arabia and that he had been misled by rogue financiers led by Low Taek Jho. Low, thought to be the scandal’s mastermind, remains at large.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah said Najib’s claim of a Saudi donation was “incapable of belief." Four letters purportedly from the Saudi donor were forged and evidence clearly showed the funds originated from 1MDB, he said.

He rejected defense arguments that Najib was an unwitting victim, duped by former 1MDB officials and Low. Witness testimonies had pointed to an “unmistakble bond” between Najib and Low, who had played a pivotal role in the scandal and operated as “the proxy, the conduit, the intermediary and the facilitator” for Najib in 1MDB, the judge said.

The judge noted that Najib failed to take steps to verify the origin of the massive funds nor took action against Low. Instead, Najib used the money despite its suspicious origins and also took steps to protect his position, including by removing the then-attorney general and anti-corruption chief investigating the case, he said.

“The accused was no country bumpkin,” said Sequerah, who took five hours to read the ruling. “Any attempt to paint the accused as an ignoramus who was hopelessly unaware of the misdeeds going around him must therefore, fail miserably.”

The ruling marked a major milestone in one of the world's largest financial scandals, which rippled across global markets and triggered investigations in the United States and other nations.

Dressed in a blue suit, Najib appeared calm and at times wrote in his notebook.

Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, currently is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in an earlier case linked to the 1MDB scandal, which led to his government’s defeat in 2018.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) channeled into his accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.

He began his sentence in August 2022 after losing a final appeal, becoming Malaysia’s first former leader to be jailed. The Pardons Board, a body that advises rulers on granting clemency, halved his sentence and sharply reduced his fine in 2024.

Najib set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after taking office in 2009. He chaired 1MDB’s advisory board and held veto power as finance minister while serving as prime minister.

Between 2009 and 2014, top executives and associates of Najib looted over $4.5 billion from the fund, laundering it through countries including the U.S., Singapore and Switzerland, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Authorities alleged the funds were used to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases including hotels, a luxury yacht, art and jewelry. Jeff Sessions, the U.S. attorney general at the time, called it “kleptocracy at its worst.”

The scandal also hit Wall Street, with Goldman Sachs facing billions in fines for its role in raising money for 1MDB.

The scion of a prominent political family, Najib was long seen as untouchable until public anger over 1MDB led to the 2018 election defeat of his ruling party, which had governed Malaysia since the country gained independence from Britain in 1957.

Earlier this week, Najib failed in his bid to serve his graft sentence under house arrest. Malaysia’s High Court ruled Monday that a rare royal order for home arrest issued by the nation’s former king was invalid because it was not made in accordance with constitutional requirements. Najib’s lawyer has said they plan to appeal.

Originally due for release in August 2028 after his sentence reduction, Najib now faces a longer stretch behind bars.

Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, also was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a massive fine in 2022 in a separate graft case. She has been released on bail pending an appeal.

FILE - Malaysian former Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, is escorted by prison officers on his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)