Violence in New Caledonia subsides slightly as France sends in reinforcements

Demonstrators hold Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front flags during a gathering in Paris on Thursday (Thomas Padilla/AP)

The number of violent incidents reported in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia fell slightly on Friday, after France imposed a state of emergency following protests over voting reforms backed by the government in Paris.

About 1,000 reinforcements for the security services were deployed with increased powers to quell unrest in the archipelago, which has a population of about 270,000 and whose indigenous people have long sought independence.