An investigation has been opened in New Caledonia into the vandalising of a statue of a Kanak warrior which was recently erected as part of a war memorial.
The wooden statue in Kone, in the territory's north, was found painted in blue, white and red, which are the French colours, prompting someone to add the separatist Kanak flag to the monument.
The statue had been put up at the beginning of the month to replace a statue of a French soldier which had been removed for repairs after it also had been vandalised.
The local French administrator and the sculptor have met and decided to reinstall the wooden statue as a war memorial once it has been restored.
