Tourism
After Bali
The Threat Of Terrorism May Change Tourism Throughout The Region
South Pacific tourist destinations believe they are poised to pick up business in the wake of the October Bali bombing and the continuing security concerns for foreigners over a wide area of Southeast Asia.
Tourist bookings in Fiji are already rising, but the whole business of cashing in on others’ misfortune is creating unease.
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“But every day something in the world happens which either favors you or not,” Fiji Reserve Bank deputy head Sada Reddy told an Australian audience soon after Bali, adding that his own country had suffered a heavy blow to its tourist trade during the 2000 political instability.
No tourist was killed or hurt in Fiji during the coup, hostage drama and military mutiny of that year, but in the face of television pictures of armed men occupying Parliament in Suva, Australians and New Zealanders stayed away in droves.
Even before the September 11 tragedy in the U.S., the 16-nation Pacific Forum had been worried about regional security, commissioning a report from former University of the South Pacific’s Professor Ron Crocombe.
He said external military threats did exist, but were low.
“External criminal threats involving international finance and smuggling (of drugs, goods, people and rare plant and bird species) are serious and escalating,” he wrote, but went on to say internal threats were the more serious problem.
“The main instances of overt conflict in the Pacific in the past 20 years have involved a combination of ethnic tensions, land disputes, economic disparities, and a lack of confidence in governments’ ability or willingness to act responsibly to solve the problems.”
Whether this affects tourists is questionable particularly in places like Fiji where tourism exists in enclaves normally well sheltered from day-to-day life in the communities around them. Tourism though is as much about perception as it is reality and the Pacific is bringing on problems to itself.
The Kingdom of Tonga, for example, has seriously irritated Washington with three of its Tongan-flagged ships involved in terrorist operations. Israeli commandos seized Karine A to find it was carrying 50 tons of Iranian weapons for Palestinians. The vessel Sara was caught off Italy with 15 Pakistani nationals of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda.
Most recently, the Boka Star was found in Croatia carrying Skud missile parts for Iraq.
A confidential government report in Fiji, Fiji Immigration: A Threat to National Security, produced in late October, wondered “Do we need a Bali bombing too before we wake up?” The document claimed Fiji faced major problems involving Asian organized crime gangs, a significant overstayer problem, a growing drug problems and now a real terrorism threat because of the corruption in the Immigration Department.
Aware of the problems, Fiji tourism operators have met with police in a bid to develop a combined security approach.
Fiji’s problems were underscored with the July summit conference of the 78-nation African, Caribbean and Pacific grouping. Leaders who attended included South African President Thabo Mbeki who, along with everybody else, spent a week at the tourist flagship resort on Denerau Island. Security was meant to be at the highest level, but when officials and reporters alike went to collect their security passes, no passes could be found.
Two months later, Fiji Police revealed that the man they had hired to control the security card operation was a mysterious Pakistani who had fled the country. He had taken the money and never produced the passes.
Criminal Investigations Department director Emosi Vunisa said it turned out the man had also been wanted in other countries over allegations of money laundering.
It was one of those “what-if” situations that, fortunately, passed without drama.
Distance and small size provides some defense for Pacific nations from the world of terrorism. Here is a summary of security issues which could affect some Pacific tourist destinations:
- American Samoa: has U.S. federal law enforcement and intelligence links, and an armed local police force.
- Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas: A U.S. commonwealth with strong military connections. U.S. federal law enforcement links and armed local police.
- Cook Islands: A popular destination with Australians and New Zealanders, the country has a small unarmed police force and no military.
- Federated States of Micronesia: Difficult air services makes it a secure place (especially for flights from the east which come via Kwajalein).
- Fiji: Since 1987 it has had three coups. In 1987, a local man hijacked an Air New Zealand plane. The drama ended when the hijacker was hit over the head with a bottle of whiskey. In 2000, armed men seized Parliament and took the government hostage. Later in the year, a violent military mutiny occurred. A small tourist aircraft was also hijacked briefly. Unarmed police force, but the military guards key installations in times of instability. Some racial and religious tension are present between Fijians, over 51 percent, and ethnic Indians, who make up 40 percent of the population. There are around 66,000 local Muslims.
- French Polynesia: Full French security including police and military. No major local issues of discontent.
- Kiribati: Its near inaccessibility makes it safe. There is a Chinese satellite base on main island and Japanese space agency facility on another. Unarmed police. It’s a homogeneous place where strangers are very noticeable.
- New Caledonia: Full French security, but a variety of tensions including a pro-independence movement. Violence has occurred, although not involving tourists. Increasing tensions between Melanesians and Polynesian settlers and mounting Melanesian concern over nickel mining operations.
- Palau: In the 1970s, political violence saw a president assassinated, but the country is now calm. Some indigenous hostility toward growing Filipino population and increasing ties to other Asian centers. Armed police.
- Papua New Guinea: Was the subject of a U.S. State Department travel warning, which expired in August. It had a now-finished civil war on Bougainville, several military mutinies and suffers a terrifying level of urban crime.
- Republic of the Marshall Islands: Hosts the U.S. Army’s Kwajalein missile testing range. Because of the base the civilian air service highly protected. Armed police, but no trouble in the past. Homogeneous.
- Samoa: In 1999, a cabinet minister was assassinated on orders of two other ministers. The country is quiet now with an unarmed police force, stable government and a growing economy.
- Solomon Islands: An ongoing civil war on Guadalcanal and occasional assaults and robberies of tourists make the once-popular islands attractive to the adventurous only.
- Vanuatu: Until now, it has been a safe and popular destination, but experts fear it may be the next Solomons. Earlier this year stand-offs occurred between the unarmed police and the armed para-military force.
