Regional Briefing
Regional Briefing
Business
Fiji
High-class resort accommodation
Details of finance for a F$72.8 million (US$33.69 million) four-star resort hotel to be managed by the Accor chain were given by finance minister, Ratu Jone Kubuabola in winning parliamentary approval for a government guarantee for a F$32.2 million (US$14.9 million) European Investment Bank contribution to the project.
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Kubuabola said construction of the Novotel Denarau resort would begin in March at the Denarau Island Resort complex near Nadi International Airport.
Air Pacific, the Fiji Government-controlled national airline, will invest F$11.3 million (US$5.22 million) in the project; an insurance company, Colonial Fiji Life Limited, F$12 million (US$5.55 million); Accor Asia Pacific F$6 million (US$2.75 million); and the European Investment Bank F$10.4 million (US$4.81 million) in risk capital, in addition to a loan the government would guarantee. Another F$1.9 million (US$879,000) would be borrowed from local banks.
The project was promoted by Air Pacific, which said its plans for growth were being stifled by a developing shortage in Fiji of high-class resort accommodation.
French Polynesia
Wind Song’s replacement
Windstar Cruises has notified French Polynesian government that it will move a sister ship from the Caribbean to replace the luxury 134-metre cruiser Wind Song to continue holiday cruises in the Leeward Islands region from January 24.
After a fire broke out in Wind Song’s engine room during a cruise in December, 127 passengers were transferred to another ship and later returned by air to Papeete. Wind Song was later towed to Papeete and was expected to be towed on to New Zealand for examination and repairs.
Solomon Islands
Solomons given another month’s extension
The University of the South Pacific (USP) Council has supported a motion to provide its second largest member country, the Solomon Islands, with an additional month to repay outstanding debts to the university, extending the country’s existing 31 December deadline to January 31.
Debts from the Solomon Islands to the university have accumulated over the past four years as the country struggles to address severe internal political, social and economic problems. It now stands at more than F$7 million.
At its last May meeting, the council endorsed a decision by the USP finance and general purposes committee to withdraw cash advances to Solomon Islands students living off-campus during Semester II. The university subsequently requested payment of F$5 million by the end of 2002, however this has not been forthcoming to date.
New Caledonia
Pine plantation ready to be logged
New Caledonia’s pine plantations should be ready for logging from the end of next year, according to the newspaper Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes. Caribbean Pine planting began in 1976 in five areas, the main island and on the Isle of Pines, south of Noumea. Marketing priority will be given to replacing imports of New Zealand pine.
Papua New Guinea
Money needed to keep Air Niugini flying
Air Niugini needs a 24-million Kina loan from the Bank of the South Pacific in order to continue flying, transport and civil aviation minister Don Polye told parliament in December.
He said the airline’s poor financial position had been further damaged by the continuing fall of the Kina against the US dollar and other important currencies.
Tuvalu
EU funds education/water projects
Tuvalu will receive 3.3 million Euros (US$3.2 million) for education, environment and water projects.
The money will go towards building primary schools for two islands, new school buildings on three more, and teacher housing, water storage and supply and waste management.
Another 700,000 Euros (US$700,000) will go to emergency services, debt relief and support for unstable export earnings. The European Union representative to Tuvalu, Frans Baan said Tuvalu would be a “model” the European Union would use for delivering aid to other developing countries.
Marshall Islands
ADB to fund outer island transport
The Asian Development Bank has approved a US$7 million loan and US$250,000 technical assistance grant package for the Marshall Islands for the improvement of outer island transport. Projects will cover port infrastructure, navigation aids, cargo stores and airstrip extensions and maintenance. The loan will be repayable over 32 years including a grace period of eight years.
New Zealand
Taro mite research
A New Zealand team will research a taro mite that threatens the multi-million dollar taro export market in New Zealand. New Zealand began detecting the mite in taro from Fiji and other Pacific Islands exporters from early 2001.
Fumigation at Auckland increases import costs and cuts the shelf life of taro. The contract awarded to Landcare Research NZ Ltd, with funds from the Pacific Community, is due to be completed in May.
Cook Islands
Comply with standards
Support is growing in the Cook Islands for a brake on the growth of tourism developments on Rarotonga and, possibly also Aitutaki, according to the Cook Islands News.
Tour company executive Robert Skews, chairperson of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation, told the newspaper it was time for a rule for any property built that it complies with minimum waste disposal standards. Cook Islands visitor arrival figures exceeded 70,000 two years ago, but have since fallen to about 60,000.
Others
Single aviation market
Moves are underway to establish a single aviation market within the 14 Pacific Forum Islands countries. A single market would allow the various Pacific airlines to land anywhere in the region without paying for landing rights. The proposed Pacific Islands Airlines Air Services Agreement—or PIASA—is expected to help airlines in the Forum member countries develop to meet the demands of the fast changing international aviation industry. The expected benefits of PIASA include increased airline access to air routes between Forum member countries, greater use of code sharing and alliances between airlines, greater cargo options for exporters and importers and cost savings to airlines that can be passed on to travellers as lower airfares.
Politics
Vanuatu
No confidence motion in Natapei
Vanuatu’s Opposition parliamentarians hope to topple Prime Minister Edward Natapei’s present government early in the new year with a no-confidence vote. Such votes are a frequent feature of Vanuatu’s politics, and the latest move for one announced by Opposition leader Willie Jimmy isn’t likely to succeed. Jimmy claims people are angry with the government’s “mishandling” of the economy.
By-election for Sope’s seat
Prime Minister Edward Natapei said there will be a by-election for former prime minister Barak Sope’s vacated seat, despite calls for Sope’s automatic reinstatement.
The government said Sope’s seat was declared vacant last August by the parliamentary speaker before Sope was pardoned in November and freed from his three-year jail sentence. Sope was found guilty of fraud over the letters of guarantee he signed while prime minister.
He was pardoned on health grounds by President Father John Bani, a move that angered the government.
Senior law officers convicted
Four of Vanuatu’s senior police officers were convicted of mutiny in December and given two years suspended jail sentence by Supreme Court Judge Roger Coventry. Treason can bring a life sentence. Convicted were former acting commissioner Holi Simon; former Vanuatu Mobile Force commander, Api Jack Marikembo; assistant police commissioner (crime) Paul Willy Reuben; and commander of the southern police region, Eric Pekoa. All were found guilty of mutiny, inciting mutiny, kidnapping and false imprisonment. Three other accused were cleared of mutiny charges. The mutiny happened after a former police officer, Mael Apisai, was appointed police commissioner in July. Simon had expected to get the job.
Fiji
Networking to fight terrorism
Indonesia’s first ambassador to Fiji, Albert Matongtang, visiting the Fiji army headquarters in Suva, called for “a networking system so that we could better fight terrorism which is now coming closer to the Pacific.” Indonesia opened an embassy in Suva earlier last year, so positioning itself close to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat headquarters. The Indonesians are anxious to block the Pacific Islands Forum countries from taking too deep an interest in its rule in West Papua, where it is suppressing the independence movement of indigenous Melanesians.
Tonga
MP and two journalists cleared
Tonga’s Supreme Court has awarded damages totalling US$26,000 to two local journalists and an opposition Member of Parliament it ruled were illegally jailed for contempt of parliament.
The court said ‘Akilisi Pohiva, an MP and leader of Tonga’s pro-democracy movement, Times of Tonga publisher, Kalafi Moala and one of his journalists, Filokalafi Akau’ola, were also stopped from seeing visitors and put under unusual restrictions.
The three sued the government for being wrongly jailed in 1996 for 30 days for what the then Legislative Assembly Speaker ruled was contempt of the legislature. The Times of Tonga had reported Pohiva’s intention to move for the impeachment of then Justice Minister Tevita Tupou for travelling to the Olympics without permission.
Police Minister Clive Edwards claimed the publication of the motion before it was tabled in the legislature was contempt and persuaded the Speaker to rule against the three.
Tonga has a monarchist form of government with a parliament in which nine MPs elected to represent 100,000 “commoners” are outnumbered by 21 cabinet ministers and nobles appointed by the King and representatives of 33 noble families.
Cook Islands
Williams for WHO top job
Cook Islands has nominated Dr Joe Williams for the World Health Organisation director-general position as part of a push to get more Pacific Islanders into such international jobs.
The Cook Islands Health Ministry said support for a Pacific candidate was generated during last September’s meeting of Regional Health Ministers.
The former Cook Islands prime minister is one of nine international candidates for the position. Williams received good support from the Pacific Islands countries, particularly Samoa, the health ministry said.
Pacific Islands states have become more pro-active in projecting themselves on the international stage in recent times. That’s partly due to criticisms over the lack of Pacific representation in key posts in various organisations and bodies.
Papua New Guinea
Terrorists training in West Papua
A Papua New Guinea newspaper, The Independent, reports that the Operasi Papua Merdeka (OPM-Free Papua Movement) has warned Papua New Guinea that potential international terrorists are training in the jungles of neighbouring Indonesian-ruled West Papua. The OPM claimed they were from the same Muslim extremist groups linked to attacks on Christians in some areas of Indonesia. The OPM jungle office on the Papua New Guinea/Indonesian border warned: “The Papua New Guinea government should not be blind or deaf to this OPM warning. Currently, 200-plus men are undergoing terrorism training in a jungle hideout at a place called Ipargunum, Sentani area, outside Jayapura city.
“The OPM is afraid to say that after the training at Ipargunum, the terrorists will spread across West Papua. And we should not downplay the idea that these terrorists will make plans to infiltrate Papua New Guinea. The OPM claimed that Indonesian Muslim extremists present in West Papua intended to oppose any moves for independence from Indonesia and to protect Muslim Indonesian migrants.”
Morauta dumped as Opposition leader
There have been more changes in the leadership of Papua New Guinea’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Movement. The party has dumped former prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta as its leader and invited another former prime minister, Paias Wingti back into the fold. In August last year, Wingti was expelled by the party he founded. But a caucus meeting in Port Moresby overturned that ruling and elected him leader. He replaces Morauta as opposition leader, but Wingti won’t take on the opposition leader’s role. That will instead remain with Bulolo MP John Muingnepe.
Dissatisfaction with Morauta’s plans to reform and rename the party have been cited as reasons for his dumping, although those who orchestrated his demise say he’s welcome to stay with the party.
(Source: PINA Nius Online, Pacnews, Oceania Flash.)
