Regional Briefing
Business and Politics
Business
NZ explores opportunities in region
New Zealand earned NZ$845.7 million in exports to the Pacific islands for the year ending June 30, 2002‹$70 million more than the 2001 figures. With the addition of services for which no accurate statistics are available, the value of foreign exchange earnings from this region for New Zealand would exceed $1.2 billion, New Zealand's Trade Negotiations Minister, Jim Sutton says. Sutton has invited New Zealand businesses and exporters on a week-long trade mission to explore possibilities in four key markets: French Polynesia, Samoa, American Samoa and New Caledonia. The delegation will travel on a Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing jet from March 3 to 11. The last trade mission to these countries was 10 years ago. Sutton will meet trade and agricultural counterparts in each of the four countries and territories to discuss bilateral issues. Meanwhile, New Zealand has earmarked NZ$250,000 for the PACER programme, which will be developed and coordinated through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. The programme aims to build capacity and help streamline processes in the areas of sanitary, phyto-sanitary matters, customs procedures, and standards and conformance.
- Ruci Salato-Farrell.
Vanuatu plea: don't confiscate earnings
Vanuatu has asked the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for an assurance that its earnings from the New York headquartered international shipping registry will not be confiscated. Government spokesperson Daniel Bangtor said the FBI was understood to have frozen the accounts of Vanuatu Maritime Services following the arrest in the United States in December of a prominent Port Vila businessman, Robert Bohn. He is alleged by the FBI to be implicated in an international lottery fraud. Bangtor said shipping registry funds belonged to the Vanuatu Government, not Bohn. In the United States, the FBI said it has charged 17 people with alleged involvement in a lottery telemarketing scheme said to have taken more than US$100 million from gamblers in many countries.
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Australia warns Air Niugini
Australia has warned Papua New Guinea that Air Niugini's Australian Air Operator's Certificate might not be renewed when it expires on January 31 unless it gave Australian aviation authorities a safety audit of all its aircraft flying to Australia in compliance with international civil aviation rules. The Papua New Guinea airline couldn't operate to Australia without a renewed certificate. Air Niugini's chairman, Joseph Tauvasa told the Ministry for Transport and Civil Aviation that without the certificate the airline's flights between Port Moresby and Cairns would cease on January 31 with an "enormous impact on the whole of Papua New Guinea and, of course, the financial viability of Air Niugini."
China gives go-ahead for Flosse's pearls
China has given French Polynesia the status of "most favoured nation" for its exports of black pearls, according to Ocean Flash news service. Cultured pearls are the territory's main export earner with annual sales exceeding US$100 million. French Polynesia's president, Gaston Flosse told reporters that China would drop the tax rates on pearls from 24% to 10% following his official visit to Beijing in 2002. He said the territory would open a trade office in Shanghai this year.
Visitors down in Marshalls
An 8% drop in visitor numbers was recorded by the Marshall Islands in 2002 due to the September 2001 attacks in the United States and downturns in the United States and Japanese economies, Mark Stege, general manager of the country's visitors authority explained. Most of the small number of visitors are scuba divers; in 2001 929 of a total of 1483.
PNG coffee, cocoa recover
Papua New Guinea's coffee and cocoa exports made a significant recovery from poor results in the September 2002 quarter. But their gains were badly offset by a K274.6 million plunge to K1.07 billion in mineral and oil export earnings, the Bank of Papua New Guinea reported. Agriculture export earnings reached a two-year high of K252.4 million in the September quarter with the strongest recovery by coffee at K90.9 million being the best performance since the 1999. Cocoa had a second successive quarter of record revenues with exports worth K39.1 million. Mineral exports plunged at a time of high prices due to the impact of drought on Ok Tedi mine copper-gold shipments and the temporary closure of the Porgera gold mine caused by power disruptions.
Hydropower for Savai'i
Samoa plans to supply the island of Savai'i with electricity generated by a hydro-electric power station built in the Sili River basin. The Asian Development Bank has approved a US$350,000 Japanese-funded technical assistance grant for a feasibility study to be completed in September.
Lae gets loining plant
A second tuna loining plant is being built on Papua New Guinea's northern coast, this one in Lae by Philippines interests. Construction of the US$1.5 million (K5.8million) plant (being built by Frabelle Fishing Corporation) will start soon after a groundbreaking ceremony set for February 5. Loining factories are where fish is prepared for canning elsewhere.
Frabelle (PNG) Limited resident director Nestor Defensor said the company supplies markets in American Samoa, Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and Thailand.
$2 billion not enough, say landowners
Traditional landowners from Kwajalein Atoll, which hosts America's key Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands, said a newly-initialled 83-year, US$2 billion lease is not enough. The landowners are objecting to the deal that was signed by government representatives from the United States and the Marshall Islands in Honolulu without their participation. The landowners, who have formed an organisation called the Kwajalein Negotiation Commission, said the new USA-Marshall Islands agreement is not enforceable.
(PINA Nius, Ocean Flash)
Speight's mates apply for CSO
Nine of the 11 prisoners convicted for their part in a May 2000 coup that toppled the then Fiji government have applied to be freed from their jail at Nukulau Island, near Suva. They have requested compulsory supervision orders, under which they would be released to finish their sentences staying at home under special rules. All have sentences of less than five years. Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale, who is empowered to issue the orders, said his decision would be guided by advice from the Prison's Department. If applicants were freed they would have to report to a police station several times a week and could be directed to undertake community work. Applicants include Ilisoni Ligairi, a former head of the army's Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit, disbanded in 2000 after it mutinied. But not George Speight, front man for the coup, who got a life sentence. Speight's brother, now a member of parliament, is campaigning for his pardon and release. The Fiji government is aware that other governments, mainly important aid donors, would take a poor view of such clemency.
Chaudhry's India outbursts
Former Prime Minister and Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry, ousted from office by the 2000 coup, in January attended an Indian Diaspora meeting in New Delhi and attacked political difficulties affecting Fiji Indian citizens. Chaudhry claimed Indians in Fiji were landless, defenceless, deprived of constitutional rights, victims of discrimination, denied police protection and "crying out for justice." Chaudhry was criticised by a Fiji government minister and some Indian political opponents, who said Fiji's domestic political problems should be left to be solved domestically. The only Indian government minister, George Shiu Raj, responsible for the multi-ethnic affairs portfolio, who was also present in New Delhi said Chaudhry's claims were misleading and ignored what he said was basically a 120-year old healthy grassroots relationship between Indians and Fijians. The Diaspora was attended by representatives from scores of countries in which Indians are settler citizens.
33 killed in tribal fighting
Papua New Guinea police said 33 people have been killed and more than K2 million worth of property destroyed in six months of election-related tribal fighting in the East Enga region. Fighting between the Ambulin and Wapukin people began during the 2002 general election campaign after a Wapukin man was killed. High tension is continuing, with police trying to persuade tribal leaders to end the conflict.
Move trial to Jayapura, activist says
A Papuan independence activist says the trial of seven Kopassus force soldiers charged with the killing of pro-independence leader Theys Eluay should be moved from Surubaya, East Java, to Jayapura, the West Papua capital, where Eluay was murdered in November 2001 "for justice to take place." A spokesman for former Papuan political prisoners, Saul Bomay, told Indonesia's Antara news agency that the conduct of the trial at Jayapura would enable local people to monitor it. Bomay said Papuans wanted to know who had Eluay murdered, and why.
Sope to ask court for his parliament seat
Vanuatu's former prime minister, Barak Sope will ask a court to direct the return of a seat in parliament he lost after his conviction for fraud committed while he held office. Sope, who in December was pardoned and freed by Vanuatu's president Father John Bani after serving three months of a three-year jail sentence, claims he should have his seat restored automatically since the pardon expunged the conviction. The government, which condemned the president's decision to free Sope, said a by-election for the seat was required.
Vanuatu lawyer to challenge kava law
Veteran Vanuatu lawyer and politician Vincent Boulekone, who is a traditional chief, intends to legally challenge the constitutionality of a new legislation that bars non-indigenous citizens from farming kava. A bill approved by Parliament at the end of 2002, but still to be signed into law, applied the ban to mixed race and naturalised citizens. But it allows them to buy kava from indigenous farmers. Boulekone said the bill was discriminatory. It is intended to end the domination of kava farming by a small number of mixed race and naturalised citizens.
(PINA Nius, Ocean Flash)
Flosse regrets Lafleur's retirement
Jacques Lafleur's announcement of a programmed retirement from political life in New Caledonia made front-page headlines in French Polynesia's two daily French language newspapers. Both published comments by French Polynesia President Gaston Flosse. "Jacques Lafleur is a friend, even if I believe there were some lack of understanding between the two of us," Flosse said in the communiqué. "Jacques Lafleur left his mark on the history of New Caledonia. Thanks to him, thanks to his participation, thanks to his knowledge of all New Caledonians of all ethnic groups that make up the New Caledonian population, he brought peace at a very difficult moment." Flosse was also reassuring for the future, saying that Lafleur's retirement should not leave New Caledonia disoriented. "I think Jacques Lafleur has close to him some men capable of carrying the torch. I would like to cite Pierre Frogier (Territorial President), Senator Simon Loueckhote and many others within the FLNKS, such as Roch Wamytan, whom I know well. With such men, I'm sure they can continue to lead New Caledonia," Flosse said.
-Al Prince
