Regional Briefing
Business & Politics
Business
SARS, Iraq War Pacific fallout
SARS and the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq were having some effect on
Pacific Islands tourism by early April. French Polynesia expects a five
percent drop in hotel occupancies for several months from April and a four
percent drop in inward air travel bookings. Countries receiving
comparatively significant numbers of American and Japanese tourism‹mainly
French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Fiji‹and in the North Pacific the
heavily Japanese-dependent territories of Guam and the Northern Marianas,
were mostly affected. Travel from Australia and New Zealand, the main
sources of visitors to South Pacific destinations, by mid April were holding
up.
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Panguna mine to reopen?
An autonomous Bougainville Island government could consider reopening the
huge Panguna copper mine, according to Bougainville Copper Ltd's chairman,
Barry Cussack. He told the annual general shareholders' meeting that since
the island's economic development was a "prime" issue, the province would
have to consider developing its natural resources. Landowners' opposition to
the mine started a decade-long secessionist war that closed the mine in the
early days of the fighting. This was eventually ended by a peace agreement
with the Papua New Guinea Government that gives Bougainville greater
autonomy. Cusack said the company was ready for talks with the new
provincial government on the mine's future and disposal of its assets. In
the 17 years prior to its 1989 closure, the mine produced three million tons
of copper, 306 tons of gold and 784 tons of silver.
Solomons to repair economy
The Solomon Islands government hopes to repair the national economy
shattered by unrest in Guadalcanal by securing the re-opening of the Gold
Ridge Mine in Central Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands Plantations Ltd,
operator of an oil palm plantation on Guadalcanal plain. Both businesses
were vital parts of the economy.
A government statement in April said it had launched an industries rehabilitation and retention taskforce as a tripartite project funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and implemented by the International Labour Organisation on behalf of the government. Consultants are being sought to examine the possibility of re-opening the mine and plantation.
Queenslanders object dumping plan
Some Australians are objecting a plan to ship 100 tonnes of chemical waste
from the Pacific Islands for disposal in Australia by 2005. Queensland
residents are attacking the dumping of the waste at Narangba in Queensland.
The waste is predominately pesticides and fertilizers to be taken from 13 countries judged to be unable to safely dispose of it themselves.
French Polynesia ups vanilla production
French Polynesia intends to lift its annual vanilla production from about 30
tonnes to 60 tonnes by 2006 in response to sharply rising prices for the
product. First grade-dried vanilla is currently fetching US$225/US$270 per
kilogramme.
New Caledonia's shrimp plan
New Caledonia's shrimp farmers expect to double their production within the
next five years, with Japan as its key export market. SOPAC, the main
producer, already sells 40 percent of its annual 550 tonnes production to
France and Japan and hopes to make China its next market.
New Caledonia's fish farm output is also increasing with production expected to rise from 1500 tonnes year to 4000 tonnes a year by 2007, SOPAC estimates. 1500 tonnes of shrimp exports made US$22 million last year and ranked second after nickel exports.
Air Tahiti Nui heading to Hawaii?
French Polynesia's flag carrier, Air Tahiti Nui says it is interested in
taking over a Pape'ete-Hawaii service if the one now operated by Hawaiian
Airlines is terminated because of the United States airline's financial
trouble. Hawaiian Airlines was placed recently in receivership.
Taiwan company wants tax concession
A Taiwanese fishing company, Fong-Chung Formosa, says it will join with the
Fiji Government-controlled Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO) in building a
F$50 million (US$25 million) ship repair yard at Lautoka provided the
government approves tax concessions for it. PAFCO operates a tuna canning
and loining operation at Levuka, with part of its fish supply caught by the
Taiwanese company's vessels.
Politics
Lucette Taero gets another term
Lucette Taero, one of the few Pacific Islands women with a significant
political leadership role, has been re-elected for a third term as president
of the French Polynesian Assembly. She received all the votes from the
majority Tahoeraa Huiraatira (TH) party, winning by 29 votes to nine in the
49-seat assembly. Supporters of the pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira
boycotted the vote. Its leader, Oscar Temaru, complained that the rule
recently adopted by the assembly smothered freedom of opposition expression.
Taerao is a former Tavini Huiraatira minister for employment, professional training, social dialogue and women's affairs. In her acceptance speech, she attacked some labour unions for "growing propensity" for "excessive, even unjustifiable demands" and unnamed news media for "insults and lying" to "soil, slander, and abuse with few scruples".
Man arrested in armoury raid
Indonesia's army arrested a man suspected of involvement in an April raid on
an armoury in West Papua province, the Jakarta Post reported. Fifteen gunmen
broke into a district military compound and took 29 high-powered firearms
and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Two soldiers and a suspected rebel
were killed.
The district military commander, Lieutenant Colonel Masrumsyah said a splinter group of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) was suspected of the raid.
But the Jakarta Post said an internal inquiry hinted at possible army involvement since there were cases of poorly paid troops selling weapons.
Vanuatu public servants on training
New Caledonia's public servants' training institute (IFAP) will train some
284 Vanuatu public servants this year compared with 73 last year, Les
Nouvelles Calédoniennes reports. Training for Vanuatu public servants began
three years ago in areas of development, law, management, administration,
economy and human resource development.
One objective is to promote the use of French in the formerly Anglo-French ruled country and expose English-speaking servants to French.
New Caledonia ejects activist
A controversial environmental activist has been effectively ejected from New
Caledonia by being barred from working as an Air Caledonie International
(AirCalin) cabin steward, Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes reported. Air France,
which has ended New Caledonia flights, told its local staff they could
choose between working for Air Calédonie International, staying with Air
France in other countries, or attending a retraining scheme in another
industry.
Bruno Van Peteghem was one of 100 Air France workers to opt for the territorial government-control AirCalin. AirCalin said it wouldn't hire him because he wouldn't work on it Boeing 737 jet. Van Peteghem is a founder of New Caledonia's Les Verts (Greens) movement and also of Corail Vivant (Living Coral). Corail Vivant which opposes a planned multi-billion dollar nickel mining project in southern New Caledonia, says it would be environmentally damaging. The Greens secretary general, Didier Baron claimed that Southern Province's President, Jacques Lafleur influenced Van Peteghem departure following an interview in 2002 in which Lafleur said he would oppose the steward's transfer to AirCalin.
