Regional Briefing
Briefs
More powers to Bougainvilleans under draft constitution
A draft constitution for an autonomous Bougainville Island government
proposes to bar non-Bougainvilleans from owning land, from voting in
elections or standing for election and from rights enjoyed by local people.
The island would have its own chief justice, judges, police chiefs, ombudsman, public prosecutor, election commission and prison department. An agreement for autonomy ended a long war fought by some Bougainvilleans for control of the island's resources and independence from Papua New Guinea.
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The last Papua New Guinea troops withdrew from the island in accordance with a peace treaty in April. Some Bougainville leaders say that autonomy will be followed eventually by full independence.
Hunt's on for missionary killer
An Australian Seventh Day Adventist Church missionary, Lance Gersbach, was
beheaded at Atoifi, Malaita, reportedly over a dispute arising over land on
which a church was being built.
As police began an investigation, the local Member of Parliament for the area, Alfred Sasako, said he had asked its paramount chief to direct the entire community to hunt for the killer. Police were reported to have the suspect's name.
Short sentences condemned
Critics have condemned as being suspicious short sentences of up to
three-and-a-half years jail passed by an Indonesian army court on four
soldiers found guilty of the November 2001 murder of West Papua independence
leader, Theys Eluay.
Chirac to visit Australia, NZ: Lafleur
New Caledonia's anti-independence leader, Jacques Lafleur, says he hopes
that Australia and New Zealand will be visited by French President Jacques
Chirac when he visits France's Pacific territories in July. Chirac's travel
plans initially included Australia.
But the destination seems to have been dropped recently, according to Oceania Flash news service.
Lafleur says Chirac's trip should include Australia and New Zealand, two countries having strong trade ties with New Caledonia.
Response to Niue's Vivian's proposal
Niue's prime minister, Young Vivian had an unfavourable reception to his
proposal that Tongans and Samoans should be invited to settle on the badly
depopulated island if not enough Niueans could be persuaded to return from
living in New Zealand.
Critics said Tonga and Samoa were Niue's former conquerors and scarce available jobs would be filled by such new settlers. Niue's population has fallen below 1500 people. More than 10 Niueans live in New Zealand for every one at home.
Su'a shortlisted for TI award
Samoa's former auditor-general, Su'a Rimoni Ah Chang, has been shortlisted
for a Transparency International award.
The then Samoan government changed its constitution so that it could sack him from what was previously a life appointment after a 1994 audit report in which he exposed serious corruption and mismanagement by some cabinet ministers and high-level senior public servants.
Transparency International said Su'a's integrity was inspiring. Samoa's high court still has to rule in a case in which Su'a is claiming damages for defamation.
PNG upsets China
China's embassy in Port Moresby has complained that the issue of three
consular corps registration plates to cars used by the Taiwan Trade Mission
amounted to Papua New Guinea's diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. It said the
issue broke Papua New Guinea's official "One China" policy and was a matter
of "grave concern".
The Taiwan mission in Port Moresby was "merely an unofficial organisation" handling trade with Papua New Guinea, it said.
The Papua New Guinea Government replied that the issue was "in line with general practice."
China treats Taiwan as a rebel breakaway province and presses other governments to ignore its claim to be an independent state.
Polynesian language accepted
After some official resistance and controversy, French Polynesia's civil
courts have been allowed to accept the use of Polynesian languages for the
delivery of evidence. They were previously restricted to French.
NZ Pacific aid increases
New Zealand's 2003 Pacific aid budget has been increased by NZ$20 million to
more than NZ$100 million.
Forty five percent of the money will go to strengthening government systems, a new institute of governance at the University of the South Pacific and to "conflict prevention and peace-building initiative."
