Pacific Notes
Pacific Notes
Japan - Micronesia Imperial Visit Appears Likely - ADVERTISEMENT -
There's been considerable buzz across the Western Pacific about the increasing likelihood of a state visit by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. The Japanese Foreign Ministry isn't confirming the possibility, but in September a small mission of Japanese officials visited Pohnpei, capital of the Federated States of Micronesia, and Majuro, where the national government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is located. An imperial visit, which would be a first by an Emperor and Empress of Japan, is also expected to include the Republic of Palau and Saipan, capital of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. All of these countries and territories were formerly administered by Japan as Mandated Islands under the League of Nations from World War I until the end of World War II. It is unclear whether Guam, a U.S. territory that was invaded and occupied by Japan in World War II, would also be included in the imperial visit. Senior government officials in the Marshalls and FSM say late February or early March 2004 appears to be the likely time that the imperial couple will visit the islands. An FSM official told Pacific Magazine that the Emperor and Empress were expected on Pohnpei on or about March 10th. All of these islands have strong family and cultural ties to Japan. Former presidents of the FSM (Tosiwo Nakayama) and Palau (Kuniwo Nakamura) have Japanese ancestry. Palau maintains particularly close diplomatic and commercial ties with Japan. -Floyd K. Takeuchi Fiji
Siwatibau Remembrance On Oct. 9, the University of the South Pacific observed a region-wide day of remembrance for its much-admired Vice Chancellor Savenaca Siwatibau who died of cancer in Christchurch, New Zealand on Oct. 3. Siwatibau had been vice chancellor, the first Fijian to hold the top position, since March 2001. Prior his USP appointment, Siwatibau, an economist, was head of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, based in Vanuatu. Prior to that, he served as governor of the Fiji Reserve Bank and manager of the Central Monetary Authority of Fiji. He was also on the advisory board of Transparency International. Sitiveni Halapua, director of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, told Pacific Magazine, "'Siwa' was one of the most highly respected leaders of our era. His commitment to all Pacific Islanders, and his personal rectitude, serve as a model that all of us should attempt to emulate. The imprint of his legacy across the Pacific Islands region will be felt for generations to come." Faculty at the USP Laucala campus in Suva were almost unanimous in their praise for the improved morale and professionalism his administration had brought to the campus. In December last year, Siwatibau spoke to the USP graduating class: "Maturity is not directly learned in the lecture rooms or laboratories of the university," he told the graduates. "It is learned and developed in the classroom of the world outside. Maturity means recognizing that you exist in an inequitable community of people, with wide disparities of opportunities, of incomes, of privileges and of power or access to resources. Maturity recognizes your privileged situation within that community, and enables you to temper all decisions you make. We are all here in this world to serve." And Savenaca Siwatibau served the world with his whole heart. -Scott Whitney
Hawaii - Guam Boom From U.S. Buildup A number of private companies and Pacific locations are beginning to see the benefits of dramatically increased U.S. defense spending in the region. Actus Lend Lease, LLC, a U.S. subsidiary of the giant Australian Lend Lease company, which is a major defense and civilian property developer and manager down under, has just won a US$1.l billion contract to privatize most Air Force housing on the island of Oahu. Actus will also manage the properties for the next 50 years. Under the contract, Actus will renovate 718 homes and rebuild another 638. Actus has a second $6.9 billion contract with the U.S. Army. The company plans to subcontract a great deal of the work with local Hawaii companies. In Guam, Raytheon Technical Service Guam, Inc is being awarded a US$66.4 million contract to renew its three-year Navy base operations support contract. Meanwhile, Andersen Air Force base, also on Guam, is expecting the Air Force to deploy more B-1B and B-52 bombers in response to possible threats on the Korean peninsula. Also at Anderson, an $85 million aircraft refueling hanger project and a $12.8 million upgrade to base housing are also under way. But the real prize is the U.S. Navy's plan to move an aircraft carrier battle group to either Guam or Hawaii. Not only does a carrier have its own crew of about 3,000, but also a full carrier battle group, according to fleet spokesman Lt. j. g. Mike Morley, includes the carrier plus one or two destroyers, one or two cruise frigates and at least one fast-attack submarine. That's a lot of business for a local economy and both Hawaii and Guam are actively courting the Navy. Morley acknowledges that the Pacific Fleet command "routinely meets with political and business representative from Guam, and we have discussed the carrier." Though it won't say which location it favors, the Navy has commissioned a US$1.8 million infrastructure study for basing the carrier wing in Hawaii, probably at the decommissioned Barber's Point base not far from Pearl Harbor. No similar study is planned for Guam, which might hint at which way the wind is blowing. Former Guam Congressional Delegate Robert Underwood says that, "There are significant infrastructure issues like docking, housing and repair capacity. The geographic and strategic issues favor Guam, but Hawaii obviously has the lead in infrastructure." But in mid-October, Adm. Thomas Fargo, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Forces, spoke in Honolulu before the Japan-Hawaii Economic Council and said for the first time publicly that he favored the carrier group being home ported in Hawaii. -Scott Whitney
American Samoa More Officials Charged The American Samoa Government's Task Force on White Collar Crime and Public Corruption continues their investigation into allegations of misappropriation of public funds and misuse of federal funds at the School Lunch Program. The task force's investigation resulted in charges filed in late September against Tafua Faau Seumanutafa who was the government's chief procurement officer. Local media reports that at least two members of Seumanutafa's family may also be implicated. He was asked to resign by Gov. Tongiola Tulafono before charges were filed. Seumanutafa faces 18 counts of stealing, 10 charges of fraud and 15 misdemeanor counts of violating ethical conduct. The total amount alleged to have been stolen or misappropriated by the defendant according to the complaint is $127,605. The Senate committee has also recommended to the governor that an investigation and charges, which includes stealing and embezzlement, be filed against former Education Department director, Dr. Sili K. Sataua; former school lunch program manager, Toetu Solaita; and two DOE senior officials, Paul Solofa and Manupo Turituri. Dr. Uiagalelei Lealofi, director of the Department of Human and Social Services and deputy director of DHSS, Patolo Mageo, are also being investigated.Vice-chairman of the government-owned Development Bank of American Samoa, Don Fuimaono, has been arrested on charges of criminal fraud and deceptive business practice in relation to the school lunch program. The eldest son of Senate President, Lutu Tenari Fuimaono, was taken into custody and his bail set at US$150,000. -Fili Sagapolutele
Papua New Guinea
Bank and Telecom Squabble Over Network With about 15 branches throughout PNG, Bank South Pacific has its eyes on becoming the region's leader in the business, but those plans are contingent on expanded telecom services. And that issue may stall Bank South Pacific's ability to become a significant regional player. The bank claims that Telikom PNG Ltd., the mainly government-owned telecommunications operator, is refusing to grant it a private satellite license, which the bank says would allow it to improve banking services. The bank has been unable to convince Telikom PNG to install and operate a domestic satellite network. The reason for this, according to Tony Westaway, the bank's General Manager for Integrated Services, is that the current satellite services provided by Telikom are inadequate and unreliable. As the bank's computer systems operate on real time transactions, the demand for an effective and reliable operating satellite system is crucial. Some 35 to 40 percent of workers in Papua New Guinea-be it informal or formal employment-are Bank South Pacific customers. In real terms, some 2,000 to 3,000 citizens of mainly outlying and rural areas can have their transactions delayed for up to thee days at a time when the current Telikom satellite systems experience outages. And disgruntled Telikom workers recently sabotaged the company's lines, leaving Port Moresby and nearby areas without phone, Internet or wireless access. Telikom PNG acknowledges that there are outages in the satellite services it provides, but does not accept the blame. In fact, Martin Veisame, who is the managing director of Telikom PNG, claims the Bank South Pacific banking systems could be the cause of the glitches. When all banking services are affected by the whims of communications, the first explanation is that the lines are out. But, according to Veisame, "People need to understand that if ANZ is out and Westpac is still up and running, then the fault is with the application programs running the bank's transactions, not our services." Veisame, a career officer in the tele-communications business, also indicated that by allowing the Bank South Pacific to operate under a restricted satellite license it could also pave the way for others to follow suit. "We maintain that issuing satellite licenses is not something you dream up and apply for like a loan. If not properly regulated and monitored, it could leave the country open to exploitation." He adds that Telikom was prepared to sit down with the Bank South Pacific. Meantime, thousands of Papua New Guinea bank customers will continue to experience shortcomings in their BSP banking services. And neither BSP nor Telikom PNG seems prepared to take responsibility. -John Rei
Papua New Guinea Gold Fever Hits Government, Lawyers On Oct. 7, the PNG Post-Courier carried the first news we saw on a cache of US$1.6 billion worth of World War II-vintage Japanese gold hidden in a mountain cave on the western coast of New Ireland. The report said that the PNG Cabinet had sent soldiers and police "to verify the claim and to protect the find from poachers." The Courier cited a New Ireland bureaucrat as saying that elderly villagers in the remote area had kept the secret for years, but it had leaked out as, nearing death, they passed the information on to younger villagers. The story continued three days later with a report that two journalists, one of them Radio Australia's Shane McLeod, were turned back by police and soldiers guarding the area in question. In a phone interview, McLeod told Pacific Magazine he was with Noel Pascoe of the Post-Courier and that some heated words were exchanged with the soldiers. "First they said they were going to impound our cameras and our car. We argued and it got a bit rough, but finally they took our three videotapes and told us to be off New Ireland in 24 hours. By what law they made such an order I don't know." Nevertheless, the lawyers have been busy. Claims on behalf of the Basoma Holdings Ltd., a company made up of traditional landowners in the area of the alleged gold, Agriculture Resources Technology Ltd., an Israeli company which holds timber rights in the area, and 888 Pacific Ltd., a PNG company which claims its "professional extraction manual," detailing how to secure the bullion, was poached by an attorney seeking to secure the gold for his clients. Finally, after a week uncertainty and conflicting reports, John Merebo, a contractor based in Kavieng, the area where what was now identified as a tunnel dug by the Japanese in World War II, admitted that he had started the rumors. "No one," he told reporters, "including myself, have seen any gold or anything of that sort." Japanese gold rumors have circulated from time to time in both Micronesia and Melanesia in the half century since the end of World War II. -Scott Whitney with Shane McLeod and the Post-Courier
Palau Justice Minister Out? It was not an attempt to balance the 2004 budget when the Palau National Congress took the unusual step of cutting a Cabinet member's salary: Congress in no uncertain terms wanted the Minister of Justice Michael Rosenthal out. According to budget documents, senators and delegates of the Olbiil Era Kelulau were dissatisfied with Rosenthal's job performance and believed he "was incapable of commanding the respect and loyalty of ministry personnel." The supporting material for the budget bill continues: "We would strongly recommend that the president find a replacement for Mr. Rosenthal in this important office." The senators continue: "To further strengthen this message, we added language specifying that no portion of the appropriation for the Office of the Minister be used to compensate Mr. Rosenthal." Aside from what he said was a clear infringement on his constitutional rights to appoint his cabinet, Pres. Tommy Remengesau, Jr. told Pacific Magazine that the cut was "unprecedented" and it was "unprofessional" to target an individual in legislation. Remengesau says Rosenthal, as an American and first and only expatriate minister, was an "easy target of all the ministers. Because he is not Palauan, they had less to lose politically." So Congress, he says, fired away. As part of a series of budget compromises between the two branches at the 11th hour, Congress agreed to put Rosenthal's salary back in the budget. The displeasure of Congress with Rosenthal boiled over in January after a major drug trafficker, known as Eddy Liu, escaped from prison and fled the country. During a contentious congressional hearing, congress members questioned Rosenthal about a seized fishing vessel that slipped out of port, a death at the prison, a fatal fire and a police petition against him-and low morale in the ministry. This according to Tia Belau, the local Palauan weekly newspaper. Remengesau says his administration does not condone the escape, but Rosenthal responded by improving prison security and regulations. The first-term president adds that during Rosenthal's tenure more high-profile drug traffickers have been arrested and are serving longer terms than at any other time. Remengesau says one of the reasons he chose Rosenthal was because he was a foreigner. On small islands, it is often hard for a local not to run head-on with conflicts of interest. Rosenthal is "color-blind," the president says, and he has been strict. "He has stepped on some people's toes and the toes of people's relatives." -Scott Radway |
