Political Briefs

500-man standing police force

Australia will establish a 500-man standing police force for helping Pacific Islands countries with internal law and order difficulties. It had already agreed to send police officers to assist Papua New Guinea's police authorities and has others stationed in the Solomon Islands. Foreign minister Alexander Downer says the new force is needed to avoid the weakening of Australia's own police force by drawing their numbers for overseas missions.

wants more concessions

The final legal step (an endorsement by France's Constitutional Council) toward the attainment by French Polynesia of greater autonomy was expected to have been taken by late February. Enabling legislation has already been approved by France's Senate and National Assembly and by President Jacques Chirac. French Polynesia will become a "French overseas country" instead of an overseas territory, with powers to restrict the now free admission of settlers, and with more powers to control land tenure and management, civil aviation and relations with other countries. Immigration powers are intended to reserve jobs for residents present for a minimum of 10 years. France will retain control of military, financial and justice matters. French Polynesia will be allowed to open overseas representative offices but these won't have diplomatic status. Territorial president Gaston Flosse says he wants to win further concessions for autonomy but rules out full independence from France. French Polynesia is expected to argue that its claim to have won more self-government qualifies it to be admitted as an observer at meetings of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Taskforce to investigate allegations

Fiji police commissioner Andrew Hughes has set up a taskforce to investigate allegations that some police backed the 2000 coup by delivering guns to Parliament and otherwise supporting rebels who were holding the then government hostage in parliament. The investigators are police officers on duty abroad during the coup. Hughes described the coup as a "cleaning up exercise". He's awaiting a report from two New Zealand detectives who reviewed materials about the coup gathered by Fiji police investigators. A June trial date has been set for the Fiji vice president, two cabinet ministers and the deputy parliamentary speaker who have denied charges that they backed the coup by taking illegal oaths.

Opposition leader crosses floor

Former Solomon Islands opposition leader Patteson Oti has joined the government of Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza as communications and civil aviation minister because, he says, he thinks he can better contribute to the recovery of the country from communal tension and fighting by being part of the government rather than in opposition to it. As opposition leader for 18 months until May 2003, Oti attacked what he said was deep government corruption. After joining cabinet in February, he said he hadn't changed his ideas about the extent of government corruption.

US cost cutting move criticised

Marshall Islands officials have criticised the United States Department of Energy for cutting US$740,000 for a Congressional vote for studying radiation hazard at Bikini, Enewetak and Rongelap, the atolls used for nuclear bomb tests in the 1940/50s. The Marianas Variety reported that the cut had brought radiation research to a halt and that the Marshall Islands hadn't been consulted in advance.

Fiji/France resumes military relations

Fiji and France are resuming military relations broken off after the 2000 coup in Fiji. Formerly there were exchanges of troops for military exercises in New Caledonia and Fiji and patrols of Fiji's 200-mile fisheries zone by French maritime aircraft out of New Caledonia. In February, the commander of French forces in New Caledonia, Brigadier General Alain Daniel was at the army headquarters in Suva for talks with Commodore Frank Bainimarama. Thirty troops from Fiji will soon exercise in New Caledonia and 30 New Caledonian troops will make a reciprocal trip.

Solomon MP jailed

A Solomon Islands cabinet minister, Daniel Fa'afunua, has been given a three-year jail sentence by a magistrate after being convicted of demanding money with menace. Fa'afunua, a notorious militant after the 2000 coup, sent armed men to threaten and extract S$5000 from the publisher of a local newspaper, the Solomon Star, after the newspaper reported in 2001 that he had assaulted a man at the Honiara market.