Government Briefs
Government Briefs
| American Samoa Governor
Togiola Tulafono is seeking the establishment of a Labor Enforcement Unit within
the territorial Department of Commerce to educate local and foreign workers and
their employers about labor issues. Togiola submitted the proposal when he attended
an Interagency Group for Insular Areas (IGIA) meeting in Washington, D.C. in March. Cabinet
member and Territorial Auditor George Webster is facing allegations of spousal
abuse. He was released on $2,000 bail while awaiting further court hearings. Webster
is charged with one count of assault for allegedly punching his wife in the face
while operating a motor vehicle. He is also charged with driving under the influence
of alcohol. Governor Togiola Tulafono has been silent on whether he will take
administrative action against Webster, who has been praised by local residents
for seeking accountability in government. Samoa The
New Zealand and Samoan governments held their first ever government consultations
in Apia in March. The NZ team was led by Foreign Minister Phil Goff, while Samoan
Prime Minister Tuilaepa S. Malielegaoi headed the Samoan side. The talks covered
a range of issues between the two countries including immigration, trade, regional
cooperation, as well as closer working relations between respective government
ministries and businesses. The talks are to become a regular event. The
dispute between the two Samoas over immigration threatens to sour relations between
the close neighbors. Unhappy with what appeared to be a toughening of entry and
travel requirements under newly appointed American Samoa Attorney General Sialega
Mataitusi Togafau, the Samoan government retaliated in kind. The dispute has spread
to cultural relations, with calls by a number of American Samoa legislators to
stop Samoan groups from attending Flag Raising Day festivities in the territory.
American Samoa Lt. Governor Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia and Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa
S. Malielegaoi met April 1 to discuss the matter, and were due to reconvene at
the end of the month. Papua New Guinea The Papua New
Guinea government has lodged a major diplomatic protest with the Australian government
after PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare was subject to security checks at
Australia's Brisbane Airport. Somare told PNG television station EMTV on his return
from a regional summit with New Zealand's Helen Clark in Auckland in March that
his security screening was "an insult to the region's leaders." Somare's government
says Australia's refusal to apologize for the incident threatens continuation
of Australia's huge aid package to PNG. About 1,000 people marched on the Australian
High Commission in protest over the action on April 1. The
Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands governments have signed an agreement in which
Papua New Guinea will provide two magistrates to the Solomon Islands. PNG Justice
Minister Mark Maipakai and the Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs, Trade and Tourism
Minister Laurie Chan signed the agreement in March. The deal will see two PNG
magistrates appointed principal magistrates of the Magistrates Court of Solomon
Islands with one being a resident in Honiara. The first magistrate to be deployed
under such an arrangement, Mandin Kapin, was present at the agreement signing.
CNMI The decision of the U.S. Department of State not
to challenge the ruling of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Sabangan
vs. Powell case allows children of non-resident workers born in the Northern Marianas
between January 9, 1978 and November 3, 1986 to become U.S. citizens. Previously,
the so-called "stateless" children were required to leave the Northern Marianas
when they reached 21 years of age. The stateless children, most of whom are now
in their 20s, sued the Department of State through the federal District Court
and lost. However, an appeals court ruled in their favor. Close to 300 of them
were born in the CNMI during the time in question. Solomon Islands Australian
soldier Private Jamie Clarke died in the Solomon Islands early March after falling
down a shaft near Honiara. Private Clarke was a member of the Sydney-based 3rd
Battalion and part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in response "it just reminds all of
us that these people are doing our work for us, it's dangerous and they therefore
deserve a special level of understanding and a special level of support from all
of the Australian community." Solomon Islands opposition leader
Francis Hilly said during a visit to China that he would push for normalization
of relations between the two countries. Before he left on the trip, he criticized
his country's more than 20-year relationship with Taiwan, saying China should
be allowed to set up a trade mission in Honiara. He said trade with Taiwan was
negligible compared to that with China, and cash grants from the Republic of China,
as Taiwan is formally called, were not sustainable. The Solomon Islands government
responded by saying timber made up the majority of exports to China, which was
not sustainable, and the trade imbalance with Taiwan was more than offset by grants. Guam The
U.S. Air Force announced that it is moving the headquarters of the 13th Air Force
from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii in May.
The move entails the transfer of 77 payroll positions out of Guam; no aircraft
are involved in the relocation. The move does not signal a cessation in the buildup
of forces at Andersen that has taken place recently, says Maj. Gen. Edward Rice,
commander of the 13th Air Force. The 13th Air Force staff will form the core of
a Warfighting Headquarters to be established at Hickam. The Warfighting Headquarters
is to be one of 10 worldwide and is part of a restructuring of the Air Force's
command and control structure. Palau In preparation
for an anticipated influx of tourists and participants for the 2005 Mini South
Pacific Games to be hosted by the Republic in late July, the National Track &
Field resurfacing project started on March 18. Administered by the Design Engineering
Office of Palau's Capital Improvement Program and funded by the Republic of China
(Taiwan) at a cost of $340,000, the resurfacing project is expected to take 115
days-well in time for the games. Project contractor is Surangel and Sons Company. |
