People Briefs
People Briefs
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| Stephen Smith |
In his first public statement, Smith said the three pillars underpinning his foreign policy approach will be “our membership of the United Nations; our alliance with the United States; and our policy of comprehensive engagement with Asia.” Smith is backed by two experienced parliamentary secretaries, Duncan Kerr as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, and Bob McMullan as Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance.
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The presiding officers of the 16th Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature promised to work closely with their colleagues in their respective houses to assist the ailing economy, which has caused government revenues to drop more than $30 million during the past two years. House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios and Senate President Pete P. Reyes, during their inaugural meeting January 14, also urged colleagues to look into ways to possibly subsidize the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC) to lower the cost of electricity. —FSR
The publication of photos of a decapitated murder victim by the newspapers Mauri and Tarakai in January caused uproar from the man’s family and the community in Kiribati, prompting Kiribati Media Island Association president Roz Terubea to question the newspapers’ decision, reported Pacific Radio News. Teunaia Mooriti, 32, a wireless radio operator from Nikunau Island who was visiting family in the capital South Tarawa, was murdered in mid-January. His family had to bury his body twice—first without his head and again when his head was found two days later. His gruesome murder followed a weekend drinking spree with friends, police reported. Two men were arrested shortly after the murder. —BB
The Vatican announced in late December a changing of the guard for the Catholic Church in the Marshall Islands. Pope Benedict named Fr. Raymundo T. Sabio of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart as the Apostolic Prefect, the church’s top post in the in the Marshall Islands. Fr. James Gould, S.J., who held the position since 1993, stepped down. The move heralds a major shift in management of the Catholic Church in the Marshall Islands from the Jesuits, who have been there since the 1920s, to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who were the first Catholic missionaries to begin working in the Marshalls in the early 1890s until the Jesuits took over. —GJ
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| Amenta Matthew |
Kiribati Protestant Church moderator Rev. Tom Toakai says the church can help a Kiribati seaman, Namai Taabai, imprisoned in December in China for drug trafficking. But securing the release of Taabai—who could face the death sentence after being caught trying to sell more than two pounds of cocaine—will likely be complicated by Kiribati’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Meantime, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approached the British Embassy in Suva, Fiji to mediate in the case. Taabai’s case follows quickly on the heels of the case of four I-Kiribati seamen of who were jailed in December for drug trafficking in the United States, and another incident in which an I-Kiribati seaman stabbed to death a German officer on board his ship, and is now bound over for trial in Germany.—BB
Federated States of Micronesia President Manny Mori has nominated long-time former senator and Speaker of the FSM Congress Peter M. Christian to be Secretary of the FSM Department of Resources and Development. Mori also nominated Yosiwo P. George to be the country’s ambassador to the United States of America. If approved, he will replace Jesse Marehalau, who resigned last year following a passport scandal that resulted in the conviction in the U.S. of one of the FSM Embassy staff. Both nominations need confirmation by the FSM Congress. —GJ
Hirobo Obeketang, rooms manager for Marshall Islands Resort, is the new president of the Marshall Islands Chamber of Commerce. He takes over from Jack Niedenthal, who served in the post for three years. Mike Slinger, who manages a popular video rental outlet and computer sales company, was named vice president. Continental Micronesia station manager Salome Andrike and Bank of Marshall Islands chief information officer James McLean remained in the treasurer and secretary posts, respectively. —GJ
Two women have been appointed magistrates of district courts in Papua New Guinea. Lawyers Nerrie Eliakim and Pauline Stegman, who previously worked for private law firms in PNG, were part of a group of five lawyers who were appointed to the bench. Both the district court and the National and Supreme Courts face a severe shortage of judges and magistrates. Consequently Chief Justice Sir Mari Kapi and Chief Magistrate John Numapo have welcomed the appointments. —AR
The second woman to hold the post of Clerk to the Solomon Islands National Parliament Taeasi Sanga has resigned to contest a seat in the East Malaita constituency by-election. Sanga had held the position of Clerk to Parliament for over six years. Before her was Elizabeth Andersen who served in the position since the early 1990’s. Sanga is contesting a parliamentary seat that was left vacant by her husband, the late Joses Wawari Sanga who died last year. She is running against 11 male candidates. Sanga is being replaced by Fred Ganate as the new Clerk. —AO
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| Joshua Koshiba |
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| Surangel Whipps |
The Solomon Islands Government has appointed local lawyer Gabriel Suri as acting attorney general. Suri will be in the acting role for six months. He replaces controversial Australian lawyer Julian Moti, who was extradited to Australia to face allegations he raped a girl under the age of 16 in Vanuatu and New Caledonia 10 years ago. Suri’s immediate task as attorney general is to defend the present government’s action in extraditing Moti to Australia. Lawyers representing Julian Moti in Honiara have accused the government of acting outside the laws of the country and violating the rights of Moti by deporting him. Suri has sought a High Court ruling to quash a Honiara Magistrate Court order on the eve of Moti’s deportation which placed an interim stay on Moti’s extradition to Australia until the Court of Appeal hears his application for asylum. —AO
Counsel to the Papua New Guinea Ombudsman Commission Nemo Yalo has been appointed an acting judge of the National and Supreme Courts. Yalo has been at the forefront of a number of Supreme Court appeals mounted by the commission and while his elevation is a loss to the government-funded corruption watchdog, members of the PNG legal fraternity have welcomed the appointment. —AR
A senior Fiji police officer has had two of his staff transferred after he accused them of allegedly using witchcraft against him. Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime Nasir Ali continues to work in his office in which he reportedly found peculiar writing on a paper stuck under his desk. A bemused police chief Esala Teleni confirmed the witchcraft claims and the transfer of the driver and clerk on national television. Ali is a controversial officer involved in anti-corruption investigations initiated by the military-led regime and has also had several allegations of misconduct filed by other police officers against him. —RM
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| Savenaca Uluibau Draunidalo, right, in 2006. |
Savenaca Uluibau Draunidalo, 57, a chief, former Fiji army officer, civil servant and parliamentarian died in a boating accident on December 22 in waters off his home island of Moala in the Lau group. He had gone to his village of Naroi for Christmas and to celebrate his daughter’s 21st birthday. The day after the birthday he was fishing with two other men when their boat capsized in choppy seas and he was hit in the head. Draunidalo was the Public Enterprises Minister in the ousted SDL government. He received the Military Cross for bravery while serving with UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and was described as a thoroughly professional soldier. —RM
Contributors: Samantha Magick, Frank S. Rosario, Giff Johnson, Batiri Bataua, David Miho, Alex Rheeney, Ricardo Morris and Alison Ofotalau.
