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Typhoon Terror

Typhoon Pamela, gusting at times to 190 kilometres an hour, devastated Truk district on May 18, practically flattened Guam soon after and then headed for the Philippines, parts of which had just been badly damaged by Typhoon Olga. Ten people were killed, including three who died on Moen Island when a two-storey house was buried in a landslide. Many houses were damaged, roads were badly damaged by sea water whipped up by the typhoon, crops were destroyed and boats washed away. The cost of the damage ran into millions of dollars.

Pamela was responsible for three more deaths on Guam, and she left thousands homeless. President Ford declared Guam a disaster area, and pledged federal assistance for temporary housing, disaster unemployment payments, debris removal and repairs. About 80 per cent of the buildings on Guam were wrecked, and 1,000 military families were left homeless.

It was reported that eight ships sank in Guam Harbour.

Chimbu Control

PNG Prime Minister Michael Somare, plans to declare regular tribal fighting grounds as emergency zones declared areas where effective on-the-spot police rule can be applied. Emergency zone regulations give the police, and other authorities, wide powers to stop distur bances. The police can make mass arrests without immediate formalities, restrict or order movement and use firearms.

Mr Somare announced his plans at meetings in May with leaders of the Chim bu area in the central ranges of PNG. He flew from Port Moresby to Kundiawa, the

administrative headquarters for Chimbu, one of the most densely-populated areas of PNG, and the one most plagued by tribal fighting. Mr Somare said he would put his plan to the National Parliament through the National Executive Council.

He proposed that the emergency zone powers should be applied to areas which were recognised as tribal fighting grounds and where the major fighting was, but he opposed a call by some Chimbu leaders for greater general police powers, including a blanket approval to carry arms.

Games For Fiji

Fiji will host the 6th South Pacific Games in 1979. The year chosen throws out the normal three-yearly cycle.

However, the Seventh Games in 1981 will restore the cycle, but the cycle had already been broken — the fourth Games were held in 1971 instead of 1972, and there was a four-year gap between the fourth and the fifth Games.

Several Fiji sporting bodies have agreed to billet their counterparts for the 1979 Games. This will help to cut down costs, which are now almost astronomical in con

ducting major sports gatherings.

The secretary of the Fiji Amateur Sports Association, Mr Brian Wightman, has written to all affiliated associations, asking for help in organising the Games.

Living Low

Treasurers, finance ministers and their equivalents must have been envious of Papua New Guinea’s performance in the three months to March 31 when the con sumer price index rose by a mere 1.29 per r ent. That would have made PNG’s infla tion rate one of the lowest in the world.

The PNG Finance Minister, Mr Julius Chan, offered congratulations to the business community for co-operation. He said the low rate of inflation followed the identification of problem areas by the government and effective administration by the price control. That, however, would not have been possible without the co operation of businessmen and workers.

Sliding Death

Seven women and three children were killed in a landslide which fell on Banakyoke Village, in the Menyamya area of central eastern Papua New Guinea late in May. Eighty people were left homeless after hundreds of tons of clay, mud and stone slid down a mountain from a height of nearly 330 metres on to the village. Con tinuous heavy rain caused three major landslides in the area in a fortnight. Air craft from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force dropped food, tents and other supplies to the stricken village. The police and government officers warned villagers to keep a regular watch on surrounding mountain slopes in case continued rain brought further slides.

Students’ Morals

The Roman Catholic Bishops of Papua New Guinea have asked universities and colleges to stop providing contraceptives for students. “Pandering to human weakness” is how the bishops describe the present situation in a statement issued from a bishops’ conference in Rabaul.

They say that an increasing trend towards issuing contraceptives has been described as “protecting students from the effects of behaviour”. They believe, however, that any protection is being achieved at the ex pense of moral and community values, which in the long term will be damaging to PNG. “By pandering to human weakness in this way, the power for good which a college holds is considerably reduced” the bishops say in their statement.

Filipinos’ Lament

Filipinos brought into Papua New Guinea on government employment con tracts have asked the Philippines Presi dent, Mr Marcos, to help in raising their pay. They have sent a formal letter to the president from the Filipino Association of PNG calling on him to direct officers of his government to open negotiations with Papua New Guinea over the pay rates.

They claim that they were not told when they were recruited that they would be get ting lower wages in PNG than any other employees recruited from overseas. They said they are on the bottom of a wages hierarchy in which Australians are on top, followed by New Zealanders and British in that order. “We don’t ask for parity with these, but want a little increase in our salaries and conditions,” the Filipinos say, and add that one reason they require higher wages and better conditions is for the “honour and dignity of the Philip pines”.

Gang Warfare

Police reinforcements were sent to the Buin area of Bougainville late in May following reports of lawlessness, which in volved terrorism and gang violence. A number of senior public servants left Buin township and others said they would leave because of terrorism. Teachers at Buin High School were ready to board the first aircraft out of Buin on May 31 after a series of incidents involving members of a village gang, teachers and students.

According to one report from the area there was acomplete breakdown of law and order. A gang of youngsters believed to be operating under political motivations, call ing itself the Kumamaru Rascal Gang, was going round the town and villages, molesting older people, abusing public ser vants and destroying homes and property.

The deputy headmaster of Buin High School, Mr Joel Evi, said he was held by six young men and threatened at knife point because the school would not allow

the men to attend a social function held by the school.

The most terrifying night was on May 29 when a truck load of men drove round the school, firing shots into the air and shouting Mipela i buruk pinis (“We have succeeded”) and “Go home, red faces”.

The Provincial Commissioner, Mr Benson Gegeyo, asked the Minister for Correc tional Services and Liquor Licensing, Mr Pita Lus, to consider banning the sale of liquor in the area for two months until law and order was restored.

Won One, Lost One

The Central District Waterside Workers Union in Papua New Guinea won one and lost one in their 1976 award, which was handed down recently. They gained in leave provisions but lost the afternoon tea break. They are now entitled to six months long-service leave after 15 years con tinuous service with the one employer, and after three years with one employer they are entitled to proportionate long-service leave. On top of two days paid leave on the death of a close relative, they may now take 12 days unpaid compassionate leave.

The 10-minute tea-break still applies, but only for a four-hour shift under the new award. As the afternoon shift is three hours they are no longer entitled to a tea break. A small gain was an extra five minutes washing time before meals, but only after working particularly dirty or noxious cargo.

Fijian Stray

A Fijian soldier, recruited 14 years ago for the British Army, has been caught up in Northern Ireland’s troubles with rather serious consequences. The soldier, Sergeant Ilisoni Vanioni Ligari, 34, from Wailevu, Savusavu, a member of the crack Special Air Services Regiment, was a

member of a patrol which strayed over the border into Eire. They were arrested by Eire troops and police and taken to Dublin. In Dublin they were charged with having possession of firearms and am munition with intent to endanger life and with not having firearms certificates. They were all released on £5,000 cash bail, put up by the British Embassy, pending their trial. The arms included nine Sterling sub machine guns, eight Browning automatic

pistols, three pump-action shotguns and 744 rounds of 9 mm ammunition.

Busy Rugby Teams

The 1976 rugby season was one of the busiest ever for Pacific Islands teams on the international scene. Fiji, on June 26, was scheduled to complete a 13-match tour of Australia; the Cook Islands made their first-ever overseas tour to New Zealand in May at the end of June Western Samoa was to send a team to NZ for an eight-match tour, while at home, a Fiji XV was to play a touring Irish team, which was on its way home after a seven-match tour of NZ.

The Fiji team had mixed success in the first half of the tour, with three wins and three losses. One of the losses was to South Australia, where rugby is a minor code. It was SA’s first win against an overseas team. But a better performance against NSW Country, even though beaten 13-11 put the team in good heart for the remain ing matches, which included three tests.

The Cook Islanders, playing mainly against Maori teams, had an indifferent lour. They lost one match 13-76, then made a remarkable turnround to hold a very strong team and lose narrowly 6-12.

The tour, however, will have many benefits in the future. Already prominent New Zealand rugby men have said they want to take touring teams to the Cooks next season.