Be Generous To Banabans'

Urge The British Churches

The British Council of Churches has urged the British Government to draw up ”a generous financial plan to help the Banaban community to secure their future after phosphate mining ends .

It said the government should ‘Teach an early agreement with the Australian and New Zealand governments” to this end.

The Council, by unanimous decision of the board of its international affairs division, also urged the convening of a series of meetings on the constitutional future of Ocean Island in which the Banaban people, the Gilbert Islands Government, the Fiji Government and the British Government would take part. Aim of the meetings would be to arrive at an agreed constitutional position for Ocean Island prior to the granting of independence to the Gilbert Islands.

It adds' ”As the geographical, economic and political situation is unique, we anticipate that an unusual constitutional compromise will be required The hoard said it reached these decisions, “recognising that British colonialism in the Central Pacific Islands has included a mixture of paternalism, good intentions, social progress and outright commercial exploitation”.