Nutshell

The

News

In A

Nutshell

Clumsy Fabrication'

Professor Otto Ulc, a former Czech district court judge who is now professor of political science at New York State University, has described the alleged crime record of Vladimil Milan Brych prepared by Czechoslovak authorities as “a clumsy fabrication”. Brych is the con troversial cancer therapist deregistered by the New Zealand Medical Council and now practising in Rarotonga, Cook Islands (PIM, June p 23). Professor Ulc said in a long affidavit sent to Brych's Auckland lawyers that the crime record document was of such a poor standard that it was “probably forged by Czech es pionage or security authorities rather than the state itself, which prepared

usually flawless forgeries”. Czech

authorities claim Brych never qualified as a doctor and had an extensive crime record. Their claims, and the supporting documents, were key elements in the NZMC decision to deregister him.

Murder Charge

A Gilbert Islander, Maeke Taumatoe, was charged in Vila in May with the murder of Willy Ben, an employee of the French administration in the New Hebrides. It is alleged that Taumatoe pushed Ben overboard from the inter island vessel Biliki during a crossing from Vila to Epi in the night of May 9-10. Taumatoe is said to have been drunk at the time, and to have attacked Ben when he asked him. and two fellow drinkers, to quieten down. An extensive search failed to recover Ben’s body.

Tahiti Find

French archeological researchers working in Tahiti’s Papenoo Valley have discovered 12 large marae stone structures which were sacred centres of

communication with the gods or with an cestors for the original Polynesian in habitants in just three months of work. They also found more than 400 stone objects, mainly adzes, which have been deposited in the Tahiti Museum.

The Papenoo Valley project is giving a number of young Tahitians their first ex perience of archeological work and their first opportunity to study the an cient culture of their people.

Athletics In Vila

New Hebridean athletes acquitted themselves well at a May contest in Vila with a New Zealand athletic team. The New Zealanders, from the Auckland Athletics Club, won 15 events and the New Hebrideans 11.

About 3,000 people watched the contest.

Police Gang Rape

Five Fiji policemen were gaoled for

gang rape at Suva in May. Magistrate Mr Colin Perrier found them guilty of being concerned in the rape of a 20-year-old girl at Laucala Beach estate, Suva. Those gaoled were Corporal Jone Numa (35), 5V2 years in prison; Constables Anasa Ranasau (32) and Mata Biunacagilaba (25), 4V2 years each; Constable Wame Vosakotoira (21), VU years and Consta ble Sefanaia Basiyalo (27), 2V2 years. Mr Perrier said he gave Basiyalo a lesser sentence because he had refused to rape the girl but had made no attempt to stop his companions from committing rape.

Also, he was sure Vosakotoira, the youngest, had been led into the offence.

In Western Samoa. Chief Justice Nicholson sentenced Panaua Faavesi (31) to four years prison for a “brutal case of rape”, saying that the court would not tolerate the increasing rape cases which involved mainly young girls.

In the short time he had been Chief Justice there had been a high rate of rape and other sex offences.

Double Penalty

Tupui Ariki Henry automatically for feited his seat in the Cook Islands Legislative Assembly when he was con victed of common assault in the High Court at Rarotonga. He is the Minister of Internal Affairs and son of the Pre mier, Sir Albert Henry. A solicitor, Mr laveta,Short, accused Tupui Henry of as sault in an incident during a Christmas break-up party in the offices of the Department of Justice and Survey last December 23. One charge was dismiss ed.

The Chief Justice, Mr Justice Donne, fined Tupui Henry $lO. He said the fine would have been greater, but the defen dant had incurred heavy costs by hiring an Auckland solicitor, Mr Graham No ble, to appear for him because no local solicitors were available to take his case.

With his automatic disqualification from the Legislative Assembly his seat for his Mauke Island constituency

became vacant. Whether he will be able to offer himself for re-election is not yet known, nor is it yet known whether he will be able to continue as a cabinet minister. There are several precedents for people to hold cabinet rank without being members of legislative bodies.

Mr Henry is the second South Pacific parliamentarian to lose his seat because of a conviction for assault in the last few months. Mr Rennie Harris lost his seat in the Nauru Parliament for a similar offence.

Boating Tragedy

A search in Tonga for two men and a young girl, missing at sea after a huge wave swamped their 6.1 metre wooden pleasure boat, was abandoned about 10 days later. They were officially presum ed dead, Elisepa Mafi, 23, a nurse, was drowned in the same accident while try ing to swim ashore. Those missing were Bob Springett, 47, a NZ farmer adviser at Tupou College, his daughter, Anna, 5, and Frank Herbert, 60, a British adviser in the Co-operative Department.

With five others they had spent the day picknicking on Malonia Island, and were returing to Nukualofa when the wave hit.

This beer can, in four colours, was pro duced by Courage Brewery in Melbourne to mark the opening of Melbourne's tallest building Nauru House, which is owned by the Republic of Nauru. A first shipment of 10,000 dozen cans com plete with contents, is already in Nauru.

More will follow Courage Brewery al ways supplies Nauru with a special can, the previous design showing a fishing scene.

Fiji Head Count

The population of Fiji grew by 1 1 .341 between the 1966 and 1976 censuses.

While the Indians are still the dominant race, with a fraction less than half the population, the gap between the two races is narrowing. The 1976 census showed there were 292.896 Indians and 259.932 Fijians, a difference of 32.964. while in 1966 there were 288,408 In dians and 250,833 Fijians, a difference of 37.575.

The population of other groups in the country, with the 1966 census figures in brackets, was: Pan-Europeans, or Euronesians. 10.276 (9.697); other Pacific Islanders. 7.291 (6,095); Rotu mans. 6,822 (5.797); Europeans. 4.929 (6.590); Chinese. 4.652 (5.149); others. 1.270 (273).

In every racial breakdown there were more males than females 296.950 males and 291.1 18 females.

The populations of the two cities (Suva and Lautoka). and of towns with boundaries, were: Suva, 63.622; Lautoka. 22.672; Nadi. 6.938; Ba. 5.917; Nausori. 5.262; Labasa. 4.328; Sigatoka. 1.816; Savusavu. 1.754; Levuka, 1.397.

Diplomatic Move

The Papua New Guinea Embassy in the United Slates is being transferred from Washington to New York. The Am bassador. Mr Paulias Matane, is also PNG Ambassador to the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York.

The PNG Government decided on the move so that there could be "more active and meaningful participation" in the work of UN and its agencies. There was a need for PNG to be seen as one of the third world counterparts. The move will enable Mr Matane to keep in close touch with his counterparts from other third world countries. PNG's Washington office will be headed by a charge d'affaires.

Anti-Vagrancy Drive

Rabaul in Papua New Guinea is

rapidly losing its appeal for vagrants.

Ninety of them were arrested in a police raid on the 2/22nd streets area early on a

Sunday in May and charged with

vagrancy. Many were women. Eleven of them were gaoled for a month and eight were given six months. The provincial

police commander. Superintendent Reo

Paluka. said the arrests were part of a

"clean-up" campaign.

Two Ballots For Premier

Following criticism from the Mataungan Association that it was not fairly represented in the new Provincial Government of East New Britain, the names of those elected went back into the drum. The new ballot, which came after hours of peace talks between the various factions, resulted in the election of Mr Koniel Alar. Mataungan Association leader, as Premier. Another

Mataungan. Mr Hosea Biu. will be Deputy-Speaker. Elected Premier in the first ballot. Mr Ereman Toßaining agreed to resign and take part in another ballot. Mr Alar beat him 1 1 -6. After the first election. Mataungan Association members staged a protest match and disrupted a swearing-in ceremony held by the Governor-General. Sir Tore Lo x koloko.

Senator In Trouble

Fijian senator, Inoke Tabua, is likely to behave himself when he goes to the cinema in future. The senator, who is a nominee of the Great Council of Chiefs in the Senate, and a member of the Ports Authority of Fiji, was at a film at Raiwaqa. Suva, when the screening abruptly came to a halt through some technical fault. Understandably an noyed. he got to his feel and gave vent to his feelings. That may have been all right, except that he uttered some inde cent words.

The duly bouncer, who was also a special constable, warned Senator Tabua to keep quiet. There was then an argu ment which led to the bouncer, and another policeman arresting him and

charging him with disturbing the public

peace. The magistrate. Mr Victor Vi vian. answering a plea by Senator Tabua’s lawyer. Mr Am in fa si Katonivualiku. that his client was a pro minent citizen in a senior position, said that being a prominent citizen he should not have behaved in that manner. He bound Senator Tabua over for 12 months.

Fiji's Rugby Win

Fiji Rugby almost scaled the heights

when Fiji beat Marlborough (NZ) 28-18 in the final of a 12-nation seven-a-side

tournament in Hong Kong in May.

Earlier. Fiji beat another fancied team.

Australia, 15-4 in a semi-final. But before Fiji fans go into raptures at Fiji's performance, it should be remembered that Marlborough is a minor union and by no stretch of the imagination any where near the best in NZ Rugby.

Gaoled For Murder

Eric Gordon Berry. 34, formerly of Gaythorn, Queensland, was sentenced to

12 years’ imprisonment in Port Moresby

in May for the December, 1976. murder of Peter John Power, formerly of Colac.

Victoria. Power and Berry, once friends, worked together on the staff of the Papua New Guinea Administrative College in Port Moresby. But Berry lost his job there, and evidence at his trial showed he blamed Power for what had happen ed.

Evidence showed that Berry had brooded over the killing of Power for 1 I months. He had considered the use of paralysing sprays, disguises, guns ob tained from an indigenous prostitute, and the emulation of methods used by a fictional hero named Willy the Actor, In

the event, he had shot Power dead under circumstances his defence claimed amounted almost to an impulse.

Pay-Day Swill

A move to prevent excessive pay-day drinking in the Papua New Guinea city of Lae has rebounded. Despite new ly-re stricted bar hours on Thursdays the generally adopted pay-day in PNG liquor traders have reported a 35 f r in crease in Thursday turnovers. They said that big queues were lining up for the 6.30 pm Thursday opening lime which has replaced the usual 4 pm opening.

Once the doors opened, the drinkers ap peared determined to make up for the time they had lost. Police also reported that the Thursday night clean up of 'drunks and larrikins” now lasted until I I pm instead of the more usual 8.30 pm. Liquor traders plan an approach to the Licensing Commission for a return to the old hours. Port Moresby has been on restricted Thursday trading hours for more than a year, and the arrangement has generally been conceded as suc cessful 1.

Niue Shrinking!

Niue, when the census was taken last September, had a population of 3.843 1,927 males and 1.916 females about half the number of Niueans now living in New Zealand, and 23T less than in 1971, There was a big decline in village population and of 1.045 living quarters on the island 324 were empty.

Sp Forum Meets

The Papua New Guinea Government will be host to the Island leaders in August at a meeting of the South Pacific Forum to be held in Port Moresby from August 29 to 31. A meeting of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-op eration (SPEC) will precede the Forum

meeting.

Fiji Shops Fire

Fire swept through the Rakiraki shop ping centre of Vaileka in Fiji early in

May. destroying eight shops in three

buildings. Damage was estimated at $200,000. Brigades from Ba (66 km away) and Lautoka (102 km away) arriv ed at 3 am, several hours after the fire was first reported. By then the shops were almost completely destroyed.

Vaileka itself has no fire engine.

Election Drain

Three top men from the discipline ser vices in Papua New Guinea have re signed to seek a political career. They are Colonel Ken Noga, who was Deputy Commander of the PNG Defence Forces, Mr Michael Samo, Assistant Police Commissioner (operations), and Mr Noel Levi, Secretary for Defence.

Several other top public servants have resigned to contest seats at the June elec tions. This is causing the government some concern for it can ill-afford to lose such skilled local men.