Pacific Report
pp. 5-6 · Read in the full issue
Solomons: The Gloucesters Are Coming
wenty-six countries, 13 international organisations and three >acific universities are being invited to the Solomon Islands’ celebrations in July. In an exercise in (strictly >ost-colonial) gunboat diplomacy, the United States, Australia md New Zealand are expected each to send a warship to lonour the occasion. The Oueen will be represented by her ;ousin Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who will be ac cmpanied by the Duchess. Selection of the Duke drew a protest rom a member of the Malaita Council, who told the Governor, lir Colin Allan, who was visiting the island, that he felt someone loser to the Oueen, Prince Charles for instance, should have lot the job. Sir Colin explained that the matter was one for “Her Majesty’s sole decision and choice”.
)K Tedi And Png’S Border Headache
Development of the Ok Tedi copper prospect near the border etween Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya might “increase diffi ulties in administering the border’ ’, according to the PNG Minis ?r for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ebia Olewale. Addressing the Royal istitute for International Affairs in London, Mr Olewale said his overnment would “take whatever action it reasonably can” to nsure that its territory was not used for operations against the idonesioan Government.
Lugar Coating On “Leadership Code’’ Pill
The Papua New Guinea Cabinet in April approved in principle ew privileges for senior public servants to compensate them )r losses they may suffer under the country’s controversial new sadership code. The code bans senior public servants and tatutory appointees from holding business interests or invest lents. The new “perks” include: unrestricted personal use of fficial cars, free home telephones, allowances of $l2O a time >r approved entertaining, an allowance of up to S6OO a year >r a house servant, and general purposes allowance of $1 200 year, and a formal salary increase of 20%. The new privileges re expected to cost about S9O 000 a year. The office of the rime Minister, Mr Somare, is believed to consider this a cheap rice to pay if it helps to smooth the introduction of the leader hip code.
KEEP THOSE REDS OUT” - SIR TEI ABAL Papua New Guinea’s March invitation to the governments of le Soviet Union and China to establish diplomatic mission in NG brought an angry response from the parliamentary Oppo tion Leader, Sir Tei Abal. Sir Tei said the decision could make NG a base for the spy power politics of Russia and China hich, in turn, would lead to similar attention from the United lates. He said the move could arouse the animosity of other land nations.
Acific As Economic Trail Blazer?
Business interests in Australia, Japan and the west coast of le United States should strive to build a Pacific basin economy lat will help to show the way out of the world recession, accord ig to Mr. Jiro Tokuyama, managing director of the Nomura Re sarch Institute. Speaking in Tokyo in April on the eve of a >cture tour of Australia, Mr. Tokuyama said he would like to 3e a new school of business management established for the acific region, drawing on the resources of Japanese and merican graduate business schools, and the Australian Admin trative Staff College. Mr. Tokuyama said the key to a stimulation f the Pacific basin economy was lower air fares in the re ion.
Wo Say “No” On Tuvalu
Members of the Tuvalu House of Assembly have voted them 3lves a pay rise. The Chief Minister will get just over $8 200 year, with an entertainment allowance of $2 400, while salaries f ministers will rise to $7 020 (entertainment allowance 1 200). Ordinary members will get $2 800 a year but not
until independence, due on October 1. Two members, Henry F. Naisali and Meauma Moeanga, opposed the measure on the grounds that it discriminated against ordinary members.
Niue’S Dwindling Numbers
United Nations statistics for Niue show a steady decline in the island’s population 5 194 in 1966, 4 990 in 1971, and 3 858 in 1976. As population fell, the excess in the value of imports over exports soared: from less than SNZ64O 000 in 1968 to almost SNZI 900 000 in 1976. The changing pattern of edu cational support for the island also shows up in the statistics: in 1968 there were 33 Niuean secondary school students on scholarships overseas, mainly in New Zealand. In 1975 there were only four pupils at school outside Niue.
Set For The Sydney-Suva
About 20 entries are expected for the second Sydney-Suva yacht race which will start from Sydney’s Middle Harbour on June 4. The race will be held in three divisions; the International Offshore Racing division, a division for yachts not up to that class and given an arbitary handicap, and a cruising division for yachtsmen who plan to cruise later in the Islands. Some yachts from the IOR division may go on to Hawaii for the Clipper Cup contest in August.
“Thank God For Somare’’ - Churches
The Melanesian Council of Churches has voiced its “great relief and pride’’ at the introduction by Papuan New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare of the country’s new “leadership code". In a rave statement issued after Mr Somare announced he was disposing of his business interests in Wewak in accord ance with the code, the council said. “The Council expresses its gratitude to God for blessing this nation with a leader who is prepared to practise what he preaches.’’
Milan Brych In Australia
In Australia in April at the invitation of Oueensland Premier, Johannes Bjelke-Petersen, controversial Cook Islands cancer therapist Milan Brych faced a generally hostile reaction to his announced project to set up a clinic in Oueensland. But objec tions to the idea of Brych practising in Australia seemed beside the point to some insiders: they claim that Brych’s true intention was to have a Oueensland clinic run by local doctors and provid ing after-care and booster injections to people already treated in the Cook Islands, where he would continue to operate.
Looking At A Png Stock Exchange
A proposal that Papua New Guinea should establish a stock exchange is being studied by the PNG Government. Finance Minister Mr Barry Holloway said the exchange would have to be funded by private investment, and this would have to be at least restricted to a 50-50 national-foreign basis.
The Bikini Bomb, 24 Years After
Bikini Islanders who returned home after the US Government told them nine years ago it was safe to do so are to be moved again. Reporting this, the Washington Post reveals that tests conducted in 1977 showed that, despite a SUS 3 million decon tamination project, Bikini groundwater is still too radioactive for human consumption, as are coconuts, fruit and vegetables grown in Bikini soil. The paper says that the US Department of the Interior has quietly asked Congress for a grant of SUSIS million to resettle the Bikinians once again. One site under study is the small atoll of Enyu, about 15 km from Bikini. Enyu is said to have been outside the fallout pattern of the 1954 explosion.
Not so the atolls of Rongelap and Utirik. An Associated Press story in March reported that, although these atolls are more than 160 km from Bikini, they suffered so heavily from fallout that 33 of Rongelap’s 82 inhabitants at the time of the explosion have since developed thyroid problems. On Utirik, eight of the 157 inhabitants now have thyroid tumors. These facts came to light
when the Department of the Interior asked Congress early this year for an additional S6OO 000 to compensate inhabitants of the two atolls who turn up with tumours.
July 12 Referendum For Micronesia
Micronesians will vote on July 12 in a referendum on a pro posed constitution for a Federated States of Micronesia. If ap proved the constitution will go into effect exactfy a year later, on July 12, 1979. This date, according to Tosiwo Nakayama, president of the Senate of the Congress of Micronesia, would be considered by future Micronesians as “the birthdate of self
government”.
The Solomons’ “Bart” In Trouble
The Leader of the Opposition in the Solomon Islands’ Legislat ive Assembly, Mr Bartholomew Ulufa’alu, is appealing against a sentence of two months’ gaol and a year’s enforced residence on his home island of Malaita. Mr Ulufa’alu was convicted of “disorderly behaviour” near Honiara’s Point Cruz Yacht Club.
Convicted on a similar charge was Mr Francis Saemala, special secretary to Chief Minister Peter Kenilorea. Mr Saemala is also appealing.
Hicoms Huddle In Hebrides
The British and French High Commissioners for the New Hebrides, Messrs R. J. Stratton and J. G. Eriau, were in the New Hebrides for a busy four-day working visit in March. They met representatives of all the main political formations in the con dominium, including the Vanuaaku Party. Arrangements for fresh elections to the Representative Assembly were believed to be high on the agenda for their talks.
Loads Of Flak For Fiji Government
The Fiji Government has been under fire inside and outside parliament on a range of issues, including alleged excessive expenditure on a new fleet of ministerial cars (PIM, April, p 25), nepotism in the granting of New Zealand scholarships for the sons of ministers, the opening of an expensive new High Com mission in Wellington, abuse of foreign aid, and wasteful spend ing on the repair of a particular government utility van. Despite its massive majority, the Alliance government has not been find ing life easy.
FLYING VOTERS: COOKS POLL UP IN THE AIR Sir Albert Henry’s Cook Islands Party scored a runaway win in the March 30 elections (PIM, April, p 31). But the result, which gave the CIP a 15-7 majority in the House of Assembly, is already under legal scrutiny from three directions. The New Zealand Government has appointed its Auditor-General, Mr A. C. Shailes, who is also Auditor-General of the Cook Islands, to inquire into whether New Zealand aid funds were used in any way to finance the highly-subsidised charter flight from New Zealand of CIP supporters whose votes swung the poll’s outcome. The oppo sition Democratic Party, meanwhile, is presenting a series of petitions to the Cook Islands’ Chief Justice, Mr G. J. Donne, alleging irregularities in the poll. And in a third move, Cook Islands police are investigating allegations of bribery made be fore the elections against the CIP. Not waiting for the outcome of so much “legal process”, rumours are thriving mightily in the Cooks and New Zealand. By far the most pesistent of these is that the Cook Islands Philatelic Bureau, which is operated by New York businessman, Mr Finbar Kenny (PIM, April, p 24), bankrolled the ClP’s six charter flights at a reported cost of
S3Oo 000.
Politicians Talk Fish
“Fish know no political boundaries,” said Mr Julius Chan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Primary Industry of Papua New Guinea, following his April talks with Mr lan Sinclair, Aus tralia’s Minister for Primary Industry. But politicians do, and these two trod as lightly as if walking on fish eggs when they
talked about future management of the fish, lobsters and prawns which will move between their countries’ two fishing zones. Ir the end, they said further talks were needed.
Tonga, Pacific Leader For Co-Ops?
Tonga leads the Pacific in the development of consumer co operatives, according to the Registrar of Tonga Co-operativesi Mr Wilfred Walton. In 1976 there were five registered consumei societies on the main island of Tongatapu with a total annua turnover of S3O 000. Now there are 23, with a turnover of more than SSOO 000, said Mr Walton. The same story applies ir Vava’u, particularly regarding vanilla. Production of curec vanilla had quadrupled the revenue of the vanilla co-operative; in Vava’u in the last year.
Killer Parasite In Fiji
Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a parasite which attacks the human brain and has killed many people in the Pacific, has beer found for the first time in Fiji. The parasitic worm was isolator in the body of a rat at the Koronivia Agricultural Researcl Station. It is also transmitted by slugs and snails, and is mos commonly found on leafy vegetables. Health authorities hav< warned people not to eat uncooked prawns and shrimps am to wash leafy vegetables thoroughly before eating them.
Minister Raps Vanuaaku “Irresponsibles”
Mr Vincent Boulekon, Minister for Internal Affairs in the contro versial new government of the New Hebrides, has hit out at “j few irresponsible young men” in the Vanuaaku Party who, hi says, want to set up a totalitarian dictatorship in which Ne\ Hebrideans would be in a “far more deplorable condition” tha under colonialism.
The Case Of The Missing Airport
After about US$3 million had been spent on reclaiming lam for the site, work on the projected Royal Samoa Hotel e Taumeasina, Western Samoa, has been suspended and may nc be resumed. The reason is that no airport capable of handlin big jets is planned for the country. The government view is the with Pago Pago airport only half an hour away, the building c such an airport is unnecessary. Hotel project manager, Mr Joh Dickson, commented ruefully that a major international airpo in Western Samoa was necessary if the hotel were to be an ecor omic proposition. If it had been known there would be no sue airport there probably wouldn’t have been a hotel projec A NEW PIECE OF FRANCE ON THE WAY UP?
Volcanic activity in the French-owned Australs may ad' another island to France’s overseas territories. MacDonald Vol cano, which is underwater near Tubuari, has been showim increasing activity and since the beginning of the year had rise 460 metres. At the beginning of March its cone was only 4 metres below the ocean surface.
Bumper Year For Earthquakes
Western Samoa’s Apia Observatory was busy recording earth quakes in 1977: it registered 1 022, the strongest being 7.6 o the Richter scale. This occurred on April 2, about 1 240 km sout of Apia, and was felt in Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Th observatory records an average of about 200 earthquakes a yea with a magnitude of from 2-4 on the Richter scale. Average c “felt” earthquakes is about 15, with a magnitude of 4-6.
Gilbertese Was Gaoled In Nigeria
A Gilbertese seaman, Tabeaua Tabaki, arrived at Tarawa c the end of February after spending 10 months in a Lagc (Nigeria) prison on a murder charge. He was arrested in Api 1977, when his ship, Sanaga, of the Wallem Steamshi Company, was at Lagos, and released on February 8 when judge of the Nigerian court ruled that he be discharged but no acquitted of the charge.