Pacific Report

Nature Grabs The Headlines

Natural forces were the top Pacific Islands newsmakers over the March-April period. Fiji’s Cyclone Meli (Tropicalities) was certainly the most destructive of life and treasure. But Meli was far from alone in manifesting natural furies. Rob Cooke, senior vulcanologist with the Papua New Guinea Government, and his assistant Elia Ravan were killed in March by a ‘fireball’ from the volcano on Karkar Island, north of Madang. The men were at Jheir observation post on the rim of the caldera, about 800 m from the killer vent, when the tragedy occurred. In an editorial tribute, the PNG Post-Courier said: ‘Both men were aware of the risks involved but put duty before their own safety.’ British and French authorities were meanwhile rushing aid to stricken villagers in the Sesivi region of central Ambrym, New Hebrides, .whose plantations and homes were devastated by burning ashes from Benbow volcano during an eruption. In the Papua New Guinea capital, Port Moresby, panic-stricken office-workers rushed to the streets as the city was rocked by an earth tremor the most severe for years in the Papuan region which measured almost six on the Richter scale. Most buildings were without electricity for about two hours.

Paris Sacks Noumea Government

The French Government in March dissolved the government council of New Caledonia, vesting direct control of the territory in High Commissioner Claude Charbonniaud. (Political Cur rents.)

Tupuola Efi Swallows The Pill

Back in office by the narrowest possible margin, Western Samoa’s Prime Minister Tupuola Efi has heeded the warning served on him by parliamentary colleagues by carrying out a drastic cabinet reshuffle. (Political Currents.)

Libya To Aid Tonga

Following a visit to Libya by Tonga's King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, Islands politics takes on a new dimension with the imminent appearance of this Arab republic as an aid donor to the region.

(Political Currents.)

NEW HEBRIDES: BIRTH OF THE FEDERAL PARTY Political opponents of the Vanuaaku Party in the New Hebrides have pulled themselves together in a new political party, the New Hebrides Federal Party. (Political Currents.) The VP, meanwhile, announced plans for a ‘test election programme’ extending through April-June, designed to measure the party’s public sup port in preparation for the elections expected later in the /ear.

Death Of Minerva Hero Tevita Fifita

Moted Tongan sea captain, Tevita Fifita, 59, died of a heart attack in Apia in March. Captain Fifita achieved Pacific-wide f ame in 1962 when he engineered the rescue of 12 of the 17 nen stranded for 102 days after shipwreck on remote Minerva southwest of Tonga. The epic ordeal demanded the sacri ice of his son Sateki. Three other survivors his elder son Talo, Feiapa a Bloomfield, and Soakai Pulu attended the traditional xjrial rites for Captain Fifita in Nukualofa.

Banabans Lose Their Marbles

Police on Ocean Island (Banaba) seized a large cache of marbles in March to forestall their use as ammunition for sling shots. The marbles were evidently stored for use in the Banabans’ campaign against the operations of the British Phos phate Commission, and for separation of the island from the new independent Kiribati (former Gilbert Islands) due to come into

being in July. In Australia, the Banabans’ campaign got a shot in the arm with the screening in mid-April by Australian Broad casting Commission television channels of the much acclaimed British documentary Go Tell it to the Judge. The film tells the story of the mammoth 1977 legal action brought by the Banabans against the British Government.

Micronesians To The Polls

Elections to the first congress of the Federated States of Micronesia were held on March 27 in the district of Ponape, Kosrae, Truk and Yap.

Canton Will Join Kiribati

Canton Island in the Phoenix Group, half-way between Honolulu and Noumea, which has been under joint Anglo-American ad ministration since 1939, will become part of the Gilbert Islands (new name Kiribati) in 1980. A spokesman at the US embassy in Suva told PIM the United States, with the consent of Britain, the other signatory to the agreement, has decided to surrender its claim to the island.

Solomon Islands-France Tie Knot

Solomon Islands has established diplomatic relations with France, bringing to 10 the number of countries with which Honiara has diplomatic links.

Salato In Micronesia

The outgoing secretary-general of the South Pacific Com mission, Dr Macu Salato, has paid his first visit to the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, visiting all district centres includ ing Saipan and Guam. Dr Salato's term as secretary-general expires in June. He will be succeeded by M. Young Vivian, a minister in Niue’s government.

Paris Takes Over Clipperton

Clipperton Island, an uninhabited French dependency 2900 km due west of the Panama Canal, has been switched from the auth ority of the governor of French Polynesia to that of the govern ment in Paris. With the application of a 200-rnile economic zone, Clipperton would have a zone of economic interest of 324 000 sq km.

New Hebrides Franc Gets The Nod

The currency of the independent New Hebrides should be based on the New Hebrides franc, according to recommendations put by visiting British and French monetary experts at a press con ference in Vila in March. They said the NHF had been ‘healthier’ in recent years than the Australian dollar, the other currency now in use in the country.

Png: A Costly Parliament House

Estimated cost of Papua New Guinea’s new parliament house has soared to Kina 11 million from the original 1976 figure of K 7 million.

Nabanga’ Goes Weekly

The official French/Bislama newspaper in the New Hebrides, Nabanga, went over from fortnightly to weekly publication in March as part of plans for a high-profile cultural and diplomatic role for the French in the New Hebrides after independence.

100 Years Of Indians In Fiji

Fiji is to pay tribute to the centenary of the arrival in the country of Indians as indentured labourers. A SF2 million centre for multi cultural studies will be set up at Lautoka. The centre, apart from being a tribute to the first 1879 arrivals, will also symbolise the vision and goodwill of Fiji’s contemporary leaders and citizens, said Ram Vilash, secretary of the celebrations committee.

PNG WINS BY THE SKIN OF A CROC TOOTH Papua New Guinea won a major diplomatic battle when it nar rowly succeeded in winning exemption of salt water crocodiles from a proposed international ban on trade in crocodile skins

by the International Wildlife Convention in San Jose, Costa Rica.

PNG exported croc skins worth more than K 1.2 million in 1978.

Introducing Governor Mangefel

John Mangefel former senator of the Congress of Micronesia, poet, fiction writer, and favourite son of the Yapese people has been sworn in as Yap district’s first elected governor.

Thai Airline To Fly To Noumea

Thai International will open a Bangkok-Noumea service later this year, according to an agreement between the French and Thai Governments. The agreement was preceded by bitter disagree ments between the Thai airline and UTA, the French inter national carrier In one incident, UTA officials refused the representative of Thai International in France, Daniel Martin, a seat on a UTA Paris-Papeete flight.

Immigration Crackdown By Pago Pago

American Samoa’s immigration department has stopped issuing visas to Western Samoans for travel to the United States. They must now go through the US embassy in Wellington, a process that can take almost a month. Pago is also cracking down on illegal immigrants from Western Samoa.

Fiji Senator Says So Sorry’

Fiji Senator Kuar Battan Singh has 'unreservedly apologised’ to businessmen Peter Munk and David Gilmour for remarks he made about them in the Senate last November. He said he was now completely satisfied that there was ‘no foundation whatever in anything he had said concerning these two gentlemen’. (PIM January, April.)

A Papeete Paper Bows Out

Le Journal de Tahiti, one of Papeete’s three daily newspapers, ceased publication in March. It was rumoured to have lost CFPSO million ($A574 000) over the past two years.

Muddled Heads On Rum, Gin, Vodka

Plans by the Fiji Sugar Corporation to set up a rum, gin and vodka distillery at Lautoka have been delayed by a law enacted in 1876 ‘containing’ the manufacture of illicit rum. None of the planners had been aware of the old law. The corporation expects an early go-ahead on gin and vodka production, and hopes to have international-quality brands of these spirits on tap in about 15 months. Rum, due to the legal hitch, will take a little longer.

Another Rockefeller Search?

According to an Australian magazine, The Bulletin, a new search is underway for the remains of Michael Rockefeller, anthropol ogist son of the late Nelson Rockefeller, who disappeared in 1961 in what is now the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya. An Australian private detective is said to have been offered SASO 000 to conduct the search.

Fiji To Get Pins And Needles

A team of 15 doctors and acupuncturists from the People’s Re public of China is to visit Fiji to help the ministry of health with problems of ‘health delivery, with emphasis on the rural side’, according to a ministry announcement.

Tuna Gift Was Dumping’

A Japanese gift of 26 500 cartons of canned tuna to Western Samoa has been revealed to be a direct result of Japanese government assistance to its own ailing tuna industry. The news paper Savali had claimed last November that the SWS7OO 000 gift was actually ‘dumping’. The claim, allegedly, has now been confirmed by Japanese sources.

PNG TOLD GET YOUR BORDER ACT TOGETHER’

A study prepared by two staff members of the University of Papua New Guinea has urgently warned the PNG Government

to develop ‘crisis management techniques’ that will keej; Indonesian border difficulties from exploding into a major military confrontation. The study claimed that PNG could not ‘realisti cally’ count on Australian help in the event of open conflict with Indonesia.

Captain Cook Honoured In Whitby

This year’s 200th anniversary of the death of Captain James Cook will be marked by the opening of an ‘interpretative centre in the Yorkshire town of Whitby, where he once lived. The centre is designed to honour the work of Cook as a pioneer marine surveyor. A plaque on the exterior wall says: World renownec as an explorer, Captain James Cook FRS, Royal Navy, was prin cipally a pioneer technician whose skills as a marine surveyoi and draughtsman set the seal on the high quality and accuracy of British sea charts. This centre is dedicated to such skills, both past and present.’

Cooks Churches: Never On Sundays’

The Cook Islands Minister of Tourism laveta Short has requestec the capital’s main hotel, The Rarotongan, to stop tennis on Sun days, and has asked the local film club to consider changinc its film evening from Sunday to another night. He acted on re quests from local churches.

Deported Parents Leave Child Behind

A Fiji couple deported from Australia left their three-year-old sor behind in Sydney. Francis Autar and his wife Utra said their son born in Australia, had been left with friends ‘because they be lieved he had a better future there’.

Extraditing A Millionaire

The Cook Islands High Court is seeking extradition from the United States of millionaire Finbar Kenny, financial power behinc the Cook islands Philatelic Bureau. In 2000-plus pages of evi dence forwarded by Cook Islands police to US authorities it is alleged that Mr Kenny financed the scheme of Sir Albert to airlift voters from New Zealand to Rarotonga, which Mr code-named ‘Operation Garage’.

SUGAR BODY TO PAY FOR GAMES MEDALS The Fiji Sugar Corporation has donated more than SF6OOO tc pay for the gold, silver and bronze medals for the sixth South Pacific Games in Suva in August.

Christine Skipper’S Appeal

Christine Doreen Skipper, 22, a New Zealand woman convictec in Fiji of drug running, has appealed to the Fiji Court of Appea against her conviction and subsequent sentence to eight years imprisonment. The court reserved its decision. The appea against conviction was not upheld but her sentence was reducec to six years.

Fiji: High Cost Of Citizenship

It can now cost SFSO to become a citizen of Fiji. The sum is made up as follows: $lO application fee to register, S2O to have a period of unlawful residence treated as lawful, $5 for the granl of the certificate of registration or naturalisation, $5 to have the oath of allegiance administered and witnessed, and $lO for a certified true copy of the registration certificate.

Pim: Things In Store

PIM, next month, will feature New Zealand’s role in the Pacific; in July, the focus will be on aviation in the Pacific. PlM’s survey of the duty free scene (p 26) will continue next month as infor mation continues to arrive in response to our questions.

Tuvalu Goes For Broke

Prime Minister Toalipi Lauti of the newly independent state o - Tuvalu has taken quite extraordinary measures in his efforts tc acquire a fishing fleet for his country, PlM’s exclusive story is on p 42.