Pacific Report

Png Justice Minister Gaoled

In a move likely to have far-reaching repercussions on relations between government and judiciary in Papua New Guinea, the country’s Justice Minister, Mrs Nahau Rooney, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment in September by four Supreme Court judges. She faced three charges of contempt of court.

As PIM went to press, it was announced that the Somare Cabinet, which throughout was united in support of Mrs Rooney, had freed her after one day in gaol.

Curtain Rung Down On Cooks Trial

The curtain was finally rung down on the Cook Islands’ long running conspiracy trial drama on August 20. Licking their wounds along with some lesser fry are the Cooks former premier of 13 years, Sir Albert Henry, and New York millionaire Finbar Kenny. While there was speculation in New Zealand that, following his conviction, Sir Albert might lose his knighthood, he showed he has not lost his fighting spirit by announcing his intention to appeal against a three-year ban on his political activity handed down by the trial judge, Mr Justice Beattie. (Full report, p 20.)

Tupuola Efi Survives

Western Samoa’s Prime Minister Tupuola Efi has survived in office by winning three of the four seats contested in vital August by-elections. Results in the seats in February’s general elections had been declared void following charges of corrupt practices. [Political Currents.)

Somare Beats ‘No-Confidence’ Bid

D apua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Michael Somare in Sep :ember easily survived the third opposition attempt in 13 months :o overthrow him. His government won a parliamentary vote on a motion of no-confidence by 63 votes to 34. (Political Cur ents.)

\ Republic In New Hebrides

t is expected that the constitution of the future republic in the view Hebrides will be finally established at a conference to be leld in Vila at an early date. It is also hoped that election arrange nents will be sufficiently advanced to meet the tentative election late of October 17 set by the Government of National Unity.

Palmyra Owners Won’T Sell

he Fullard-Leo family of Honolulu, owners of Palmyra Atoll vhich has been studied by US government authorities as a posa ble site for a spent nuclear fuel dump, have flatly turned down ©ported US Government offers to buy the atoll for an alleged )rice of SUSIB million. Their refusal was based on environmental

jrounds. (Political Currents.)

Rhe Rise Of Donald F. Mchenry

he man who wrote Micronesia: A Trust Betrayed, a highly criti :al study of American administration in Micronesia, was ippointed by President Carter in September as the new US am >assador to the United Nations, following the resignation of Andrew Young. The new ambassador, Donald F. McHenry, had >een Mr Young’s deputy since 1976.

Australia’S Aid To Pacific Up Again

he Australian Government is committing $B4 million in aid funds d the countries of the South Pacific over the next three years, rise of $2l million over the previous three years. Bulk of the lew expenditure commitment would go towards projects in Fiji onga. Western Samoa. Tuvalu, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, New lebrides, Cook Islands and Niue. (See Australia in the Pa ific.)

■Urope’S $2.9 Million For Fiji

he Commission of the European Communities decided in august to grant an additional SFBOO 000 to help repair damage aused by hurricane Meli. The amount brought the com lission s total commitment to Fiji, following hurricanes Fay and

Meli, to $2.9 million. The funds go primarily to rebuilding schools and houses, a job which is already well under way under the Prime Minister’s Hurricane Relief Committee.

Noumea Symposium On Marine Riches

A symposium on the exploitation of marine resources in the French Pacific territories was held in Noumea on September 16-20. Describing the possibility of exploiting these resources as ‘a blessing for the economies’ of the territories, an official release said that representatives of the French Government’s inter-ministerial mission of the sea, scientific organisations active in the territories, senior officials in charge of territorial economic activities and private businessmen took part. The sym posium was presided over by Paul Dijoud, secretary of state for overseas departments and territories.

PAN AM TO PULL OUT OF SOUTH PACIFIC Pan American, the first international airline to operate commer cial flights to American Samoa (beginning 1959), plans to quit the South Pacific routes from October 29. Pan Am recently filed an application with the US Civil Aeronautics Board to allow them to discontinue the Honolulu to American Samoa and Los Angeles-Tahiti routes. No reasons were given for the airline’s decision.

Development Parley In Canberra

Representatives of South Pacific island countries and small islands in the Indian Ocean met in Canberra in September for a conference sponsored by the Australian National University’s Development Studies Centre. The main resolution urged further studies into problems of mobilisation of finance, diversification of source of earning foreign exchange, and the overall problem of the viability of the economies of small island states.

SIDNEY GROSS: CHEQUE IN HAND TO TUVALU California businessman Sidney Gross has visited Tuvalu to make personal delivery of a cheque for more than $3O 000 as the first interest payment on Tuvalu’s $5OO 000-plus investment with.his company Blue Chip Realty Investment (PIM May, September)

Non-Visitors Only Permitted

The lawyer for six Tahitians imprisoned at Fresnes, France, for a bomb attack on Papeete’s telephone exchange and the murder of a French businessman (PIM April) has demanded that they be allowed visitors other than members of their family - who are in Tahiti and unable to travel to France.

Fasi Calls For A Boycott

Mayor Frank Fasi of Honolulu called in September for a boycott of the sixth Pacific-Asia Congress of Municipalities in Adelaide, Australia. Mr Fasi, founder and first life-member of PACOM, made the call in protest at the Australian Government’s attitude to the delegation from Taiwan. The government had announced that they would not be admitted to Australia unless they signed a declaration that they were not representing the Taiwanese government.

Tulagi Makes A Catch

Solomon Islands’ police patrol boat Talagi, a gift from Australia, has apprehended a Japanese long-line trawler fishing 10 nauti cal miles off the Santa Ysabel coast. Captain Nubuyoshi Sakae was fined a total of $l5 000 in Honiara court in August for offences under the Fisheries Act. The High Court also ordered the confiscation of 45 tonnes of fish found on board the ship, Hokai Maru No 11.

Controls For Fiji’S Press?

Fiji’s Acting Prime Minister Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau said in August that the country’s newspapers may have to be controlled if they continued to ‘distort’ government statements by not publishing them in full. The Minister of State for Information Ratu William Tonganivalu said Singapore’s tough press control laws were appropriate for Third World countries like Fiji.

Suva Gaol’S Over-The-Wall Experts

Suva Gaol had a rash of prisoner escapes in August, beginning with a mass breakout by 20 prisoners. Most were recaptured within 48 hours, but four made a second escape from Suva Cen tral Police Station where they were being held before transfer

back to the gaol. Seven more prisoners escaped from the gaol a few days after the mass break-out. The appearance of seven escapers at Suva court was postponed when warders refused to enter the main cell block at the gaol to bring out the men because about 100 inmates had gone on a rampage. Controller of Prisons Wally Smith, recalled from holiday in Australia, blamed the escapes and gaol disorders on a shortage of prison staff.

Greek Ambassador To Png

The first ambassador of Greece to Papua New Guinea, Nicolas Diamantopolous, has presented his credentials to Acting Governor-General Kingsford Dibela.

Missile Launcher For Papeete

A French navy missile-launching patrol craft, La Combattante, is to join the armed forces establishment in French Polynesia.

It is expected in Papeete on November 5.

Saipan Hotel Sues Mobil

The Saipan Beach Intercontinental Inn has filed a SUS 3 million suit against Mobil Petroleum Co Inc over a series of propane gas explosions which rocked the hotel in July, injuring 10 hotel employees.

How Official Is Tahitian?

A November 1978 decision that Tahitian is the second official language of French Polynesian after French has been reaffirmed by Francis Sanford, vice-president of the government council.

His action followed complaints by local associations that they were having difficulties getting approval for their statutes drawn up in Tahitian. The high commissioner’s office announced that there was no objection to Tahitian-language statutes, provided they were accompanied by a version in French.

Upton Helps Lelean Memorial

Gordon Upton, Australian high commissioner to Fiji, has launched a $5O 000 fund-raising appeal to help the Lelean Mem orial School in Suva maintain and expand school buildings. He said it was ‘a most appropriate way of contributing to the well being of children in the International Year of the Child’. The school, which has a policy of racial and inter-community inte gration and is co-educational, is associated with the Methodist church.

A Peace Park For Betio?

Naotudu Fujihira, a cook with the Japanese navy in World War 11, wants to set up a peace park on Betio islet, Kiribati, to com memorate the Japanese and American servicemen who died in the fierce battle fought there in 1943. Mr Fujihira was stationed on Betio in 1943, and was transferred to Makin on September 25 just two months before the US attack on Betio, in which 4500 Japanese and 3500 Americans died. Only 17 Japanese survived the attack.

Nadzab Airport ‘A Great Pity’

In a statement in Papua New Guinea in August, Australian De fence Minister Jim Killen described the redevelopment of Nad zab airport as ‘a great pity’. The redevelopment, which cost $lB million of Australian public money, has left the airport unable to handle jumbo jets or even Boeing 7075, with a runway 30 metres narrower than the internationally accepted standard, and handling only seven flights a day by small planes. Nadzab is 50 km from Lae, which already has the busiest airport in

Png.

Thumbs Down On Torres Turtles

Australia’s multi-million dollar turtle farming project in the Torres Strait is to be closed after eight years’ operation. Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Senator Chaney said six years of research had shown that turtle farming could not become a viable business.

The minister said his department would be transferring funds from the turtle project to an emu farming project at Wiluna, West ern Australia, and a crocodile farming scheme at Edward River, Queensland.

Regular Defence Parleys For Oz, Png

Papua New Guinea and Australia are to have regular annual ministerial discussions on questions of defence. The decision

was reported in a communique issued following talks in PNG between Australian Defence Minister Jim Killen and his PNG counterpart Gai Duwabane.

A Franco-Australian Adventure Comedy

The Australian Film Commission and France’s Centre National de la Cinematographie are considering co-production of a film set in the New Hebrides. The film is to be directed by French born Henri Saffran, who lives in Sydney, and directed the inter nationally successful Australian film Storm Boy. The proposed film is an adventure comedy based on the true story of the cre ation of an airline.

Fiji Thinking Big On Cassava

A $2O million scheme to turn cassava into engine fuel could be cutting Fiji’s petrol needs by nearly 20% by late 1981. At least five overseas companies, including a big multi-national fuel firm, are interested in intense cassava cultivation on about 4000 ha of land in Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Australia has meanwhile banned imports of cassava, ‘unless there is need for new genetic material’. Minister for Health Ralph Hunt said the ban had been imposed so that development of cassava as a fuel or source of food would not be jeopardised by disease brought in from elsewhere.

Japanese Make Film On Sir Maori

Four members of Nippon Hoso Kykai (NHK), the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, are in Papua New Guinea to film a colour documentary on the life of Sir Maori Kiki, former deputy prime minister of PNG.

Amelia And A Silver Container

Aviatrix Amelia Earhart buried a silver container after she crash landed on a Pacific atoll, a witness has told Vincent Loomis, former US air force pilot who is searching in the Marshall Islands for the remains of Earhart’s plane (PIM September). Loomis hopes the witness may be able to lead him to the spot where the container is buried, and that it may shed light on the fate of Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan.

Usp In Kiribati, Cooks, Now

The Kiribati Centre of the University of the South Pacific was officially opened as part of the Kiribati independence cel ebrations in July. A few days later another new USP centre was opened in the Cook Islands. A similar centre was opened in Solomon Islands in November 1977.

Micronesia: Jobs For The Elderly

The US Trust Territory of the Pacific Office on Ageing has received SUS 449 000 from the US Department of Labor for em ployment of elderly Micronesians.

Taiwan-Fsm Fisheries Accord

An agreement permitting Taiwanese boats to fish in waters con trolled by the Federated States of Micronesia has been approved by a committee of the FSM Congress.

‘Country Outcasts’ In Png

Australia’s top Aboriginal country music group, Country Out casts, toured Papua New Guinea in August. The tour was arran ged by the Australian Arts Council as part of the lead-up to the South Pacific Festival of Arts to be held in PNG in June 1980.

Png Dancers In Cover-Up

Bare-breasted performers from Papua New Guinea’s Rabao Dancers group were forced to cover up before thev were allowed to give a lunchtime performance in the streets of Melbourne, Australia. The order, reluctantly imposed by Melbourne City Council’s arts officer, applied to men as well as women. The dancers told the press that the official had told them he could lose his job if there was a public outcry against their appearing topless.

Pearls Auctioned In Tuamotus

Four thousand cultured pearls produced by local co-operatives were up for sale at an auction at Takapoto, in the Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Tahiti jewel merchants were joined at the August auction by Japanese and American buyers.