Pacific Report

Jew Hebrides Settles Constitution

vitally important step along the New Hebrides’ painful path 0 independence was taken in September when the country’s :onstitutional planning committee unanimously agreed on a :onstitution for the new republic. This agreement clears the way or elections to be held on November 14, with independence fated for the first half of 1980. May is tipped as the most likely nonth. (See PlM’s exclusive background report beginning >13.)

: Ive Png Judges Step Down

: ive of the eight judges of Papua New Guinea’s National Court lave resigned in the wake of the country’s controversial ‘Rooney

Affair’ (see pi 7).

Listoric Treaty For Us, Kiribati

he US and Kiribati have signed an historic treaty in which the JS renounces its previous claims to 14 islands in the Line and ’hoenix groups, and which contains provisions for widespread ©-operation, including joint economic ventures between Kiribati and American Samoa (see p2O).

Louth Pacific Conference In Session

he 1979 annual South Pacific Conference was meeting in ’apeete, Tahiti, as PIM went to press. Stuart Inder, editor and üblisher of PIM, was in Papeete for the conference and will sport on its work in PIM December.

Econd Png Minister Gaoled

apua New Guinea’s National Planning Minister, John Kaputin, fas gaoled by the National Court for 10 weeks with hard labour 1 mid-October for disobeying a court order to produce an nnual report and other documents of the New Guinea Develop lent Corporation within a stipulated period. Mr Kaputin is chair lan of the corporation which is owned by villagers in New ritain. He is the second PNG minister to receive a gaol sentence i recent weeks. The Justice Minister, Mrs Nahau Rooney, had een sentenced to eight months imprisonment a month before efore contempt of court.

Ense Scenes In Noumea

iot police and pro-independence demonstrators faced each ther in Noumea for two hours during September 24 cel brations to mark 126 years of French rule in New Caledonia, bout 800 demonstrators, mostly Melanesians, had marched om a park where they had been authorised to hold their only üblic meeting on the day of the anniversary. They were onfronted in a narrow street by police armed with batons, tear as and riot shields. A delegation of protesters was taken to se French officials. The rest returned to the park to continue leir meeting. Several kilometres away, the highlight of the anni- Brsary celebrations a parade by about 800 French soldiers, ailors and airmen was watched by about 2000 Melanesians, uropeans and Polynesians. Among those impassively looking n were 100 riot police flown in specially from Paris for the ccasion. In Suva on the anniversary day about 500 chanting emonstrators occupied the French embassy and hurled abuse t the charge d’affaires Bernard Malandain. They were led by le New Caledonian Kanak independence leader Pastor Jubily lea, and members of a leftwing Suva-based group, the Pacific eople’s Action Front. Earlier in the month, 70% of New ;aledonia’s schools were closed by a strike in protest at the acking of three Melanesian teachers. In one demonstration six eople were seriously hurt and 18 arrested. Riot police used jargas and batons to break up the 200-strong demon tration.

Rench Experts Confirm N-Accidents

‘ scientific investigative party sent from France at the insistence f the territorial assembly confirmed late in September that there 'ere two unrelated accidents at Mororoa on July 5 and 25. Two len died in the first accident when acetone gases exploded i an underground laboratory. The second occurred when a omb stuck partway down an atoll shaft and was exploded, ausing a tidal wave which injured seven people on Moruora.

Scientists insisted neither event brought radioactivity hazards and said defence secrecy was the reason for initial official de nials of the accidents. The bomb explosion was obviously mass ive as Wellington recorded 6.3 on the Richter scale at that time. (See RIM reports on both incidents, Sep p 7, Oct p 23).

Tuvaluan Islands On Hard Rations

Tuvalu’s outer islands had a near famine in September because the country’s only ship, the MV Nivaga, was in dry-dock in Suva for overhaul. Imported foodstuffs ran out and people on four of the islands were said to be existing only on local produce.

Three islands had resorted to rationing. ‘ln spite of this problem,’ reported the Tuvalu News Sheet, ‘life on the outer islands seemed to be jolly-well fun’.

Deoki Fiji’S New A-G

Andrew Deoki, Fiji’s former director of public prosecutions who emigrated to Australia three years ago, has been named by Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara as the country’s new attorney-general. He took over from Sir John Falvey in October.

Sir John, who resigned from the job in 1977, had been tem porarily doing it following the dismissal of Sir Vijay Singh (RIM Sep p 7).

Fire Damages Png London Display

A fire in September partly destroyed Papua New Guinea’s per manent cultural exhibition in London. PNG’s high commission reported that about Kl 5 000 worth of artifacts were damaged when the fire broke out in the PNG gallery of the Commonwealth Institute.

Next Games In Apia, 1983

The South Pacific Games Council has aproved Western Samoa’s request to postpone the Seventh South Pacific Games to 1983 from the planned date of 1981. The unanimous decision was taken following Western Samoa’s plea that the extra time was needed for preparations.

Marshalls Tie Taiwan Knot

The government of Marshall Islands will establish diplomatic re lations with Taiwan when the US trusteeship ends in 1981, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser. Other Micronesian groups are expected to follow suit.

Strike Action Hits Kiribati

Newly independent Kiribati in September was in the throes of a strike which disrupted ferry services between Bairiki and Betio, overseas air flights, and some essential services, and resulted in the sacking of a number of workers. A trade union covering government workers on Bikenibeu, Bairiki and Betio ordered its members, including co-operative federation workers, to strike in protest at the alleged forced retirement by the public service commission of an employee, Highland Muller. Later, about 100 of the sacked unionists marched to the president’s office to pet ition for their reinstatement.

Pope Upgrades Micronesian Vicariate

Pope John Paul II has raised the apostolic vicariate of the Caroline and Marshall Islands to the level of a diocese, the apos tolic delegate in the United States announced. The Pope named Nishop Martin J. Neylon, a US Jesuit who has been serving as vicar apostolic since 1971, as first bishop of the new dio- Qogo

Png Seeks Overseas Help On Forests

Papua New Guinea’s Department of Commerce is calling for applications from overseas companies or groups to manage three forestry development corporations. The corporations, owned jointly by the government, the respective provincial governments and the people of the areas to be logged, plan to harvest by selective logging 160 000 ha in Sagarai-Gadaisu (Milne Bay Province), 70 000 ha in Kumusi (Northern Province), and 95 000 ha in Umboi (Morobe Province). The contracts for three management teams of four to eight persons will be for an initial period of five to eight years and production for each corporation is expected to reach 7000 to 10 000 cubic metres a month over about 20 years of logging.

Churches Urge Nc Independence

The Pacific Conference of Churches has supported a call for independence of the Melanesian people of New Caledonia. In a September statement, the PCC said its support followed ‘unanimous action’ taken last month by the 45-member synod

of the Evangelical Church in New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. It was the first time the church had gone on record sup porting Melanesian independence. The statement urged mem ber churches and related organisations ‘to bring the Evangical Church’s statement to he notice of their governments’ and to make ‘special prayers for all the people of New Caledonia in this critical time of tension and difficulty’.

US REAL ESTATE AGENTS ACTIVE IN PACIFIC American real estate agents have been busy in Kiribati and Fiji offering land for sale in the United States and their sales talk has prompted an American official to issue a warning through PIM. ‘lt is folly,’ he told PIM in Sydney, ‘to invest in real estate in America unless the would-be purchaser has seen the land.

Some land dealers are genuine but some land being offered, especially in states like Texas, is desert and certainly not a sound investment.' The people of Nuito and Nanumanga in Tuvalu have bought land in the USA offered for sale at SUSSOOO an acre by a part-Tuvaluan, Mr Bula Tokotasi O’Brien, who is employed by the firm Human Resources and Development Inc of Majuro in the Marshall Islands. The people of Nanumea in Tuvalu, who also bought land, have decided to cancel contracts, the Tuvalu News Sheet reports. Mr O’Brien was in Tuvalu in September with Californian real estate Mr Sidney Gross. Mr Gross has invested more than $554 000 of Tuvalu’s money in the United States at an interest rate of 15 per cent and is helping Tuvalu to establish a fishing industry. Mr Gross told the Tuvaluans dur ing his visit in September (PIM Oct p 7) that their investment had already earned them $3l 560.50 in interest.

1980 South Pacific Conference In Png

Papua New Guinea’s National Executive Council has agreed to host the 1980 South Pacific Conference, probably in one of the provinces outside Port Moresby. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ebia Olewale said the success of the recent South Pacific transport ministers and civil aviation and shipping conference held in Mt Hagen proved that major conferences could be staged outside Port Moresby.

HAS THE US STOPPED LOOKING FOR N-DUMP?

The US Ambassador to Western Samoa, Mrs Anne C Martindell, has said that the US Government has ‘halted’ plans to find a Pacific island or atoll which could be used as a dump for nuclear waste from such countries as Japan, Korea and Taiwan (PIM Oct p 23). The Apia newspaper, The Observer, quoted her as saying: ‘We realise it’s a sensitive issue since France has been testing its nuclear bombs in the area. This is why we have im mediately stopped the studies of the islands.’ However, an October report from Washington said that the US and Japan have agreed to ‘look further’ into a proposal to store nuclear waste on a remote Pacific island. The report said talks in Tokyo between senior officials had resulted in both sides moving towards a decision on whether a full-scale feasibility study was warranted. Each government would now examine such factors as the cost of research, and whether it is prepared to pay for it.

South Pacific Games In The Black

The South Pacific Games Committee will make a profit from the 1979 Games, despite earlier fears that there would be a loss.

Committee treasurer John Creighton said he was sure the com mittee would do better than break even, mainly thanks to the soccer and rugby finals. Creighton said that during the two finals, more than $2O 000 was taken at the gates for each of the games, not including money raised from sales of season tickets. Basketball and boxing also helped as money-raisers.

Other sports chipped in, but to a lesser degree. Timesball, the Fiji Times Qantas Funßun and other fund-raising bodies made valuable contributions. Creighton said more than $5OO 000 had been put down as expenditure.

Fiji Party Official Resigns

The secretary-general of Fiji’s ruling Alliance Party, Senator Akanisi Dreunimisimisi, has resigned her position. Earlier, Prime Minister Ratu Kamisese Mara had told the senator he could not continue working with her. He said he had been concerned about a flow of information from Alliance headquarters without his knowledge. The senator had also been asked about rumours concerning the prime minister circulated at the height of the Sir Vijay Singh affair (PIM Aug p3l).

Fao Plan To Help Fisheries

A new programme established by the Food and Agriculture Or ganisation aimed at helping fisheries development in countries with extended ocean fishing limits could greatly benefit many Pacific Island nations and territories. Announced in August by the Rome-based organisation, the programme covers every as pect of fisheries management. According to FAO, more than 90 nations now have extended sea limits, many of them up to 200 nautical miles, as opposed to eight countries only 12 years ago Nearly all Island nations in the Pacific have established their own 200-mile fishing and economic zones.

Adb Analysis Of Islands Agriculture

‘Pacific Agriculture Choices and Constraints’ was the theme of a report on the South Pacific Agricultural Survey, a pioneer project of the Asian Development Bank. All seven South Pacific developing member countries (DMCs) of the bank - Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Western Samoa were covered in the survey. A sub-regional seminar will be held in Apia in January to discuss the survey’s findings. Major matters to be taken up include; the need for increased adoption of the plantation mode of manage ment for major crops, and the associated need for new forms of landholding: shortage of rural labour in some areas and con sequent need for capital-intensive development: the generally poor state of the coconut industry: the need for rural service centres and for co-ordination of transport and agriculture; prob lems of providing services/facilities for populations in economi cally non-viable places; the role of government in national development, including the key role national development banks: and the scope for regional co-operation, especially in the field of marketing.

Olewale At Tahiti Independence Rally

Papua New Guinera’s Deputy Prime Minister Ebia Olewale absented himself from a dinner for delegation leaders at the South Pacific Conference hosted by the French High Com missioner in Papeete in October to attend a pro-independence rally instead. The rally was organised by four small local political parties advocating independence. According to press reports, he was rebuked for his action by Australia’s Minister for Pro ductivity lan Macphee. Mr Olewale calimed Mr Macphee had told him he had ‘encouraged the people to revolt against France’, and added: ‘What nonsense, I just told them that we supported their demands for independence.’

$55 000 For A Tuvalu Passport?

The Tuvalu Government is considering a suggestion from Californian real estate dealer Mr Sidney Gross on how to raise $27 million by selling citizenship to stateless people. Mr Gross, who is handling Tuvalu’s financial affairs in the United States, saw Prime Minister Toalipi Lauti in Funafuti in September and outlined the scheme by which Tuvalu passports could be sold, to about 500 stateless families at $55 000 each. Opinions in Funafuti are mainly against the scheme, arguing that such a scheme would upset Tuvalu’s cultural, social and economic bal ance. Some fear international terrorists would be ‘in the market’ for such facilities. Mr Gross has also asked for a Tuvaluan char-1 ter to open a bank.

Tongan Royals In Nz, Australia

King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV and Oueen Mata’aho of Tonga made state visits to both New Zealand and Australia in October. ] The visits followed invitations issued during celebrations of the , King’s 60th birthday last year.

Expansion For Forum Line

The Pacific Forum Line is to open offices in Suva and Wellington. I By February next year the line plans to have disposed of its con-1 ventional ships and have three new roll-on-roll-off container! ships in their place.

Resident Australian Hicom For Apia

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrew Peacock has an-1 nounced the appointment of Allan Deacon as Australia’s first resident high commissioner to Apia, Western Samoa. Previously] Australia’s high commissioners to Fiji were accredited to West-1 ern Samoa.

Diplomatic Ties For W. Samoa, Indonesia

Indonesia and Western Samoa are to establish diplomatic re-j lations. Indonesia becomes the 26th country with which Western!

Samoa has such relations.