Pacific Report

Png ‘Deportee’ In Smoke

Papua New Guinea’s attempt to deport three Irian Jaya rebel leaders who had been living in permissive residence in the country ran into trouble in July when one of them went into hiding in Port Moresby. Two of the men Eleizer Bonay, a former governor of Irian Jaya, and Dean Kafiar were deported to Switzerland under an arrangement between the PNG Government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. But the third, John Hamadi, went underground before the due time for deportation, and was apparently being harboured by sympath isers among students at the University of PNG. Mr Hamadi, and student leaders, claim the deportation order is illegal anyway because he is by birth a Papua New Guinean. The deportation orders followed participation by a number of Irian Jayan ‘permissive residents’ in PNG in an unofficial South Pacific Human Rights Tribunal held at the university (PIM Jul p 6). The three men concerned took part in the tribunal, which vehemently Dondemned Indonesian policies in Irian Jaya. At press time, oolice had still not found Hamadi.

SLANDS PROTESTS AT S. AFRICAN RUGBY TOUR Fhe Cook Islands Government announced in mid-July it would not ;jrant transit visas to the South African Rugby team if it sought to and at Rarotonga airport. Rarotonga had been mentioned as a >top in one possible route by which the team could reach New Zealand for its highly controversial playing tour of that country, vhich is widely seen as condoning South Africa’s apartheid jystem. The Cooks’ move was seen as a particularly heavy blow o the New Zealand Government, given that country’s special elationship with the Cooks. Earlier, Fiji’s Prime Minister Ratu Sir (amisese Mara had announced a similar stand on any attempted ransit by the South Africans through Fiji. Criticism has also come rom the Papua New Guinea Government, which issued a itatement of stern diapproval of the tour, warning that it could Irive a wedge between Commonwealth countries. The Solomon slands Government has also protested. : IJI AGREES ‘IN PRINCIPLE’ ON SINAI : iji has accepted in principle an American request (PIM July p 5) or 600 soldiers to join a multi-national peace-keeping force to upervise the withdrawal of Israeli forces and civilians from the ►ccupied Sinai. Announcing this in Suva in June, Fiji’s Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara said Fiji’s involvement would not reate a precedent, as Fiji had participated in a Commonwealth orce in Zimbabwe in a similar peace-keeping exercise. Ratu /lara said that the proposed multi-national peace-keeping and •bserver force would supervise the disengagement process rranged between Israel and Egypt within the framework of the :amp David agreement. The request to be part of the 2000-man Dree, which may stay in the Sinai for two or three years, ‘gives s another opportunity to boost employment’. Ratu Mara said, lost of the cost of the force would be met directly by the US, with >rael and Egypt providing the balance.

Bipartite Research Plan On Marine Wealth

he US, Australia and New Zealand will conduct a geoscientific Dsearch programme to help South Pacific countries identify and evelop resources in their 200-mile zones and offshore seabeds. he survey was recommended last year by the Co-ordinating Committee for Joint Offshore Prospecting for Seabed Minerals in De South Pacific (CCOP/SOPAC), a subsidiary body of the Inited Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and ie Pacific (ESCAP). When ESCAP called upon UN members to ake an interest, the Soviet Union responded quickly and ivourably. Australia then with matching speed consulted several °uth Pacific governments and learned that they had what an fficial Australian Government statement said was ‘a clear reference that such research be undertaken by established

friends’. The three-party arrangement was then set up. A statement by the Vanuatu Government on the subject refuted press suggestions that it had been negotiating with the Soviet Union to do the work. The statement added that the plan for the three-party project should not be finally accepted without consultation with South Pacific countries, and, when agreed, should be conducted under ESCAP auspices.

Fiji, India In Satellite Accord

Fiji and India have signed a formal agreement allowing establishment and operation of a telemetry, tracking and telecommand earth station in Fiji. This follows a decision by the Fiji Cabinet to allow establishment of the station as part of a satellite project being undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The project, code-named ‘Apple’, is for the design and construction of an experimental, body-stabilised geostationary communications satellite for domestic communi cation experiments.

Francis Sanford In Paris Talks

Francis Sanford, vice-president of French Polynesia’s Council of Government, flew to Paris in July for discussions with the new French Government. His aim: to persuade Paris to grant the territory full internal self-government on the Cook Islands model.

Such a course is now supported by all major political parties in French Polynesia. France’s new Minister for Overseas Depart ments and Territories was due to visit both French Polynesia and New Caledonia in July. For his part, the High Commissioner of France in the Pacific, Claude Charbonniaud, whose fiefdom is New Caledonia and Wallis/Futuna, had been called to Paris in June for consultations on the policies to be pursued in these territories by the government of President Mitterrand.

Marshalls Govt. Replies On British Loan

The Marshall Islands Government has issued a point-by-point rebuttal of a story in the Guam-based Pacific Daily News about the loan it has raised from Britain’s Midland Bank to finance a power plant (PIM Jul p 5). The News had suggested the loan was a ‘mystery’ affair. The Ml government statement claimed in reply: the decision to seek independent funding for a new power plant was made only after it was clear that Washington, specifically the Department of the Interior, was not going to help solve the Marshalls’ acute power supply problem; clearance for the approach to London for the loan had been granted by an official of the Department of State, Pacific Affairs Section, after exhaustive discussions; the loan had been approved by the Marshall Islands Cabinet, and, subsequently by the Nitijela (parliament): the Nitijela bill authorising the loan had been formally approved by the High Commissioner on December 23, 1980, as Public Law 1980-9. The statement appealed to the News, and its publishers the Gannett News Service, to shed an obvious obsession with ‘mystery’ and ‘secret’ loans.

Cook Islands Petition Refused

The Cook Islands’ Acting Head of State Sir Gaven Donne had ‘acted unconstitutionally’ in refusing a petition to block or delay the recent constitutional changes in the country (PIM Jul pl 9).

This claim is made by John Scott, chairman of the Petition Action Committee in a June letter to* Sir Gaven. The committee had sought to delay the Royal assent to the changes. Sir Gaven stressed that he was unable to intervene since ‘the will and process of parliament is paramount’, and ‘petitions to the Crown should be resorted to only after all legal remedies have been exhausted’. Main changes are that the Premier, Sir Thomas Davis, becomes Prime Minister, the Cook Islands Assembly is now the Parliament of the Cook Islands, and the duration of each parliament has been extended from four to five years. It is expected that general elections will now be held in 1983.

Islands Contact By U.S. Satellite?

A new Pacific Islands communications system using an American satellite may be the outcome of an international meeting held in Suva in June. Representatives from 12 countries in the region spent three days talking about rural telecommunciations needs.

The meeting, at the headquarters of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC), was called for by Island leaders at the South Pacific Forum meeting in Tarawa, Kiribati, last year.

SPEC organised it with the help of the Public Service Satellite Consortium of Washington, the US National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), and the US Department of Commerce.

The Public Service Satellite Consortium is a private non-profit body which is working on space satellite communication systems for Micronesia.

Australian Islands Exports Up

Australian exports to several South Pacific countries increased by more than $9O million in the nine months to March 31, when compared with the corresponding nine months to March 30, 1980 $529 840 000 against $439 104 000. Imports from Australia by the various countries, with figures for the period to March 31, 1980, in brackets, were: Fiji, $122 442 000 ($lOO 875 000); Nauru, $9 965 000 ($8 898 000); New Caledonia, $3O 296 000 ($29 897 000); Vanuatu, $lO 176 000 ($ll 715 000); Papua New Guinea, $334 462 000 ($274 458 000); Solomon Islands, $22 499 000 ($l3 261 000).

Malaita Workers Form Union

A Malaita Provincial Workers’ Union has been registered in Solomon Islands. The union’s aim is to negotiate on conditions of service with the Malaita Provincial Assembly. The union has about 300 members, all provincial employees.

Two Fijians Die In Lebanon

Two Fijian soldiers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were shot in the back and killed in June by Palestinian guerrillas. A third solider was beaten up after being taken prisoner. UN spokesman Timor Goskel said the three Fijians were abducted after their position near the village of Kana, east of Tyre on the south Lebanese coast, was overrun by guerrillas. ‘This was cold-blooded murder,’ he said.

Vanuatu Marketing Board Set Up

Vanuatu’s Representative Assembly on July 2 approved a bill for the establishment of the Vanuatu Commodities Marketing Board tabled by Finance Minister Kalpokor Kalsakau. The minister said once the board is set up it is hoped that producers, particularly small farmers, will receive a more stable and a greater return for their produce. The board will additionally act as a buffer between overseas prices and domestic prices by introducing a price stabilisation scheme,’ he said. A spokesman for Burns Philp welcomed the decision, saying his company would do its utmost to co-operate with the board and ensure its successful operation.

Secession Mooted In Solomons

The old bogey of secession has raised its head in Solomon Islands, whre the Makira Ulawa Provincial Assembly, covering the islands of San Cristobal and Ulawa, has before it a resolution calling for secession and the establishment of a separate state.

First presentation of the resolution was aborted on the grounds of poor attendance at the assembly meeting. It was adjourned for discussion at a future, better-attended meeting.

COOKS PUSH ON WITH TAX HAVEN PLAN The Cook Islands definitely intends to go ahead with plans to establish offshore banking (tax haven) facilities in the country, according to Minister for Economic Development Vincent Ingram.

Negotiations are at present under way with New Zealand financial authorities to ensure that the scheme has no damaging effects on New Zealand’s monetary system. The talks were called at the request of the Cook Islands Government.

A BATTLE THAT’S NOT ON GAMES PROGRAMME A battle royal was shaping up on the sidelines of the July South Pacific Mini Games in Honiara (PIM Jul p 5) as Peter Paul, president of the Organising Committee for the 1983 South Pacific Games, prepared to ‘have it out’ in Honiara with Commander Stan Brown over the commander’s reported statement that Western Samoa will be ‘nowhere near ready to manage the Games by the time August 1983 rolls around’. Commander Brown is chairman of the South Pacific Games Committee. Said an irate Mr Paul as he boarded the plane at Apia on his way to Honiara: ‘Western Samoa will host the South Pacific Games.’ To build the Games facilities, Western Samoa has secured an interest-free loan of about SWS6 million from China.

Air Tungaru’S 727 In Action

Air Tungaru, flag carrier of the Republic of Kiribati, had the inaugural flight of its newly acquired Boeing 727 on June 11. The flight was on a turn-around basis from Honolulu/Christmas Island/Papeete and back. It is reported that the airline will also take over the Honolulu/Christmas Island/Tarawa and return run which was previously served by Air Nauru aircraft on charter to Air Tungaru.

116 974 People In The Ttpi

The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, excluding the Northern Marianas, has a population of more than 116 000, according to the US Census Bureau. The TTPI had a population of 116 974 in mid-September 1980, the bureau said. The 1970 population was 81 300. The census on the 2141 islands was taken on September 15, six months behind the main US head count. The TTPI, which

listed 18 558 housing units in 1980, includes the three Micronesian political entities. The TTPI populations by districts were: Federated States of Micronesia; Ponape 22 319, Truk 37 742, Kosrae 5522, Yap 8172. The two other entities were' Marshall Islands 31 041, and Palau 12 177. The Northern Marianas, which in 1970 was counted as part of the TTPI, was treated separately in the 1980 census, which recorded a population of 16 862, with 3463 housing units

Cooks’ Tourism Drive In Nz

A long-planned drive by the Cook Islands Ministry of Tourism to boost the country as a holiday destination for New Zealanders took off in June. Fourteen promotional seminars, the opening shots in a three-year plan to sell the Cooks in New Zealand, were to be held in 10 New Zealand centres, with the first being held in Hamilton on June 8.

Tongans In Seattle ‘Kickbacks’ Case

Following a complaint from a Tongan immigrant in Seattle, USA, that he had to give a large proportion of his pay cheque to a fellow-Tongan who had found him a job, Seattle police are investigating allegations that Tongans working for the city council are collecting ‘kickbacks’ from others in return for finding them employment with the city. The police say the practice, if true, is criminal, but a personnel director says it could be a Tongan custom and, therefore, a cultural misunderstanding. About 100 Tongans live in Seattle.

Murder Charge In New Caledonia

A French settler in New Caledonia, Guy de St Quentin, has been arrested and accused of the fatal shooting on June 8 of a Melanesian employee, Emile Kutu.

Western Pacific Studies Plan From Guam

The University of Guam is working on a plan for a programme in Western Pacific Studies. The ‘Western Pacific’ is defined for the purpose as Guam, the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and Kiribati.

Shoot-Out’ Threat In Marianas Poll Row

Anonymous telephone calls threatening a shoot-out at a planned meeting of the Democratic Party of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas led to the meeting’s cancellation in June. The meeting had been called by party president Vincente D. Sablan to explain his controversial ruling that Senator Herman R.

Guerrero had won the party’s nomination for governor over incumbent Governor Carlos S. Camacho. Sablan had ruled that the votes from the island of Rota were invalid because they had not been tabulated according to party rules. He thus declared Guerrero the winner by 311 votes to 247 for Camacho. If Rota’s votes had been counted, Camacho would have won by 322 to 321 for Guerrero. However, Herman Q. Guerrero, Camacho’s campaign manager, said Sablan had no authority to overturn the election results. ‘I am the chairman of the election committee,’

Guerrero said. ‘I have the authority to make the official announcement. The party president has no authority. The by laws required the election committee to report the results to the president of the party and that’s what I did.’ At press time, the dispute was unresolved.

Big Agriculture Complex For Santo

A new Agriculture Complex worth VTB.S million (AB5 000) is to be built in Luganville on the Vanuatu island of Santo. Funded by British aid, the complex will house Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary offices, all with up-to-date equipment. It will also have an office for visiting expatriate specialists working in cocoa and root crop development. It will be built by local contractor Tari Vira Vanuatu (TVV), and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Rare Rail Accident On Nauru

Nauru’s only railway had one of its rare accidents in June when a diesel locomotive hauling scores of phosphate-loaded trucks was derailed. The locomotive had failed to stop at the end of the line and, crashing through the barrier, only came to a stop when it ran into a large heap of coral chips. The chips in fact prevented what could have been a serious accident: if they had not been there, the engine could have continued on for a few more metres and plunged down a cliff on to the tops of buildings which were in a direct line below. Apparently, the accident occurred when the engine operator failed to apply the brakes. The weekly, The Nauru Post, speculated that he ‘was having a snooze at the time’.

It added: ‘There were two others working on the locomotive at the time and it would seem that either they were also having a cat nap or were in no position to warn the operator of the engine.’ There was no report of injuries.