Islands

From the

Press

From The Fiji Times, Suva A heading Village crime groups urged.

From an editorial in Voice of Vanuatu, Port-Vila Smart, Britain and France. This week’s jail break showed up yet another example of the incompetent way you organised your New Hebrides. Former colonial masters didn’t leave one secure jail in the land . . .

From a letter in Te Uekeraa, Tarawa. Kiribati, written by Ruka Betero and Ritita Arawatau, Makin Island, protesting against nuclear tests . . . Even though little constructive or effective measures could be taken by our country, we hereby add more noise to the growing uproar.

From an article by Akio Heine in the Marshall Islands Journal on indigenous languages in the Pacific . . . Unfortunately, when you talk in Marshallese without peppering your conversation with some big English words, you are seen as unimportant, a down to earth kind of a guy and even simple minded. Sometimes, you are seen as just a copra maker or what is known locally as ‘‘no school.”

From the Pitcairn Miscellany, Pitcairn Island Would you believe it? That 689 Pitcairn Island T-shirts arrived on Wednesday 16th and were all sold by Thursday 17th. Those Pitcairners sure wear a lot of T-shirts.

From an editorial in the Solomon Star, Honiara, on the Westminster system of government ... no political party has enough good men to form an effective goverment. Some are young, some are too inexperienced, some are corrupt. They come to be Ministers not because they are the best men for the job, but because they promise their vote to one of the party leaders. It is time to stop this. We do not need political parties; we need good men. There are good men in all three parties, and among the independents. It is the duty of these men to stop their party squabbling and form a government of national unity to save Solomon Islands from the mess the Westminster system has got us into.

From Tohi Tala Niue, regarding the reorganisation of the post office and the location of the letter boxes The little room where the boxes are kept is not to be used for consuming of food or as a toilet facility. I know some of you would find it convenient for other purposes. Please do not urinate in that little room.

From the Marshall Islands Journal Senator Katip Mack, the law and order senator from nearby Amo, used body language at Nitijela today to illustrate how he feels and wound up in jail for asserting his feelings too graphically. Mack, the judiciary and governmental affairs committee chairman, was arrested at the Nitijela building for busting windows. Mack not noted for diplomatic negotiations on the Nitijela floor, broke four glass windows and one door by throwing rocks at them.

From The Reporter, Papua New Guinea Reward offered. A reward of KlOO will be offered for the recovery of various items which fell out a hole in my sittingroom window while I was away in Port Moresby recently.

These items include a Luxman cassette deck, a pair of EPI

speakers, a Pentax SPIOOO, a portable Sanyo radio/cassette player, a radio/clock, a black palm bow, four arrows and $2O.

From Uni Tavur, produced by journalism students of the University of Papua New Guinea The number of plates in the UPNG mess has decreased from over 1300 to about 300 after 1008 new plates were issued six weeks ago. “I think there are some well-equipped villages around,” said catering manager Mr Richard Cullen. The plates, each worth K 1.64, were issued along with 1200 cups. Only one tray of cups is left. Mr Cullen said, ‘‘We only have 40 pudding plates now, inadequate to provide pudding for everyone. Some people have starting buying their own plates.

From Tohi Tala Niue, Niue Island A Japanese, British, New Zealand production of the film ‘‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence” which is currently being shot in the Cook Islands require 500 skinny white men to play the part as prisoners for 40 dollars a day, but Rarotonga hasn’t got that many skinny white men, so 150 men are to be airlifted from Auckland. This is not enough so according to Cook Islands News 500 skinny white women are now sought to act. The news was released in New Zealand, the man who recruited 150 skinny white men has been placed with calls from skinny white women wanting parts. He has protested that all the calls are hurting his business and wants it to stop.

From the Marianas Variety News & Views, in an article reporting on the policy that passengers have priority over mail on Air Micronesia Complaints that Yap and Palau have not received any mail for 14 days because Air Micronesia flights are booked solid with passengers, have been filed with the airline.

From a letter by Viliame Dau, of Labasa, in The Fiji Times, Suva As an educated Fijian, I found the Prime Minister’s outburst about cannibals and clubbing utterly baffling. There is nothing really to be upset about. In fact, most Fijians are quite proud of our cannibal history and joke about it to visitors. Our tourist brochures successfully use it as a drawcard in selling the country overseas. . .

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby The member for Namatanai and former Prime Minister, Sir Julius Chan, says the National Broadcasting Commission is giving too much prominence to politicians who were defeated in the June elections. In calling on Radio New Ireland not to give airplay to defeated candidates, Sir Julius said: ‘‘Defeated candidates are not spokesmen for the people; they do not represent any legal group and they speak without authority.”

From an editorial in The Fiji Times on the aftermath of

the July general elections

. . . The next few weeks and months are going to be testing times, not only for the Opposition but for parliamentary democracy. The present session of the House has generated so chilly an atmosphere that one could cut it with a knife. The resurgence of racial politics is beginning to cast an ugly shadow over the land. In a secular state like ours, it is absolutely essential to have a strong Government and an equally strong Opposition.

What U.S. lawyer Dick Gerry thinks about the U.S. negotiations with the Marshall Islands, as reported in the Marshall Islands Journal, Majuro ‘‘They are negotiating the same way Custer negotiated with the Indians as unequal inferiors instead of a sovereign nation,”

Gerry said.

From an article on Graphology in Te Uekeraa, Tarawa, Kiribati Sexual traits are also revealed by handwriting. It can, according to Patricia Marne, suggest a lack of interest in sex, possibly frigidity or impotence; or it can suggest a tendency to boast.

Male and female homosexuals write differently from heterosexuals.