Islands

From the

Press

From The Fiji Times, Suva, Fiji Black Arrow Sports Club, whose members live around Ritova Street, decided to clear bush along the street after several women in the area said they had sighted a man, at times naked, in the bush during the day. President of the club, Mr Ambika Prasad, said some people believed that a spirit had been left behind in the area by a Solomon Islands clan who lived there long ago. Members of the club began clearing the bush with knives and also sprayed the area with chemicals. Mr Prasad said people would not have to fear “spirits” once the bush was cleared. He said if their clean-up campaign did not get rid of the “haunting spirit” it would at least drive out the mosquitoes. (Later a Solomon Islander living in Fiji protested to the paper over the suggestion that a “Solomon Island spirit” was said to be involved).

A letter to the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby, about the habits of dogs As we lie in bed at night, fully awake and very conscious of man’s best friend at work, we have plenty of time to appreciate just what it is these dogs are doing for us. I don’t really mind the pek-pek all around the garden or the fact that the dogs don’t know the difference between the innocent and the guilty passers-by on the street. As I walk under the house through the pek-pek to the car next morning I know my house is well looked after. So why worry about the occasional stink in the car and the difficulty of looking for the cause while negotiating the Waigani morning rush hour. Remember it is only proof that your house was well guarded the night before.

Islands News, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, reporting criticism of safety measures during blasting in Avatiu harbor He said that internal organs might suffer damage from the concussion or be knocked unconscious and drown.

From a letter published in The Samoa Observer, Apia, in which loane Tomasi supports a police drive against crime No longer will our women and daughters have to fear the perverts who prowl around homes at night threatening any they find outside; no longer will our wives go to collect their washing and find all their bras and underwear stolen off the line, no more social hostesses hanging around Matautu annoying innocent men. Instead, Chief Inspector Falaniko has announced tough new measures to rid our streets of criminals. Anyone not saluting the “Freedom Flag’’ is to be punished to the full extent of the law. But is this enough? These criminals should be incarcerated, thrashed and publicly flogged.

Letter to the editor in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby, signed by “Miss Papuan”

I am concerned about the price of a Papuan bride. We Papuan girls cost too much it’s true. And it’s not just you New Guineans getting married to Papuans who are paying the big money, such as 8000 kina. No! It happens to us Papuans too.

We marry our own wantoks, and we pay perhaps 10,000 kina and other things such as armshells and feathers of birds of paradise etc. It has nothing to do with the government because

the bride price is not new to us Papuans or to New Guineans, either. It’s an old custom. Some people are still paying that much or more. But if you know that you can’t afford to pay that much, then leave us Papuan girls alone.

From the Flotsam and Jetsam column in The Fiji Times, Suva The Fiji electricity authority is no respecter of persons or government departments, for that matter, when it comes to non-payment of bills. It treats everybody alike: The high and the low, the rich and the poor, without distinction or favor. Its latest victim, whose offices at the Fiji Development Bank building were disconnected, was the government’s biggest money-earner the Inland Revenue Department. An electricity authority spokesman said that Inland Revenue had not paid its bills despite repeated reminders.

From a news bulletin of Radio Vanuatu, Port-Vila Amas-vengani is the new name for Liro School on Paama Island. The name was adopted at a meeting of the school council. The Headmaster, Mr Wenjio Tamau, explained that the new name is made up of two Paamese words amas, a place where there is an abundant supply of food; and vengani, meaning to feed. It is said that in the past everyone on Paama used to go to Amas, the present location of the school, to collect food. Mr Tamau said Amas-vengani should now mean a place where children go to be fed with new ideas in education.

From an article in The Times of Papua New Guinea on the changing role of women in PNG society and the problems of domestic violence When he hits her he is telling her how he feels with violence instead of expressing it in words, and of course he knows that nothing is more humiliating to a career woman in a responsible job than having to appear in the office with a bruised face. In a matrilineal society if a woman was bashed up her brothers would come to her defence. Now that people are operating as nuclear families, relatives are not supposed to interfere in a couple’s lives. The woman is cut off from the kind of support which she would get in the village and this gives the man more power to do what he wants with his wife. If the wife runs back to relatives it gets on the man’s nerves. After all, what would happen if the news gets back to the village.

A sad aspect of society from figures quoted in The Samoa Times, Apia There were 31 suicides in 1982, according to the annual report of the Police Department. Twenty-one of the suicides were by males. As in previous years the main weapon of death remained paraquat which was responsible for 22 of the cases of suicide.

There were five cases of shooting, three of hanging and one of

burning.

One of 29 methods to stop smoking advocated in an

anti-smoking campaign published by the Marianas

Variety News and Views, Saipan Spend a lot of time in libraries, churches and other places where smoking is not allowed.

The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby A plague of warehouse rats paid the penalty for their expensive appetites in Mount Hagen recently. Staff at the Mendi Provincial government stores warehouse, tired of excessive stock losses, declared war on the rats. Aided by an eager dog the staff killed 89 rats in one afternoon. The dead rats drew quite a crowd of onlookers including the Western Highlands Premier, Mr Tegi Ebeial, who was driving past on his way to town when the rats were displayed outside the warehouse by the proud rat catchers.

The Pitcairn Miscellany, Pitcairn Island The Administration has agreed to have two hours public power every morning now that we have three large generators on the island. This is a tremendous advance, for it means that one will be able to run a freezer or refrigerator without needing a private plant to supplement the public power. It is also very convenient for using electric tools or to make a hot drink. We thank the Administration for their decision.