from the islands press

From Vanuatu Weekly, Port-Vila Pisces Restaurant on the Nambatu road had closed its doors since last month. A board with writing saying “CLOSED!

GONE FISHING! ADIOS AMIGOS! was placed on the gateway. According to an employee of the restaurant, it was closed because they were no longer getting much business. He said the owner, Mr Boyd Johnson, had left for Australia at the end of last month. However he will re-open the restaurant after two more months.

From Uni Tavur, the student newspaper at the University of Papua New Guinea.

The chairman of the Waigani Seminar says he is concerned that there is a lot of shady dealing, drug trafficking, mismanagement of money and unfairness in land dealings in PNG. Prof John Waiko said: “These are the causes of corruption in this country. Corruption is a big question. What are we going to do about it?

From Solomon Nius, Honiara The out-going Ombudsman Mr Daniel Maeke has said it appears that Solomon Islanders are money minded people because of the fact that most complaints reaching the Office of the Ombudsman were related to money matters. These were to do with salary scales charge and acting allowances, and pensions and gratuities which were not paid by employers.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby Two young girls, K 30,000, 100 pigs and 10 cassowaries are being demanded by a Western Highlands clan. The Maki clan of Jimi is demanding the compensation for the death of Nugus Wie, an Elcom linesman who was alleged to have been murdered by Kisu clansman at Kudjip the previous Sunday while working on a power line.

From the Tohi Tala Niue, Alofi, Niue Heard in the last proceedings of the House “Not one person has ever been convicted of Sunday trading in this country.” This may not be a word for word translation but the gist is there. Now, we have a law which strictly prohibits Sunday trading. We also know that the law is being broken every Sunday. Which leads us to conclude that it is perfectly in order to break some laws but not others.

From The Pitcairn Miscellany, Pitcairn Island I’m not sure who was the first writer to conclude a publication by informing readers that Pitcairn, as a community, is nearing it’s end, but many have tried to give this impression. Perhaps they feel their efforts will sell better if they can create the impression that they are among the last to visit and write about this “dying” outpost of civilisation. It’s fairly obvious to us on Pitcairn that such opinions are not shared here. Perhaps the most glaring evidence of this is the fact that there are now new houses being built.

From an advertisment in the Vanuatu Weekly of a meeting by Mama Blong Vanuatu Toilet training, a discussion led by Sue Webb. Everybody welcome please bring a small plate.

From the Cook Islands News, Rarotonga A headline “Noise pollution to be stopped in Parliament.”

From a parliamentary debate on a Bill to amend the Penal Code Act as reported in Solomon Nius, Honiara Peter Salaka (Shortlands, PAP) said Solomon Islands laws should be based on Christian concepts. Bribery in the language of Western society meant ‘crime’, but where he comes from in the Shortlands, Mr Salaka said, whether a person commits bribery left or right he cannot be punished because the terminology does not exist. Ninety per cent of Solomon Islands laws were not applicable to the Melanesian standard of behaviour, he said, and some people had been punished unjustly.

From an editorial in The Samoa Times, Apia Reports from Faleolo indicate that the Airport Authority has so far shot some six asses and one horse following the halving of one ass and the sucking of another into the jet engine of the Polynesian Airlines Boeing 737 last Thursday night. The problem of the asses and other animals on the runway is not new because the pilots are known to have informed the airport authorities of it on at least two occasions.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby It began as a farce and ended in tragedy. A bull decided yesterday it did not want to fly and after a 10 km dash for freedom collapsed and died. Three bulls imported from Queensland were to be freighted to Safia, Oro Province.

Under the heading “You’re dead ref” in the Cook Islands News, Rarotonga A visibly upset referee Alan Munro briefly summed up his feelings following his sensational abandonment of Saturday’s Match of the Day. “I had been sworn at and threatened throughout most of the match. After yet another incident I sin-binned Amene Rangi. He swore back again so I sent him off. When he wouldn’t go off and I was surrounded by players abusing and threatening me. I abandoned the game.”