from the islands press

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby Port Moresby’s men had to lose the grand final of the national basketball championship to save their necks, it has been claimed. Team manager, Peter Court, said yesterday the players wanted to boycott the grand final because of the threats but he and coach Fred Lavaki had talked them into playing. “We risked our lives if we won,” Court claimed after the team had arrived back in the Capital from Lae yesterday . . . Court claimed that an unknown spectator, speaking in Pidgin, had threatened his team members before the game that “sapos yu pela winim Arawa bai yu pela painim taim” meaning if you beat Arawa you will feel it.

From the Vanuatu Weekly, Port-Vila A 4-metre long shark failed in its attack on a man and his son of Emae recently. Robert Matuka, 60, and Alick, 21, both from Evae, were fishing on their canoe outside the reef when the shark made its first attack. The shark tried unsuccessfully to sink their canoe, the report said. Mr Fred Timakata, Speaker of Parliament and Emae MP, said during the attack the old man fell overboard when he attempted to slash the shark with a knife. He added that fortunately the shark was slow in making another attack and Robert climbed back into their canoe.

From Tohi Tala Niue, Alofi Cablevision was labelled a “trick of the Devil” by Common Roll member Morris Tafatu when the Legislative Assembly discussed a motion on duty-free television sets. It is understood that the debate in the Fono was a direct result from a circular letter from Bliss Cablevision which promised duty free television sets. Mr Tafatu argued that Bliss Cablevesion is a commercial enterprise and should be treated in the same manner as other commercial operations on the island. In the end the motion was thrown out by the Fono duty-free television had won the day.

From The Samoa Times, Apia The Bums Philp Kava Group have moved from the company’s bulk store after more than 10 years of daily gathering there during lunchtime. The change was made necessary by the transfer of their host, Manuleleua Sene, to manage a new wholesale branch of the company.

From the Cook Islands News, Rarotonga Australian Aid donated agriculture tools are on their way to the Northern Group to assist in community development work.

Each island will be getting an axe each and a two-man saw including files, all of which were received by the local manager of DSIR John Campbell.

From a letter by Willard Miller, in The Fiji Times, Suva A hurricane is going to hit these islands. It has been causing devastation elsewhere for 30 years. The biggest losers here will inevitably be Kai Viti. But everyone will feel the fatal impact.

Everyone’s life is going to be changed by the horror of commercial television broadcasting. Once it has come we will be helpless. We can only hope the Crown Law Office is preparing rigorous control legislation.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby SUVA: A husband-and-wife teaching team is being paid nearly K 20,000 a year at an isolated school where the only two students are their own children. Sukul Deo earns KlO,OOO as headmaster and his wife K9OOO as his assistant under the government school salary structure. Enrolment at the school on Mago island, in the Lau group east of Suva, was reduced to the Deos’ two children after a Japanese company bought the island late last year and the population of copra workers moved away. Education Minister Dr Ahmed Ali said the school was being kept open as the Japanese firm, Tokyu Corporation, had said that a number of families would return to Mago.

From The Samoa Times, Apia Mothers under 15 years of age were recorded for the first time last year and the number of mothers between the age of 15 and 19 years went up 4 per cent in 15 years. The largest number of mothers continued to be in the 20 to 24-year-old group but because of an increase of 12 per cent of births by this group in 15 years the number of mothers under 24 made up more than half of all the mothers for the first time last year.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby A road accident at Kudjip in the Western Highlands early this week had a bloody ending. The driver of a vehicle lost control and ran off the road. Two pedestrians a man and a woman in the car’s path were killed. Then relatives of the dead couple chased the driver and chopped his head off with an axe.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby A betelnut-lover has been “chewing over” a message at Port Moresby’s new Gordon market. It reads: “No chewing betelnut” and “please spit in the bins”. “The notices confuse me,” says the chewer, who wants to be called Mr Toothbrush.

“The first three words stop us from chewing betelnut. The second notice seems to allow us to chew and spit into bins provided,” he said.

From an article in the Cook Islands News, Rarotonga, on bush beer parties Atiu College students and SDA youth were given lectures on the problems facing young people today such as alcohol abuse leading to accidents, death, crime and noisiness.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby People should be left alone to fight and kill each other in tribal wars, and MP said yesterday. Mr Thomas Negints (Tambul-Nebilyer) made the call in Parliament, saying a law should be made barring the use of police to quell tribal violence. The comments come on the heels of a fight in Western Highlands Mr Negints’ home province.

From the Cook Islands News, Rarotonga The coldest afternoon since 1970 was recorded at 17 degrees last Sunday in Rarotonga. Officer in Charge at the Meteorological Office Paul Frost said the phenomenon, though not rare, was most unusual.