pacific report

Opm Fighters

Arrested

Longest-serving OPM guerrilla Mr Fisor Jarisetouw has been arrested in PNG for illegally entering the country. Jarisetouw and four other OPM activists, Aut Abe nuk, 32, of Pyramid village, Kimiso Uka,2B, of Dindah village, Moli Meli.27, of lllaga village, and Jaristouw’s body guard Jeffery Samonsabra, were trans ferred to Blackwater refugee camp after appearing in court in November. The five men had earlier appeared in Vanimo district court and pleaded guilty to charges of illegal entry. Samonsabra had told the magistrate, Japhet Magalik, that he had no intention of crossing into PNG but had been forced to do so by the other three, while he was escorting Jarisetouw inside Indonesian territory.

Jarisetouw, 37, was described recently by exiled OPM representative Jacob Prai as the commander of OPM’s jungle struggle. Prai was in Australia with fellow OPM member Nicholas Messet for a 5 week speaking tour to gain support for the OPM’s struggle for independence for Irian Jaya (West Papua). Prai, a former OPM section leader in the jungle, has been in exile in Sweden since

1979.Whi1e in Australia Prai met with OPM support groups in major cities as well as Labor members of parliament.

He also addressed a meeting of the Australian Labor Party Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. The OPM has asked the Australian Government to raise the OPM claims of Indonesian human rights violations in Irian Jaya with Indonesia, and to put these claims to the UN Human Rights Commission. Austra lia was also urged to support the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in resettling refugees from Irian Jaya and to give medical, welfare and educational aid to refugees in camps. The OPM resolution submitted to the Government asks Australia to seek at the UN a thorough re-examination of the 1969 act of self-determination with a view to the UN Decolonisation Committee working out a timetable for independence.

Dalrymple Calls For

Positive Response

A negative or evasive response to the protocols of the Treaty of Rarotonga would damage western influence in the South Pacific region, Australia told the

World Affairs Council in Washington D.C.

In an address to the Council, Mr F.

Rawdon Dalrymple, Australia’s ambas sador to the US, said the five nuclear weapons states would be asked to sign the protocols of the South Pacific Nuc lear Free Zone Treaty last month. “A negative or evasive response from our friends” would show unresponsiveness to an important regional concern, Dal rymple said, and would make it “much more difficult for the countries of the region to continue to support Western security objectives. "Under the protocols the nuclear weapons states are asked not not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against parties to the treaty and not to test nuclear explosive devices anywhere within the zone. France had described it as anti-France, arguing that it is unacceptable and detrimental to western interests in the Pacific. "His torically, French perceptions of, and prescriptions for, western interests in the region have been neither very accurate nor helpful, the Council was told. Dal rymple stressed the treaty was pro- South Pacific not anti-French and that continued nuclear testing in the re gion,against its wishes and interests "will stir further anti-nuclear sentiment to the possible detriment of alliance interests”.

OPM leader, Jacob Prai.

Indifference to South Pacific concerns would be the cause of damage to western interests in the region, he said.

The treaty had been carefully drafted to accomodate US strategic interests and Australia’s alliance obligations and “a rebuff by the west” would be difficult to understand, Dalrymple said. “And it would be more than ironic if a region which had been so solidly pro-western for so long should find that, on an issue of concern to it, the west stands aside while others with rather tenuous ties to the region signal support," he added.

The US had made “significant efforts" in the past year to improve relations with the South Pacific, Dalrymple said, refer ring to the fisheries negotiations, con tribution of CINCPAC “seabees” and assistance to the Solomon Islands after cyclone Namu as examples of the positive role played in the region by the US. Australia saw the Treaty "as a valuable opportunity for the US to reaf firm, through signature of the protocols, its abiding interest in the security, stabil ity and welfare of the region consistent with its global responsibilities.”

Training For

Geologists

The USP in Suva is to run a training scheme for marine geologists. The course is being organised by Dr Russell Howarth of Victoria University in Welling ton, who will be on loan to USP for three years.

Bosses Warn

On Wage Rates

The Fiji Manufacturers Association warned that proposed new minimum wage rates would force many factories to close and thousands of workers to be sacked. In a letter to Employment and Industrial Relations Minister, Mr Moham med Ramzan, the FMA said many businesses would go bankrupt if the government enforced the new rates which were approved by the Manufac turing Industry Wages Council in November. When lifting the wage freeze the governmnet had said improvements in the economy allowed for wage in creases.

Soviet Soccer

Side To Tour

Soviet soccer team Minsk Dynamo will play Fiji’s national side in Suva in February. The dynamo team, which includes several Soviet world cup play ers, will also play in PNG and New Zealand.

Drought Deaths In

Irian Jaya

At least 84 people in Irian Jaya are reported to have died from illness and starvation due to severe drought in four remote villages. Indonesia’s official Antara news agency reported that the central highland Jayawijaya province had appealed for help to transport food and medicine. Antara said most of the dead were children under five and elderly people.

Appeal Court

Orders Trial

New Caledonia’s Court of Appeal or dered 7 French loyalists to stand trial on charges of killing ten Kanak militants in December 1984. The Appeal Court quashed a lower court ruling that the seven accused had acted in self defence and charged them with murder and armed violence. However, the men were not detained. Reuters reported the FLNKS as saying the new ruling showed increasing unease by France over the handling of the New Caledonia issue.

Reuters said the ruling was a rebuff for examining magistrate Francois Semur who had ordered the case to be drop ped. In Paris, FLNKS leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou welcomed the decision.

Nun Stoned

To Death

An Australian nun was killed after a gang of youths threw stones at her car in Papua New Guinea’s Central province.

Sister Perpetua Allchin was killed while returning to Woima from Bereina market, about 100 kms from Port Moresby. She was killed instantly when rocks were hurled through the windscreen of her car. A 14 year old girl travelling with her escaped with minor injuries.

More Aid For

Solomon Islands

The UNDP approved two major projects to assist the Solomon Islands recover from Cyclone Namu. UNDP spokesman in Suva, Mr Ross Mountain, said a water supply and sanitation program and help with an anti-malaria campaign would start immediately. The projects would receive Asl.9 million from a UNDP administered fund for cyclone recon struction. This contribution will be boosted by a A 5750,000 kina cash donation from Australia and New Zea land.

Deaths Blamed On

Mid East Policy

The PLO blamed Fiji’s middle east policy for the deaths of three Fijian soldiers stationed in Southern Lebanon. The three members of the UN peacekeeping force and two others were killed when a car bomb exploded at a UN checkpoint.

Two other Fijian soldiers were injured.

PLO representative for Australia and the Pacific, Mr Ali Kazak, described the deaths as unfortunate but said the recent visit to Fiji by the Israeli President was a provocative act and was seen by Palestinians as support for Israel’s milit ary actions. Mr Kazak called on Fiji to recognise the PLO as sole representa tive of the Palestinian people.

Economies Too

Inflexible

The Australian National University’s Pacific Economic Bulletin said several South Pacific countries do not appear to be flexible enough to take advantage of buoyant markets. It says they need more aggressive exchange rate policies, and reduced regulation and licensing of many business activities. The bulletin also said high population growth rates in South Pacific countries are leading to urban unemployment and other social problems.

Boulekone Still

Out In Cold

The leader of Vanuatu’s opposition, Mr Vincent Boulekone, was excluded from Parliament pending an appeal by the Speaker against a Supreme Court ruling that he should be allowed to take his seat. He was deprived of his seat in Parliament in June following non-attend ance without the Speaker’s permission.

Vanua’aku Pati secretary-general, Mr Barak Sope told Parliament it had supremacy over the courts and that the latter could only intervene if Parliament behaved unconstitutionally. Sope said Parliament was not acting unconstitu tionally in this case. Opposition mem bers said Parliament was interfering in the work of the courts and not following proper procedures.

Transmigration

Reduced

Indonesia’s Minister in charge of the transmigration program said that 2000 families, comprising about 11,000 people, will be resettled from Java to Irian Jaya this year. This is a reduction on the original target of nearly 6000 families. The cut has been forced by reduced prices for Indonesian oil which halved the money available for the migration program.