In This Issue

WILL CALM RETURN TO MORUROA? It's possible, say in Marie-Therese and Bengt Danielsson, long-time chroniclers of the nuclear bomb testing program on the remote atoll. The Danielssons suggest that current activity and statements by senior CEP personnel may mean that a move to the Kerguelen Islands, though ceaselessly denied by France, is being seriously considered.

CAN WINGTI DEFEAT THE CHIEF? If he can, he'll be the 14 first to do so. Michael Somare, known to political friend and foe as The Chief, has yet to lose an election. Paias Wingti, a former Somare deputy who became prime minister after a successful no confidence motion in parliament, now faces his former boss in a general election. But, as always in PNG politics, it is certainly not a two-horse race with a host of candidates competing under almost as many banners. Mr Wingti has established a reputation as an active leader, but it may not be enough to counterbalance Mr Somare’s standing with the voters. And the minority parties will play a crucial role in the eventual outcome. We survey the election scene and point to possible trends. Also, Mr Wingti and Mr Somare present their policies in frank and sometimes revealing interviews.

A CHANCE FOR THE MINERS: Upheaval in South Africa 26 could have a beneficial effect on the economies of some Pacific islands. Apart from gold, there could be a prospect of the major* US market turning to the islands as a supplier of chromium for which it currently relies on the apartheid troubled republic. The producing mine in New Caledonia and the exciting recent discovery of chromium in PNG would be major beneficiaries of any interruption in supply from South Africa, says PlM's Washington correspondent, David S North.

CONSTRUCTION ‘B7 : In a major survey of construction in the 27 Pacific, we overview the most recent developments and point to future trends. John Jackson, principle of the respected Pacific Economics Pty Ltd, profiles the industry in the English-speaking islands in a survey that will become a reference for buyers and sellers of construction and related activities.

THE KILLER THAT COMES IN THE NIGHT: While an 57 anti-malarial vaccine is a possibility, it’s still a long way off. But the disease remains the most prominent child killer in many South Pacific countries. A film exploring the causes, locations and possible treatments of the scourge of the tropics is reviewd by Chris Ashton.