pacific report

New Cal Air Base

Extensions

The Airforce base at New Caledonia’s Tontouta airport is to be enlarged in order to take more helicopters and aircraft. Work, which will cost approx $A 2 million, is due to begin in August and will add 8,400 spare metres to the base giving it a tarmac of 25,500 square metres. The territory’s political troubles have led to an increased use of the base, with two Guardian and two Trans all tropp transport aircraft, seven Puma and one Alouette helicopters now sta tioned at the base. Authorities have stressed that the base extensions are not linked to the project to build a strategic base at Noumea.

Png Ambassador

Visits Fiji

Papua New Guinea’s Ambassador-at- Large, Mr Renagi Lohia, has said that outside interference in Fiji’s affairs would only complicate its problems. Mr Lohia was speaking at a news conference in Suva after a week’s visit to Fiji during which he discussed the May military coup with officials of the provisional government including the coup leader, Colonel Rabuka. He also spoke by telephone with the deposed Prime Minis ter Doctor Bavadra. Mr Lohia said that while PNG did not support any military takeover of a democratically elected government it believed it was imported for the Fiji people to solve their own problems. He said PNG supported the Fiji Governor- General in his constitutio nal role and would do anything it could to help bring back a normal situation in Fiji.

Fiji Elections Plans

Fiji’s Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau announced plans for two gen eral elections in his formula for a return to democracy following the military coup.

Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, who heads an interim administration, announced his plans in a nationwide radio broadcast.

He said an uncontested election would be called so that a new House of

Representatives could pass amend ments to the constitution,strengthening the rights of indigenous Fijians, Ratu Penaia said he’d draw on people from both sides of politics, as well as from Fiji’s traditional chiefs, to arrive at a consensus on constitutional changes.

What he termed ‘National slate of candi dates’ would then contest the election and lawfully pass the amendments. The Governor-General said the parliament would then be dissolved to enable fully contested elections under the amended constitution. In his broadcast, Ratu Gani lau said his plan was the most direct path back to Parliamentary democracy within the laws of Fiji.

Vanuatu Opposition

Leader Back

Vanuatu’s opposition leader, Mr Vincent Bulakone, is to resume his seat in Parliament following a year-long court dispute. Mr Bulakone, president of the Union of Moderate Parties, celebrated the end of his exile by performing a traditional dance in a Vila street, while carrying leaves to indicate peace. Earlier in June Mr Bulakone’s attempt to re enter parliament failed when police kept him out. Later,the parliament’s speaker,Mr Fred Timakata, issued a

public notice concerning a court ruling allowing Mr Bulakone to resume his seat.

The Opposition Leader had been barred from parliament last year because he did not attend three sittings in a row without telling the Speaker. Since then the case has dragged on in the Supreme Court, which made a final decision in mid-June which disposed of the case, and allowed Mr Bulakone to resume his seat.

Vanuatu Increases

Election Fees

The Vanuatu parliament has approved a 500 per cent increase in the fee required from hopeful candidates in the country’s general elections to be held in Novem ber this year. The increase, to around $5OO, has been introduced to eliminate all those except people seriously in terested in becoming members of parlia ment.

Heart Transplants

For Nz

Approval has been given by the New Zealand government for heart transplant operations to be held at Auckland’s Greenlane Hospital. Negotiations are still underway regarding how much money will be available from the New Zealand government for the operations, and it is unlikely that operations will begin for six months. Previously all those needing such surgery had to undergo the opera tion in Sydney or London.

Missing

Yachtsman

A search for a lone yachtsman, Califor nia lawyer Manning Eldridge, is being conducted in the South Pacific. Mr Eldridge left Tahiti on January 8 this year on his 41 ft. sloop, Marara, bound for Honolulu by way of Caroline and Christ mas Islands. The search is being organ ised by friends of his, and there is a $40,000 reward for information leading to his rescue. Hope is still held that he may be alive on the unpopulated Line

Mr Renagi Lohia.

Islands. If anyone has any information of his whereabouts, please telephone Cali fornia USA 7141892-2650 or 7141530- 6605.

France Threatens

New Caledonia

France has threatened to withdraw total ly from New Caledonia and cut off all aid, if the territory votes for independence at a referendum to be held in New Caledo nia later this year. Speaking in Apia at the beginning of June, Mr Gaston Flosse warned that the consequences of a French departure would be disastrous for New Caledonia and nearby coun tries.

Spc Crga

Noumea Meeting

The seventh meeting of the South Pacific Commission’s Committee of Repre sentatives of Governments and Adminis trations (CRGA) met in Noumea in May.

A number of administrative and budget ary matters were considered in a closed session, including a report aimed at improving the administrative organisa tion of the South Pacific Commission.

Other matters discussed included an evaluation of the Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme. The report of, the meeting will be submitted to the 27th South Pacific Conference, to be held at SPC headquarters in Noumea in Octo ber this year.

Australia Shuts

Door On Libyans

The Australian government has closed the Libyan People’s Bureau in Canberra, with Prime Minister Mr Hawke saying that Libya’s activities in Australia and the Pacific region were destablising and diversive. He said Australia continued to respect the right of Pacific Islands states to establish relations with whatever countries they chose, however Australia was concerned with the need for peace, harmony and stability in the region. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Mr Lange, said his government did not intend to cut ties with Libya.

American Samoa

Rejects Interference

American Samoan representative to the US Congress, Mr I. F. Sunia, rejected a proposal in May for the UN Committee

on Decolonization to assume any juris diction or review of American Samoa’s relationship with the United States, saying that the territory did not wish to reconsider its current political status. He told the committee, "American Samoa is strongly opposed to your reviewing our status. We are happy the way we are.”

New Airbus

For Png

Anew European Airbus passenger air craft will be bought by Papua New Guinea in November 1988 to replace the older model currently leased from Aus tralian airlines. The new aircraft is ex pected to cost Air Niugini more than K 46 million which Prime Minister Mr Wingti said was cheaper than leasing another plane for international routes. Mr Wingti predicted that the purchase would in crease tourism, provide more employ ment opportunities and boost Air Niugi ni’s profits.

Actu Trains

Kanak Journalist

A Kanak radio journalist, Ms Claudette Wala, has begun a three month radio production training at ABC Radio’s Syd ney studios. The training is being spon sered by the ACTU’s aid agency, APHE DA, the ABC Staff Union, the NSW branch of the Australian Journalists Association and the H. V. Evatt Founda tion. An ABC staff member commented “there are few opportunities for training or employment in the media for Kanaks not wholly supporting a long-term French presence. The Kanak radio sta

tion is a very popular alternative to the French-dominated media, but a shor tage of trained staff hampers it profes sionalism.”

Nz Yachtsmen

Rescued

A party of eight New Zealanders was rescued near Kadavu by the Royal Australian Navy Flagship carrying Fiji’s Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Gani lau. The New Zealanders were leading in the Auckland/Suva yacht race when their $250,000 yacht Party Pro ran aground on a reef east of Ono Island. None of the crew were injured although the yacht is “a total write-off” said skipper and owner Greg Elliot.

Undp Health

Care Project

The UNDP has approved USSSOO,OOO to strengthen primary health care systems in the Pacific. The project will provide advice and training for community health workers and staff in health ministries and will be based in Suva. It will run for five years and stresses self-help for Pacific nations at the community level through preventative and curative health care.

Patrol Boat

Not Banned

Vanuatu’s ban in May on visits by Australian naval ships and aircrafts will not affect a current defence co-opera tion program, said Mr Albert Sandy, Vanuatu’s Minister for Transport and

Mururoa second test this year.

Communications. The Ban was imposed after complaints of Australian intelli gence in Vanuatu. The defence co operation program includes the hand ing-over of a patrol boat to Vanuatu as part of twelve such boats being provided to South Pacific countries by Australia.

Twenty-six trainees from Vanuatu are attending the Australian Naval Training College in Western Australia to learn how to operate the boat which will be called Tugoro, meaning "protector”.

France Strengthens

Diplomatic Presence

France is to strengthen its diplomatic presence in the Pacific by appointing consul-generals in Honolulu and Mic ronesia, and a trade attache at the French embassy in Suva, according to Mr Gaston Flosse, who was speaking in Noumea in May at the end of a three day conference for French ambassadors and senior officials in the Pacific. Mr Gaston Flosse is French Secretary of State in Charge of the South Pacific region.

Second Nuclear

Test

A second nuclear device has been detonated at Mururoa Atoll, two weeks after the first test of this year. (June PIM 87, p 12). The blast was monitored by New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Ratotonga.

Nauru’S Millionaire

Landowners

Refuting allegations that there was little money in the Nauru Landowners’ Royalty Trust fund, into which landowners’ royal ties from the sale of phosphate is deposited, President Hammer DeRoburt sent statements to twelve landowners.

The accounts showed an average of A$1 million with the largest account contain ing A$9 million. The money cannot be drawn on, however, until the phosphte mining ends in about eight years, after which the landowners may draw on the interests of the deposits.

Niue Buys

Earth Station

Niue government has approved the purchase of a satellite earth station from

US company, Scientific Atlanta. The new station, which will cost about U 55155,900, will be able to operate automatic telex and facsmile facilities, take video signals, as well as cover expanded services of the present channel.

Historic Canoe

Voyage Completed

An attempt to retrace some of the sailing routes believed to have been used by Polynesians migrating across the Pacific 2000 years ago has been successful with the arrival of the double-hulled canoe in Hawaii. The canoe, manned by 16 men, took two years to navigate 16,000 miles, using only the traditional navigational methods.

Un Ambassador

Visits Pacific

US Ambassador to the UN, Mr Vernon Walters, recently visited the Pacific as part of a world tour to exchange ideas on important issues to be discussed at the forthcoming General Assembly of the United Nations. He said that one of the main areas of concern was the desire for a nuclear-free zone in the Pacific, but that people did not appreciate the need for nuclear deterrence. He condemned the activities of the Soviet Union and Libya in the area and commented briefly on the situation in New Caledonia, stressing that the problem has to be worked out by the French and the people of the region.

Open-Heart Surgery

For Tonga

In June the second phase of a three year project, Operation Open Heart for Toni ga, began with the arrival in Tonga of a 49-strong team of medical and ancillary personnel from Sydney. The team hopes to perform 25 open-heart operations, following their first successful phase in

March 1986, when they carried out 15 successful cardiac operations. Tonga suffers from a high rate of rheumatic fever which results in heart disease mainly among children and young people. The team, from the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Sydney Hospital, travel at their own expense, and the cost of the complete project (about A 5411,988) is covered partly by public donations. Medical equipment and sup plies worth more than A 5200,000 have been provided by medical suppliers, and shipped to Tonga by the Royal Australian Navy.

Rice For

Vanuatu

Australia is contributing almost A 5400,000 of rice to a World Food Programme emergency operation in Vanuatu, following the destruction caused by Cyclone Uma in February.

Vanuatu Postpones

Libyan Mission

Vanuatu has decided to postpone inde finitely a decision on whether or not to establish a Libyan diplomatic mission in Vanuatu. Prime Minister Father Walter Uni said that the government would continue to review the situation as relations between Libya and Vanuatu developed, and that the decision was not the result of pressure from any quarter.

Nz High Commission

For Vila

A New Zealand high commission will be set up in Vanuatu later this year. New Zealand’s prime minister, Mr Lange, said that it was essential for New Zealand to convey its views directly to an important member of the South Pacific community, and that it was also essential to listen to what Vanuatu had to say on the many significant issues confronting the South Pacific.

Kiribati Fines

Us Tuna Boat

The captain of the US tuna boat Tradition and the boat’s charterer have each been fined about U 55166,500 by a Kiribati court for illegally entering and fishing inside Kiribati’s 200-mile fishing zone.

The vessel and its cargo have also been confiscated, (see June 87, pi 0, 46).

Kiribati hopes to sell the vessel for about $1.5 million.

Kiribati’s biggest catch MV Tradition.

Photo: Batiri Bataua.