Transition

Elected: The Mayor of Pa peete, Mr Jean Juventin, to Speaker of the Territorial Government of French Poly nesia, following the resigna tion of Mr Jacques Teuira as President of the Assembly. Mr Juventin was the only candi date put forward by a new Al liance of 29 out of the Assembly’s 41 members, led by the former Economy Min ister, Mr Alexandre Leon tieff. Mr Juventin’s election paved the way for Mr Leon tieff s appointment as Presi dent of the Assembly announced mid-December.

Appointed: Fiji’s former Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, as first Pres ident of the Fiji republic. The former Alliance Party Prime

Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, has been named Prime Minister. Brigadier Rabuka, who led two military coups which paved the way for Fiji to become a republic, has stepped down as acting head of state and head of Govern ment but becomes Minister for Home Affairs National Youth Service and Auxiliary Army Services.

Retired: Mr David Gra ham, assistant general man ager of the Union Shipping Group and chief executive of Union Maritime Services. Mr Graham spent many years in the Pacific islands represent ing the company in the Cook Islands, Western Samoa and Fiji. The new general man ager of Union Maritime

Services is Graeme Brown, who has served as manager in Rarotonga and Western Sa moa. Mr Randall Wiggs, for many years UMS manger in Tonga, has been named as Pa cific Island manager.

Credentials Presented: Mr Feesago S Fepuleai, Western Samoa’s Ambassador to France, has presented his cre dentials to President Mitter rand. Feesago is also Ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels, West Germany and Italy and High Commis sioner to Britain.

Appointed: Mr Jim Huey, well known Fiji banker, to a new position with Westpac Banking Corporation in Aus tralia. Mr Huey, Westpac’s Suva-based chief manager.

Pacific Islands division, since 1983, will become executive director of Westpac Training Pty Ltd in Sydney. He left Suva on December 19. The new chief manager for Pacific Islands division will be Mr John Stone, who has been the

bank’s chief industrial man ager for six years.

Opened: Lord Glenar thur, British Minister of State at the Foreign Office, has opened the new British High Commission building at Port Moresby. He announced dur ing the ceremony that Britain would give PNG a special rough-terrain ambulance. He also invited Prime Minister Paias Wingti to Britain.

Appointed: The French Government has named Mr Jean Montpezat, High Com missioner in New Caledonia, as High Commissioner in French Polynesia, and ap pointed Mr Clement Bouhin, a prefect in the Pyrenees-At lantic region, to the New Ca ledonia post. Mr Montpezat replaces Mr Pierre Angali, who becomes a member of the Council of State in Paris.

Hospitalised: Captain Alain Mafart, convicted Rainbow Warrior bomber, was trans ferred to Paris for medical in vestigation of “stomach pains”, despite New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange’s outraged protests that the move violated the United Nations-sponsored agree ment that he and fellow ter rorist Dominique Prieur remain on the South Pacific atoll of Hao until 1989. UN Secretary-General Mr Perez de Cuellar agreed to arbitrate in the dispute if and when France responds to New Zea land’s continuing protests.

“I will be the next Prime Min ister. The Opposition says the Vanua’aku Party plays poli tics. Well, you will see weliav en’t even started to play politics yet.”

Vanuatu’s Vanua’aku Party secretary-general Barak Sope at a victory party immediately following the election. ”1 don’t think we would like to see Russians in the area.”

Mr Sope, again, to 77 1 e Aus tralian's Nicolas Rothwell.

“These are momentous times for Fiji.”

Fiji’s Brigadier Rabuka announcing that a civilian Government would take over from his council of ministers.

“Each person was beaten and made to sit in a pit filled with sewage while being questioned.”

Fijian lawyer Muttu Krishna, alleging human rights abuses by the Fijian army.

“It’s one of the biggest sand boxes in the world. But the in terests of the US and the Soviet Union are quite differ ent they are fulfilling dif ferent roles.”

Australia’s Foreign Minis ter Bill Hayden on super power rivalry in the Pacific.

“I have no comment on what may or may not have hap pened between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. That’s for those countries to deal with bilaterally.”

Mr Hayden, again, on the alleged loan from Indone sia’s Commander in Chief Benny Murdani to then- Foreign Minister Ted Diro.

“The proposed legislation could be a source of political interference to restrict free dom of speech and expres sion in print, radio and TV.”

PNG’s churches on the country’s proposed mass media controls.

Barak Sope

Mr Huey

Mr Stone

David Graham, the Union Shipping Group’s assistant general manger and chief executive of Union Maritime Sevices, receives a parting gift, a kava bowl.