Pacific Report

□ Shelled Out

THIEVES ON the Gazelle Peninsula of Papua New Guinea raided a woman’s house and stole more than SASOOO worth of traditional shell money.

□ Fiji Court Backlog

THE FIJI Government announced amendments to the country’s criminal procedure code, with the aim of reducing a backlog of more than 140 cases pending in the High Court.

□ Vanuatu Airport Upgrade

AUSTRALIA is to fund the upgrading of 10 of Vanuatu’s 26 airfields. The work, which will involve hardening the runway surfaces and putting in drainage, is ex pected to cost more than SAI million.

□ Nz’S Fiji Edict

NEW ZEALAND’S High Court ordered the New Zealand Government to say whether it recognised the Fiji Govern ment. The order was made by Mr Justice Quilliam, who is hearing a case in which the Fiji High Commission in Wellington is fighting eviction from the premises it currently occupies.

□ Kiribati In Canberra

A DELEGATION from Kiribati held talks in Canberra on ways in which Australia could help the country’s industrial devel opment plans. The delegation was led by the Kiribati Minister for Trade, Industry and Labour, Mr Raion Bataroma.

□ Tate In Fiji

AUSTRALIA’S Justice Minister, Senator Tate, was the first Australian Government Minister to go to Fiji since the military coups when he visited there as part of a tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

□ W Samoa’S Games Squad

WESTERN SAMOA announced plans to send 20 athletes and officials to this year’s Olympic Games in the South Korean cap ital, Seoul.

□ Second Boat On Png Patrol

PAPUA NEW Guinea’s Defence Force re ceived a second patrol boat from Australia under the two countries’ defence co-op eration program. The Pacific Class patrol boat, Dreger, joined its sister boat, Tar angau, in patrolling Papua New Guinea’s coastal economic zone.

□ Aussie Medics Return

THREE AUSTRALIAN doctors resumed work in Fiji’s two major hospitals in Suva and Lautoka under an Australian aid pro gram. Their return follows the resumption of Australian aid to Fiji.

□ Png Pay Reviewed

THE PARLIAMENTARY Salaries Tri bunal in PNG began a major review of the salaries and allowances of national parliamentarians.

□ Tv Crew Deported

A BRITISH television crew was deported from Papua New Guinea on orders from the Foreign Minister, Mr Akoka Doi. The crew had been accused by local newspa pers of using a script with references to cannibalism.

□ Gendarmes Under Fire

IN NEW Caledonia, police detained a Melanesian after shots were fired at par amilitary gendarmes south of Noumea.

Two gendarme patrols came under fire near the Melanesian village of Saint-Louis, but no one was hurt.

□ Png Uni Boost

PNG PM Mr Wingti said he would forgo buying a new executive aircraft and that some of the money saved would go to pro viding funds for university scholarships.

University students at three campuses had boycotted classes over a Government de cision to axe the scholarships for mature age students.

□ Racial Strife In Fiji

SECURITY FORCES in Fiji mounted guard on an Indian settlement, following an outbreak of violence between Fijians and Indians in Viti Levu.

□ Ok Tedi Reopened

THE OK TEDI mine in Papua New Guin ea’s Western Province was reopened fol

lowing Government intervention, after angry landowners had closed it down. The landowners, the Oksapmin people, were angered by the recent death of a clansman and chopped down trees, blocking access roads to the mine site and damaging some property.

□ Security Conference

DELEGATES FROM 14 South Pacific is land nations held discussions in Suva on regional security. The delegates identified a wide range of political, military, eco nomic and other issues affecting regional security.

□ Christian Radio For Tonga

KING TUPOU of Tonga has granted AM and FM broadcasting licences to United Christian Broadcasters Pacific Ltd, an Auckland based non-denominational, non-profit Christian organisation.

□ Marshall In Paris

THE NEW Zealand Foreign Minister, Russell Marshall, visited Paris for talks with French officials aimed at forging bet ter relations between the two countries. Mr Marshall met his French counterpart, Mr Jean-Bemard Raimond, and the Foreign Trade Minister, Mr Michel Noir.

□ Visa Fraud

A WOMAN was jailed for 15 months in Fiji for taking $ Al4OO from two women after promising them Australian visas. It was the second such conviction in Suva recently.

□ Png Typhoid Alert

Typhoid is on the increase in Port Mo resby. Cases have risen from an average of between two and five per month to 23 per month so far this year. The increase is due to a damaged and inadequate sewerage system, and the lack of a good water sup ply to many parts of the city.

□ Labour Policy Mission

A MISSION with the task ofimproving la bour policies will begin a tour of six South Pacific nations later this year. Senior government officials from Australia, New Zealand and six smaller South Pacific countries will visit the Cook Islands, Kir ibati, Solomon Islands, Western Samoa, Vanuatu and Tonga.

□ Png Jails Slammed

A UNITED Nations consultant reported that PNG jails lack the most basic security and that mass breakouts are inevitable unless immediate changes are made. □