The Island Press

Reports from the papers, compiled by John Carter

FIJI’S NEW envoy to the United King dom will travel to meet the Queen in a car riage drawn by two horses rather than four when he presents his credentials at Buck ingham Palace next month.

In keeping with protocol, the Queen has downgraded the new envoy to a two-horse ranking because he will no longer be a high commissioner, but an ambassador.

From the Fiji Times , Suva IT HAS been a quiet week, according to superintendent Tanielu Galuvao, the po lice press officer. There was no fatal acci dent or serious crime. A taxi driver, Galuvao said, was involved in a race with another vehicle and had used a pistol to shoot at the door of the other car. He has been charged with possession of an unlaw ful weapon.

From the Samoa Times , Apia WHAT IS wrong with the dressing of young men in our town today?

Why do they wear their jeans unbut toned at the waist and low on their hips as if their trousers are going to fall off?

Why do they prefer big baggy shirts which they write on and tear up so that they soon fall apart? ... I say what about our young men? Where are their minds and hearts?

They dress more like urban terrorists than the hope of this nation’s future.

From a letter by “Man Watcher” in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby IF ANYONE’S been lucky this month it’s the Prime Minister.

Dr Pupeke Robati took second prize in the Takuvaine Rugby Club raffle drawn recently to win $11,500.

What’s ironical is that his winning ticket was sold to him by the leader of the Op position and MP for Takuvaine, Geoffrey Henry.

From the Cook Islands News , Rarotonga THE 1987 DUX of Avarua School, Robert Moana Matamaki, will be heading back to school this year with a new hair cut.

The 14-year-old lad had his long hair plaited into 51 hairlocks on Saturday and cut by various people in a ceremony at his parents’ home in Takuvaine.

Robert, dressed in white, sat on a beautifully decorated chair where his friends proceeded to singly cut a lock of hair each.

From the Cook Islands News , Rarotonga

A SECURITY man told police yesterday he had been forced to do all the work for thieves who broke into the Talair hangar at Madang on Wednesday night.

Madang acting provincial police comtender Nelson Kass. said yesterday three masked men armed with bush knives held up the lone security man outside the hangar and “made the poor man do all the dirty work for them . - F D rom ‘ he Post-Couner , Port Moresby INI r, XT r* ■ „ 00 o POLICE IN Papua New Guinea say a man s head was blown off by a shotgun blast and 19 houses were burned when Highlands clansmen raided a rival village, More than 800 clansmen of the Kinimbi and Igom clans are said to have raided a village in the Baiyer River area owned by the rival Kopi and Kimbu clans.

Papua New Guinea police say it happened when Kopi and Kimbu men were at a meeting with the Western Highlands Peace and Good Order Committee.

From Radio Australia’s Pacific Report

A MOUNT Hagen lecturer says two uni formed policemen bashed him up in the street yesterday “for no good reason”, and then drove off.

Mr Cletus Kaytopa, a lecturer at Holy Trinity Teachers College, said he was just leaving a friend’s home when the police men pulled up in a van, jumped out and bashed him and a companion.

When he asked them why, they offered no explanation and drove off.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby CAN YOU believe that one pineapple ex ported to Queensland, Australia, for about 80 toea returns to PNG in three cans at K 2.50 each.

Well it’s true, according to Mr Michael Stoll, an expert and consultant in export marketing who has been hired by the Aus tralian Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs to conduct seminars in PNG.

He told a four-day seminar attended by about 20 businessmen that PNG had the potential of setting up manufacturing industries.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby

Tawake Veilesiyaki, 39, Of Rai

waqa: ‘T grew my beard as a sign of mourning, and have had it for two months.

The only problem that I have is food end ing up in it. I have to clean my beard quite often.”

From a Fiji Times survey on “Why men grow beards”