Pacific Report

□ Nauru Buys More Us Land

THE NAURU Phosphate Royalty Trust is purchasing more land in the United States as part of its investment portfolio. The trust, which administers royalties from phosphate mining on Nauru, will develop 240 hectares of land in Portland, Oregon, in conjunction with an American prop erty developer. The purchase price was in excess of SUSI 6 million.

□ Png Typhoid Threat

PNG HAS allocated K 200,000 to fight an increase in the number of typhoid cases in Port Moresby. The money will be used to improve conditions at settlements, where poor sewerage and water supply systems are blamed for the spread of the disease.

□ Alebua Survives

The Solomon Islands’ Prime Min

ister, Mr Ezekiel Alebua, has survived a no confidence motion by one vote. The leader of the Opposition SAS Party, Mr Alan Qurusu, had claimed Mr Alebua’s government was corrupt, lacked co-ordi nation, favoured foreign businessmen and was implementing harsh fiscal policies that were hurting the people.

□ Taukei Warning

THE TAUKEI Movement in Fiji has warned that the impatience for change among indigenous Fijian people could erupt into “terrible violence in the streets”.

The movement also called for the Great Council of Chiefs to assemble immedi ately and to take over the running of the country.

□ Britain Bows Out

BRITAIN IS to give its final contribution in budgetary assistance to Vanuatu under the United Kingdom-Vanuatu Independ ence Settlement of 1980. Britain will pro vide up to $A200,000 toward Vanuatu’s 1988 budget.

□ Aid Theft Inquiry

THE AUSTRALIAN Government is seeking details of allegations about mis appropriation of Australian aid to Vanu atu. The Australian High Commission in Vanuatu has been asked to provide any in formation available on the alleged misuse of $ A 100,000 from funds provided for cyclone relief.

□ Bougainville Blackout

THE ISLAND of Bougainville in PNG found itself in communications isolation following sabotage by landowners of a te lecommunications repeater station.

Members of the Mohata clan disabled the repeater station on Mount Takaniat, demanding greater compensation for the use of their mountaintop by the Posts and Telecommunications Corporation.

□ Villagers Isolate Png

COMMUNICATIONS with and within Papua New Guinea were disrupted for several days last month by the village own ers of a mountaintop. The Buang people, who own the top of Mount Shungol in Mo robe Province between Port Moresby and Lae, entered the telecommunications sta tion sited there and put it out of action.

A similar demand and similar tac tics cut off the island of Bougainville for a week early in April.

□ Australian Aid Increases

AUSTRALIAN Government officials say there will be a cash increase in Australia’s aid to the South Pacific next financial year because the Foreign Minister, Mr Hay den, has ruled there will be no decline in Australian aid to the region in real terms.

This will mean a payment to the South Pa cific next financial year of at least SA72 million, compared with SA62 million this financial year.

□ Fiji Accepts “No Strings” Aid

FIJI SAYS its opposition to French policy in New Caledonia and French nuclear testing remains unchanged despite its ac ceptance of French aid. The Information Minister, Mr Walker, says Fiji’s position has not been compromised by the aid grants and that Fiji, which also receives aid from Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States, speaks for itself on in ternational issues.

□ More Money For Png

PNG’S DEPUTY Secretary of Finance, Mr Koari Tarata, and Australia’s High Commissioner, Mr Lance Joseph, signed an agreement in April allocating more than SA3 million in Australian aid. The money is to be spent on control of rust in coffee crops, on agricultural research and on im provements to help realise the economic potential of Papua New Guinea’s least-de veloped areas.

□ World Bank Report Challenged

THE PNG Opposition has disputed a World Bank report that the average an nual income of Papua New Guineans is equivalent to SUS7OO. Mr Michael So mare has asked Finance and Planning Minister Galewa Kwarara how the Bank had reached its conclusion, saying the re port is grossly incorrect because there are Papua New Guineans in the rural areas of the country who would earn no more than two kina for months on end.

Mr Somare challenged the World Bank and the Government to be realistic in compiling such reports in order to give a true picture of how the country’s economy is being managed.

□ Help For Fijian Businesses

FIJI’S INTERIM Government is consid ering setting up a fund to encourage the country’s Melanesian population to be come more involved in business ventures.

The proposed fund, called a tax-free-zone unit trust, would buy shares in companies starting up business in the tax-free areas being established by the Government and would make money available to indige nous Fijian business people at very fa vourable rates of interest.

□ Png Drug Scare

PAPUA NEW Guinea is experiencing a big increase in drug trafficking mostly can nabis. The author of a Government re port, Doctor Bruce Francis, says cannabis grown in the PNG Highlands has become recognised internationally as being of ex tremely good quality, and cheaper than cannabis obtainable elsewhere. He fears corrupt politicians will become involved with the gangs in the drug trade. □