The Island Press

Reports from the papers, compiled

by John Carter

ALMOST 20 PER CENT of the cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported for the first quarter this year fell in the 15 to 19 year age group, according to figures re leased by the Ministry of Health yesterday.

Of the 251 cases recorded for Suva, 50 cases were in the age group which was sup posed to be at school, the ministry’s direc tor of Preventive and Primary Health Services, Dr Salesi Katoanga, said.

From the Fiji Times , Suva.

POOR family planning is one cause of the current baby boom in Port Moresby, ac cording to Esther Mirisa of the Family Planning Association of PNG.

And she is pointing the accusing finger at men, saying they ignored family plan ning measures.

She said: “Often courses conducted on family planning are attended by women only and this is not very helpful”.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby.

PEOPLE from the gold-rich areas of Por gera and Mount Kare between Enga and

Southern Highlands provinces have gone beer-crazy.

In Porgera and Paiela areas of Enga, under-aged and old people are reported drunk almost every day.

And they are drinking with money from the sale of gold.

In Tari, the entire district seems to be full of drunks, according to the provincial secretary, Mr Francis Awesa.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby.

PEOPLE IN the Whitesands area of Van uatu’s southern island of Tanna are suffer ing from severe malnutrition now that volcanic ash has burnt their crops.

According to Radio Vanuatu there are numerous cases of school children faint ing in class every day because they do not have enough to eat.

From the Cook Islands News , Rarotonga.

AS SOME of you may have observed, our current aluminium longboat has been

nicknamed “Tin”. It is therefore anyone’s guess as to what the new boat will end up being christened. The retiring Governor has made the suggestion it be called “Brit ish Bounty”: however, it is more likely to end up being called “Tin Two”, “Super Tin” or perhaps even “Tin Can”.

Whatever name is bestowed on the new longboat, if it can perform as well as its earlier New Zealand-built counterpart, Pitcairners’ main form of ocean transpor tation will indeed stand us in good stead.

From the Pitcairn Miscellany , Pitcairn Island.

SAVENACA Ravunaceva yesterday spent his entire three years’ savings on a gift for his mother.

Savenaca, 28, earned the money while serving a prison term in Naboro.

Yesterday he walked into a Suva shop and bought two sets of mugs as a Mother’s Day present with the $l6 he had saved in jail.

From the Fiji Times , Suva.