The Island Press
p. 50 · Read in the full issue
Reports from the papers, compiled by John Carter
A KIRIBATI-born writer in London, Mrs Rosemary Seligman, said she would es tablish a Kiribati Community Associ ation there.
Mrs Seligman, daughter of the then Gilbert and Ellice Islands’ Resident Com missioner, Sir Arthur Grimble, said such an association could help island people visiting London to feel at home.
From Te Uekera , Tarawa THERE was pandemonium at Nauru air port terminal as hundreds of Kiribati pas sengers tried to board a chartered HS74B plane back to Tarawa.
The 748 carries fewer than 50 passen gers and the hundreds who were trying to get on board have been stranded on Nauru since Air Nauru stopped flying several months ago.
An Air Tungaru official on the char tered flights said in the ensuing chaos Nauru authorities did not issue tickets or check in baggage. They just let all who could gel on the plane.
From the Cook Islands News , Rarotonga KIRIBATI women on an outer island of Abaiang have made history by becoming the first allowed to compete in traditional Kiribati wrestling.
The sport has previously been a men only event and Radio Kiribati says the fe male matches have changed the tradi tional sport forever.
From the Cook Islands News , Rarotonga SHORTAGE of public telephones in Mount Hagen is becoming a problem.
Every day people have to line up in long queues beside the three telephone booths around the Post and Telecommunication Corporation office for hours.
From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby
THE brown tree snake could become the sort of menace to other Pacific islands that it is to Guam unless action is taken to eradicate the pest, according to Guam’s Governor.
“There are so many snakes it’s crazy,” said Governor Joseph Ada. “If you open a cupboard you see snakes looking out at you, they even come up from the pipes into the toilets. The stories are outrageous, but it’s no joke.”
A study by the National Ecology Centre of the US Fish and Wildlife Service esti mates there are about 7000 snakes per square kilometre on Guam.
From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby OVER the past 12 months the Norfolk Is land Police have been endeavouring to promote more community participation in the fight against drug abuse. The NIP are pleased to report that public confi dence and awareness has increased to the extent that approximately four commer cial sized plantations of marijuana have been reported to police by responsible and caring members of your community.
Additionally, a successful prosecution for cultivatiom has also resulted from in formation received. However, this has not stopped some unscrupulous individuals within the community from preying on
Children.
From The Norfolk Islander WEST New Britain and New Ireland provinces are losing millions of kina in revenue because large companies operat ing in the two provinces buy most of their fuel from Rabaul, East New Britain, where there is no sales tax on it.
Provincial government sources say that West New Britain has lost about K 2 mil lion since its fuel tax of .02 toea a litre was imposed in 1984.
From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , Port Moresby
THE entire population of one of the Cook Islands has joined in the Race Against Time on September 12. But other islands may find it difficult to match this achieve ment, because the island is Suwarrow and the population is two.
From the Cook Islands News .
Rarotonga AN OLDEST war veteran, Tarangotu Kaititi, has died in Betio at the age of 108.
Kaititi, well-known messenger for the Jap anese during the battle of Tarawa in 1943. was greatly admired by local friends who were being held under labour by the Jap anese for his courage and bravery.
His ordeal in releasing local workers who were locked under tight security won him fame and respect. Otherwise he did not receive a decoration for the service.
He told of his espionage part in crack ing the Japanese plan to kill local workers in retaliation for what the US marines did to captured Japanese soldiers: “I slipped out of the Japanese camp early one morn ing and warned my local fellows who were locked in a dark pillbox to escape for life,” he said when interviewed in 1982.
He also told of his “painful and fierce” effort when saving a five-year-old girl whose parents were killed by the Japanese the previous day, by taking her to relatives in Bairiki across a two-and-a-half-kilo metre passage amid bullets and bombs.
Apart from being deaf, his health was stable, as he always took a few hours stroll ing around the island barefoot, and relied on local food for his daily fare. “He never liked to eat English food ... only for a taste,” one member of his family said.
When he did not feel like walking he just stayed in his high platform hut mending his grandson’s fishing net. Kaitiki’s hear ing was affected by the loud noise of ex plosives and bombs, which he explained were too much for him to stand.
From Te Uekera. Tarawa