without Fiji

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Feeling insecure without Fiji

THE Australian Opposition has called on the Australian government to end its ban on maritime surveillance of Fiji’s 200 nautical mile exclusive ecomomic zone.

The surveillance was curtailed as part of Australia’s protest over Fiji’s 1987 mili tary coups.

“The resumption ofmaritime surveillance is of considerable

importance to Australian security

interests,” Opposition defence spokesman Peter Durack said. He said the move would also be an important first step in re-establishing a more

constructive bilateral relationship. “Fiji

is too important to regional security for Canberra to ignore or shun,” the Senator said. “Some moves have to be made to re establish the good relations once enjoyed between us. The Labor government has allowed the relationship to drift for too long, at direct cost to Australian and

regional security.”

He said it was hardly possible to develop a credible South Pacific surveillance network if Fiji was not included. He pointed out that Fiji’s recently announced constitution and plans for elections next year would provide a stepping stone for further constitutional change. □ Samoans vote for rights WESTERN Samoans have voted by a narrow majority for universal suffrage that will allow all men and women of 21 years and over to take part in parliamentary elections. But most of the voters taking part in last month’s plebiscite rejected the setting up of a

second parliamentary chamber.

Currently 45 of the 47 seats in parliament are reserved for matai (chiefs). The present electoral system allows only participation by the matai. □ Victorians honour Tabai KIRIBATI President leremiaTabai was in Wellington last month to receive in honorary doctorate oflaws from Victoria. President Tabai says he owes his start in politics to the time when he had to stand up before an “oratory” club as a Victoria University student, and fight his “very bad” stutter to make a speech. The Pacific Island leader

completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree at Victoria in 1972. Tabai says he “developed an early interest” in

politics through listening to New Zealand politicians like Norman Kirk andjack Marshall. He closely followed Norman Kirk’s rise to power, and this had a lasting effect on his own views and his interest in politics. □ Border deal likely Papua New Guinea has agreed in principle to conduct joint border patrols with Indonesia along their sensitive border. PNG’s Defence Minister, Benais Sabumei, said the patrols, long sought by Indonesia against Free Papua Movement (OPM) guerillas, will be considered by a new security committee of the two countries. The decision represents a hardening of Port Moresby’s

stand on the OPM, who have used Papua New Guinea territory in their campaign against Indonesian control of neighbouring Irianjaya. Sabumei said his country has an international obligation to stop the OPM from using PNG territory in its fight with Indonesian forces. □ All aboutlonga TONGA has established a Government Information Unit, based in the Prime Minister’s Office. The unit comes under the ChicfSecretary and Secretary to Cabinet, Taniela Tufui. “This unit is an instrument for the dissemination of appropriate information to the public,” said a statement from Tonga’s Prime Minister’s Office.

Island campaigner dies A MUCH-RESPECTED Greenpeace campaigner in the Pacific, Elaine Shaw, died in Auckland last month after a long battle with cancer. Elaine’s strong support for indigenous self determination in the Pacific made her many friends, particularly in Vanuatu, Tahiti and Bclau, but sometimes brought her into opposition with the Greenpeace International hierachy.

Elaine spent more than 10 years as a voluntary worker for Greenpeace before becoming a paid employee in 1985. Her quest to make the New Zealand wing of Greenpeace International reflect its Pacific identity, led to the 1985 Pacific campaign of the Rainbow Warrior, which evacuated the residents of Rongelap, in the Marshall Islands, from their radiation-contaminated atoll. The ship was later blown up in Auckland by the French secret service in July 1985, killing one Greenpeace crew member. Elaine is survived by two daughters and a son. □

Tabai