Tongans shut out,

one in two barred

ONE in every two Tongans wanting to travel to Australia were being refused holiday visas. And New Zealand had made things even harder by knocking back two in every three appli cations. A recent report quoted the Australian High Commission in Tonga as saying that of the 200 visa applications usually processed a month only one out of two were approved.

Australia and New Zealand have announced crackdowns to stop overstay ing by foreigners many of them from the Pacific. □

Japan's promise

JAPAN will continue to tackle environ

mental problems, including the

Greenhouse Effect, Prime Minister

Toshiki Kaifu said last month after meeting with South Pacific leaders. Kaifu made the statement at a joint meeting with President leremia Tabai, of Kiri bati, President John Haglelgam, of Feder ated States of Micro nesia, President Bernard Dowiyogo, of Nauru, and Prime Minister Bikenibeu Paeniu, of Tuvalu.

Kaifu said Japan in tended to expand its cooperation to contrib ute to the region’s peace and prosperity and assist island states hurt by the Gulf crisis according to the situ ation in each country.

The south pacific leaders were in Tokyo for the enthronement of Emperor Akihito. □

Lange's words

THE price of continued military co operation between Australia and New Zealand after the collapse of the ANZUS alliance was two frigates, according to a new book by former New Zealand Labour Prime Minister David Lange.

“They (the Australians) had us over a barrel,” Lange wrote in Nuclear Free - the New Zealand way ”

The United States ceased military

operations with New Zealand following New Zealand’s decision to bar US warships from its ports in 1985. Australia said it would continue to conduct separate military exercises with New Zealand and in return for this, Lange wrote, New Zealand agreed to buy Australian built frigates.

He said if there was no frigate deal Australia would have greatly reduced military co-operation and may even have put at risk the negotiations for an extension of the Closer Economic Re lations Treaty. It was a price Lange said he was prepared to take.

The decision never had the support of the Labour Party’s rank and file, and will cost New Zealand almost a billion dollars at a time when the country’s economy slips further into recession. The new National government has guaranteed the agreement but is expected to ask for a delay in payment instalments. Lange was Prime Minister from 1984 until his

resignation in Aug

ust last year. D 4 Swain's

dispute

SWAIN’S Island, known as Olohega in Tokelau lan guage, is the centre of a controversy between Tokelau, New Zealand, and the United States.

From the Tokelau point of view, Swain’s was given

away unfairly by

New Zealand to the United States territory of Ameri can Samoa in 1983. From the New Zealand, per spective, the treaty

recognising US authority over Swain’s was agreed to in exchange for the US dropping its claim over all Tokelau.

Some Tokelau officials claim that the terms of the 1983 Treaty of Tokehega

was unfairly explained to the political

leadership of Tokelau, many of whom did not speak English. Tokelau’s Direc tor of Agriculture and Fisheries, Foua Toloa, has been the most outspoken on the issue. Toloa said Tokelau will take the issue to the United Nations. He warned the 1700 people in Tokelau could “declare war on the US” which could involve a canoe invasion of Swain’s. □