Two diplomats

Pacific People

assaulted

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Rudolfo Diaz, was treated for minor injuries after being attacked by four men with knives at a horse-race track about 15 kilometres outside Port Moresby, the PNG capital.

Papua New Guinea’s head of police, Ila Geno, ordered security increased for all foreign diplomats following the as-

Artists in court

TWO of Vanuatu’s most famous artists, Nicolai Michoutouchkin and Madame Suzanne Bastien, appeared in the Senior Magistrate’s Court on Janu

ary 15.

The former

was charged

with assaulting Madame Bast ien, occasion ing an injury Contrary to Section 107 (b) Penal Code Act CAP 135.

Senior Mag istrate Dawn Barcinski was told that on July 27, 1990,

Madame Suzanne Camille Bastien, the 69-year-old French neighbour of Michoutouchkin, was awakened in the early hours of the morning by the sound of extremely loud military music coming from Michoutouchkin’s house.

She said she had tried to attract his attention by shouting but without suc cess. She had then picked up some stones and thrown them into Michoutouchkin’s house. They landed very near to where Michoutouchkin’s friend, Pilioko, was working. Michoutouchkin said he was very angry and concerned for his friend Pilioko because he only had one eye, and he was worried if he was hit by a stone he could lose the other eye.

Michoutouchkin denied assaulting his elderly neighbour but the Senior Magis trate found him guilty and fined him VT 10,000, Plus VT 3,000 Costs.

Senior Magistrate Dawn Barcinski told both Michoutouchkin and Madam Bastien that this was not the way for adults to behave, and that to prevent such recurrences she would bind both of them over to keep the peace for 12 months in the sum of VT 15,000.

Both Michoutouchkin and Madam Bastien must be of good behaviour for 12 months. If not, they will each loose VT 15,000. □

sault, which came hours after prime minister Rabbie Namaliu opened a week-long summit on combating the country’s growing crime problem. □

New Commissioner

ALAIN Christnacht has been appointed the new High Corrimissioner of the Republic in New Caledonia.

Christnacht, 43, was Secretary General of the Caledonian Territory from 19980 to 1982. Six years later he became private secretary of Louis le Penser, the

French Minister for Overseas Territories.

Christnacht replaces Bernard Grasset, 56, who was appointed in Noumea a few days after the signing of the Matignon Peace Accord in June 1988. □

Development head

SITIVENI (Steven) Halapua has been appointed director of the East-West Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) by the Standing Devel opment Committee of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, after serving as interim director for a year. □

Fined: Michoutouchkin