Death penalty

passed in PNG

THE Papua New Guinea parlia ment voted 48 to 19 on August 28 to impose the death penalty for violent crimes, including murder, rape and pack rape. The new law was part of an anti-lawlessness package announced by Prime Minister Rabbie Namaliu in May. Amnesty International condemned the penalty and said no scientific proof existed to show it would be a deterrent.

Rabuka visit opposed AN invitation to Fiji coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka to address a media conferehce in New Zealand this month has sparked opposition from some newspapers and journalists. The Pacific Islands News Association, which represents owners, broadcasters and publishers, said the visit would give journalists a chance to interview a “controversial person whose actions had a profound, lasting impact” on the region. The Pacific Journalists’

Association, which represents working journalists in the region, condemned it because Major-General Rabuka had suspended media freedoms during the coups. The Major-General is now Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister.

Student spies

THE Palestine Liberation Organisation is claiming that the Israeli secret intelli gence service, Mossad, has recruited Pacific islands students to work as agents in their home countries. PLO South Pacific representative, Ali Kazak, says the students are recruited while studying in Israel, but he declined to name the countries involved. He says the PLO is aware of recruits in the South Pacific.

Clean-up on laundering

FIJI is drafting legislation to combat

increasing money laundering through

small island countries. The announce ment came at a Forum Islands seminar on drug trafficking, terrorism and mutual assistance in criminal matters held in Fiji. The Fiji Times reported that Attorney-General and Minister for Jus tice Sailosi Kepa said the fall in Fiji’s economy and the plummeting balance of trade after the coups had led Fiji to open all the borders to attract foreign investors and allow capital to move freely “with out much restriction and scrutiny”.

He said money laundering under cover of foreign investment in Tax Free Zones or in the tourism industry was “a real possibility, if not already a fact”. Draft

legislation giving Fiji courts power to

seize property bought from “dirty money” should be ready next month.

Drug gangs monitored FEDERAL police in Australia are monitoring some South Pacific islands which they say are being increasingly used by

gangs importing illegal drugs. Drugs

reportedly are being offloaded onto the islands before being smuggled into Australia. Some members of the Australian Federal Police have been sent to the South Pacific to monitoring and train local officers. A spokesman declined to say which islands were being monitored.

Forest resource seminar FIJI will host a week-long international workshop on exploitation of tropical forest resources starting November 4. It is being organised by the United Nations Centre for Transnational Corporation through the Ministry of Forests. The workshop will help 45 participants from 13 countries handle negotiations with transnational corporations, who operate as trading partners, competitors and business venture partners to wood processors m the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, foreign timber companies in Papua New Guinea have been warned they face losing permits and licences, and being deported, if they deliberately incite

conflicts among landowners. The warn ing from Forests Minister, Jack Genia, came amid reports of unscrupulous manipulation by foreign timber com panies and middle men posing as land owners’ agents. Anyone engaging in the forest industry will now have to register details with the Forest Department.

No clout in constitution SOLOMON Islands Prime Minister, Solomon Mamaloni, has described his country’s constitution as lousy and very inadequate 12 years after indepen dence from British rule. Mamaloni said the Solomon Islands had spent the last 12 years trying to improve the economic sector. He said it was now time to review the constitution and make it truly represent the people’s aspirations.

Marshall embassies for Asia THE Republic of the Marshall Islands will open embassies in China and Japan by the end of the year. Laurence Edwards, who recently finished a three year term as ambassador to Fiji, will be the first ambassador to China. The Marshalls also have an embassy in Washington. □