Import of boat people considered

boat people considered

DURING elections, the former Lini government was accused of plotting to import thousands of Vietnamese boat people from Hong Kong for resettling in Vanuatu.

“They were looking at Vietnamese on a business point of view rather than humanitarian,” said Walter Lini’s for mer political secretary Joe Natuman.

Documents leaked by Natuman at the Vanua’aku Pati’s swansong election campaign revealed plans to settle the Vietnamese on Father Lini’s native island of Pentecost, home of 9000 ni- Vanuatu. Natuman claimed Vanuatu was to get SUSI 2 million from a scam deal negotiated by Selwyn Leotoro, former secretary to the President, acting as a special envoy in the United States.

Leotoro reportedly was liaising with a California-based Vietnam Foundation, which reportedly had the blessing of some quarters of the United States congress. Lini/National United Party supporter and Vietnamese businessman Dinh Van Than of Port Vila was

believed to be associated with the deal, Natuman claimed.

Natuman also promised a review of the controversial green letter scheme whereby citizenship of naturalised Vanu atu citizens is revoked. Vanuatu was being overlooked by potential investors because of the name which green letters, issued even to longstanding residents, had generated, he told a VP rally.

Pacific Islands Monthly was told prior to the election that in the final days of the government of Prime Minister Donald Kalpokas about 50 applications were processed and mostly approved for foreign business enquiries. ‘Tve had a whole pile of applications from Ameri cans, French, Australian and some Chin ese people,” Pastor Allan Nafuki, secre tary to the Citizenship Commission in the prime minister’s office told PIM.

“Some investors are scared about what could happen if UMP came into power.”

The Kalpokas government also re voked deportation orders on two French nationals who had to leave Port Vila in November 1990 under Father Lini’s rule Claude Boudier and Robert Albanese.

Dinh became prime subject in the campaign leadup to what was Vanuatu’s hottest general elections. A commission of inquiry into Father Lini’s business dealings that would have included a probe into Dinh’s empire was being

mooted by one party.

Statistics on Vanuatu’s Decembe: 2 elections: • Candidates: a record 140. • Voters: 87,000 (from a population a 143,000). • Election costs: six-10 million vatu. • Election issues: free education, frei health, subsidies for copra prices, free; dom of press, citizenship, freehold landl foreign policy, inflation, stable goverm ment, democracy, economic reforms raising minimum wages, pension allow ances, amnesty to political prisoners equality to Franco and Anglophom cultures and recognising new Christiai revivalist groups. • Voter turnout 71.69 per cent (80.8: per cent in 1987), • Winners: Union of Moderate Partie; 19 (19 in 1987); Vanua’aku Pad 10 (26 in 1987); National United Part} - 10; Melanesian Progressive Party 4; Tan Union one; Friend Melanesiar Party one (one in 1987); Nagriame one. • Upsets: Ruling Vanua’aku Pad un able to clinch a majority and defeat o former President, George Ad Sokomanu • Polling petitions: voter rigging, failure of about 5000 voters to vote because o non-registration, money and rice given tc buy votes, campaigning inside the 24-hour embargo, campaign posters within 100 metres of polling stations. □