Regionalism

Fiji

Save our

turtles

A ban has been placed on all commercial sales of turtle meat this year to mark the Year of the Sea Turtle.

Acting Director of Fisheries, Simone Tuilaucala, said in an effort to save turtles which face extinction in the Pacific, an education campaign will attempt to teach people in Fiji that if they continue to kill sea turtles at the current rate, there would soon be none left.

The Conservation Officer with the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Sue Miller, said the ban was the first major achievement in the Year of the Sea Turtle. Miller said although the ban ends in March 1996, it has the potential to become permanent.

Previously, Fiji had stopped the killing or taking of sea turtle eggs only between November and February. Islanders were still be able to kill sea turtles between March and October this year for ceremo nial, customary or subsistence purposes.

Meanwhile, a Fisheries Officer, Aisake Batibasaga has warned that Fijians who relish turtle meat may be catching and eating the endangered marine species faster than they reproduce.

Batibasaga warned that four types of tur tles found in Fiji waters faced possible extinction if the use of sophisticated methods for killing turtles continued.

American Samoa and Guam have already banned the killing of sea turtles.

Yet another

no confidence motion

Fijian Association was expected to move a motion of no confidence in the govern ment of the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.

Association president Josevata Kamikamica confirmed that his party was going to move the motion in the session which started on February 13.

The decision was made to protest against government’s decision to “import” 28,000 Hong Kong Chinese, to repeal the Sunday Observance Decree and to call all Fiji citi

zens “Fijians”.

The motion reportedly had the support of some backbenchers who were unhappy with the decisions.

However, National Federation Party leader and Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Reddy, said the Indian Members of Parliament would get involved in what is a Fijian

political tussle.

This leaves in doubt the success the motion. Its chances are further dimmed by the fact the Secretary to Parliament, Victor Rigamoto, ruled out the possibility of the motion being debated this session.

Regionalism

takes over

racism

A special ceremony welcoming regional students to the Suva campus of the University of the South Pacific was planned for last month.

It was organised by the Fiji-based students in an effort to remove the hostility that took shape last year as a result of on-cam pus racial fights USP Students Association’s Vice President, Sushil Deo Raj, said the ceremony would be a step towards uniting the students.

Solomon Islands and Vanuatu had pulled out their students when several Solomon Island students were hospitalised after being attacked by a group of Fijian stu dents. A lecturer who attempted to break the brawl was also injured.

In another incident, three Samoan stu dents attacked a Fijian student and gorged out his eye with a broken beer bottle.

Raj said the ceremony was not to remind the students of last year’s events but to start a fresh year with fresh relationships.

The Solomon and Vanuatu governments agreed to have their students to USP after new security measures were put in place by the USP administration.

USP’s acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Vijay Naidu said he was glad the students were returning. He said the university was owned by 12 countries and it was vital all of them were represented on campus by students.