Letters

Vanuatu health I WAS glad to see that you were able to highlight some of the problems about health care in Vanuatu and in the Pacific region in your April edition. The article by Patrick Decloitre was based on a report that I had written just prior to leaving Vanuatu in January 1995. I had given him a copy with permission to use it as he wished.

Unfortunately I was not contactable for the next six months and so was unable to read M. Decloitre’s article before it was published. Whilst I am in agreement with the overall sense of the article I do feel that my report has been taken out of context in a few areas.

The main problem that I see with this article is that it implies that far more doctors are needed to run the health sys tem in Vanuatu. This in turn seems to diminish the importance of nurses. This is not what I said in the report.

Even though there have been prob lems with both quantity and quality of medical staff during the time that I was serving in Vanuatu I feel that around about 20 suitably trained doctors for the whole country would be a reasonable and sustainable figure overall.

I have no doubt that in a country as spread out as Vanuatu (in common with many of its Pacific neighbours) the cura tive health system should be nurse-run and largely nurse-led.

There has been a problem with poor training and unequal distribution of nurses in Vanuatu but suitably trained nurses are more important to the health

system there than are large number of doctors.

Chris Williams

Derby, UK

Gallic pride

HAS your typesetter/proofreader been affected by the thought of impending French nuclear radiation or has a naughty fairy hopped off your shoulder to create mettlesome mischief?

In my August French letter to Monsieur Chirac part of it should have read: “Must the juggernaut of Gallic pride override the well being of the peo ple of the South Pacific?”

Your version had Gaelic instead of Gallic! To relay this error I shall have to rely on your typesetter/proofreader and trust that he/she has come to their col lective senses!

I am delighted to perceive also that my epistle has been caught up in a South Pacific time warp! Your contents page boldly states: Pacific Islands Monthly June edition. This August June edition will no doubt become a prized collectors’ item!

Overriding the Gallic influence with the Garlic, er Gaelic is indeed an achie vement but to overcome time itself is incredible indeed!

As an inspired scribe let me state: Mischief and Miracles Magic and Mystery French Colonisation is now only History!

Poetic mists and Leprechauns Nuclear weapons have no heart The decisions irrevocable: “Monsieur Chirac, depart!”

Mururoa has revolted You now only offend No disrespect meant But it’s “the end!”

Your South Pacific hosts are calling it a day, we bid you adieu without further delay!

Martin Leo

Mt Wellington, Auckland, NZ Shocking news THE news that France has resumed

nuclear testing in French Polynesia is shocking, and there’s no guarantee that the present series will end after eight tests as the French claim.

Russia and the United States may decide to end their own voluntary mora toriums of testing, thereby providing France with the pretext to extend their tests idefinitely.

This new situation demonstrates that in future France intends to flex its mili tary muscles without consideration for political repercussions in the South Pacific. President Jacques Chirac’s term in office will extend until the year 2002, and one can be sure that he will not allow the free and fair vote on indepen dence for New Caledonia promised in the Matignon Accords.

At the very least, he will bully a majority in New Caledonia to vote against independence by threatening to cut off aid (as happened in Vanuatu).

One way for the South Pacific gov ernments to up the stake in this game is to move collectively to have French Polynesia inscribed on the decolonisa tion list of the United Nations Committee of 24, as New Caledonia was in 1986. This may not stop the French testing, but it will force France to go through the motions of defending their actions before the world.

A vote on independence for New Caledonia is to take place in 1998. If France threatens to cut off aid to an inde pendent Kanaky, then New Zealand, Australia, Japan and others should be prepared to step in and offer to make up the difference.

A public announcement now by those countries that they are studying this possibility will up the stakes anoth er notch, and may convince President Chirac that his current testing pro gramme is too expensive after all.

The South Pacific leaders must be prepared to offer more than just words.

David Stanley

Amsterdam, The Netherlands PNG on the rocks?

SINCE my university years of the 19705, I have been a habitual reader of

PIM but I have never read such dooms day coverage of Papua New Guinea’s social and economic quagmire.

It is true on all respects of what has been written by your writers such as “changing course”, “has the world bank gone soft and green” and “Papua New Guinea prepares forum.” (PIM July 1995) In these write-ups, one theme has been made succinctly clear and that is PNG is heading for the rocks.

The International Monetary Fund has to prescribe the bitter pill that Prime Minister Julius Chan has to swallow.

Obviously, this government has got this resource-rich country in a big mess that

only Chan can get it out of. The 20 years of social and economic plunder by this government in one way or another is coming to roost now. Chan cannot say he has not been part of this because he was there right from the outset of inde pendence.

The obvious question begging answers is, what can one do to take this into social, and economic, prosperity?

Before doing anything else, a macro plan should be adopted which can become a social/economic master plan within which targets should be set on all sectors of human activity such as educa tion, health etc.

These targets have to be met by the

government of the day. If Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan and his execu tive government cannot meet the devel opment targets set by the national parlia ment by adopting such a social/econom ic blueprint, then the Prime Minister and his government should be sacked and a new government should be appointed by that Parliament.

The eternal and perpetual running of this country in an ad hoc and hotch potch manner should stop and conscious planning has to be done. The ball is in Chan’s court.

Peter Ipu Peipul (Obe)

Boroko, Papua New Guinea.

Copra boosts

Vanuatu export AN increase in copra production has helped to boost Vanuatu’s export earn ings from SUSS million in the first quar ter of this year to $U55.34 million in the second quarter. Copra earned $U52.66 million. Beef was the second biggest earner with SUSI million. The export of shells, timber and kava also went up.

The increase in export has been attrib uted to some extent to better shipping services in the second quarter.

China protests Taiwan move CHINA has strongly condemned moves by 13 developing countries, including the Solomon Islands, to make Taiwan a member of the United Nations.

In a letter to United Nations Secre tary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali,

China’s representative at the UN, Qin Huasun, said the move was an infringe ment on China’s sovereignty and an interference on its internal affairs. China regards Taiwan as its province and fiercely contests moves to recognise its independence. The bid to get Taiwan into the United Nations will be dis cussed at the UN session this month.

Fiji, PNG in trade deal FIJI and Papua New Guinea have com pleted negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement. The agreement aims to pro mote the free flow of products like cof fee beans, beef, copra, cake and pellets, tea and artefacts.

The agreement allows for the estab lishment of a joint trade committee which will meet every year to review and plan strategies and developments.

Telecom offers new service THE Fiji International Telecommuni cations Limited (FINTEL) has launched an international video conference ser vice.

FINTEL has described the facility as

“an exciting new technology involving a

high-speed, two-way audio-visual com munications link that lets you confer face-to-face with people who could be virtually anywhere in the world”.

The equipment cost FINTEL $70,000 (about ($U549,000) and transmission is by ANZCAN submarine cable “which provides a high speed digital link to Telecom New Zealand’s ISDN platform where calls are switched to and from the rest of the world”.

Lutali bans

smoking

NO smoking is allowed in government buildings in American Samoa. Governor A.P. Lutali, citing the high cost to the territory of smoke-related illnesses, has issued an executive order to this effect.

The territorial government, through the LBJ Hospital, is the sole local provider of health care services. The Governor also advocates a rise in the import duty on tobacco products from 150 per cent to 200 per cent.

Fiji plans

media review FIJI’S Information Minister, Ratu Etuate Tavai, has warned against cross-media ownership.

He said the Government was review ing the country’s media laws to promote fair trading and encourage Fijian partic ipation in the television service. He said Fiji Television Limited, Fiji’s only net work, needed to improve the composi tion of its staff, especially the absence of indigenous Fijians from the screen.

Niue polls

announced NIUE will hold its general election in the second week of January, said Premier Frank Lui. Earlier he had said that it was likely the general election would be held before the year ends.

Police 2 get jailed for life TWO police officers have been jailed for life in Fiji after they were convicted of murder by the High Court in Suva on September 5.

The officers, Constable loane Tauraga and Constable Tevita Rosadriwa, were charged with beating to death a man near Suva in January of the past year. The conviction, and other charges by members of the public, have prompted the Fiji Police Force to warn it will not tolerate police brutality.

Tonga gets

French gift

THE Territorial Government of French

Polynesia has donated a tanker to Tonga no strings attached.

The gift, a 2200-tonne former French naval vessel, was announced by French Polynesia Territorial President Gaston Flosse in August when he visited Tonga for three days.

Tonga’s King Taufa’ahau Tupou said the ship would provide cheaper transport for fuel products from Fiji, New Caledonia and American Samoa.

Better prices

boost copra COPRA production in Fiji has increased by 22 per cent in the past seven months compared to the same period of the past year. Production to the end of July was

6201 tonnes compared with 5009 in the same period of the past year. The increase in production has been attrib uted to the increase in price which has been averaging over SUS2SO a tonne.

Hepatitis kills

3 in Kiribati AT least three children have died in Kiribati from an unknown strain of hepatitis. The Government is sending out officials to inspect health conditions in schools in the outer islands. Hepatitis is prevalent in Kiribati. A health official said reports have reached Tarawa of

pupils suffering from diseases like night

blindness and a mysterious strain of hepatitis.