Briefs

Forum secretary-general named Papua New Guinea’s Noel Levi was unan imously accepted as the new secretary general of the South Pacific Forum by Forum leaders in Rarotonga last month.

Levi will take up the post in early January from leremia Tabai.

Moruroa report out

An independent report on the possible con sequences of French nuclear tests on the health and well-being of the people of French Polynesia has been released.

Titled Moruroa and Us, the book was

put together by Dr Pieter de Vries and Dr Han Seur, two economists from the University of Wageningen, the Netherlands.

They conducted the study with the assistance of a team of the Polynesian non government organisations Hid Tau and the Eglise Evangelique de Polynesie Francaise (EEPF). They spoke to former test site workers and islanders living in the vicinity of Moruroa and Fangatafua (the test sites).

Pacific Islands Monthly highlighted the contents of the report in January after an interview with Gabriel Tetiarahi of Hiti Tau.

Bougainville peace talks The chairman of the Bougainville peace talks which signed the Burnham truce, Solomon Islands Home Affairs Minister the Reverend Leslie Boseto, says the recent talks did not specifically address the ques tion of Bougainville independence, Pacnews reported.

He said this would be an issue to dis cuss at the next round of talks set for

January 31, 1998.

Fiji rejoins Commonwealth

Fiji rejoined the Commonwealth last month as the 54th member state. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka welcomed the announcement, saying Fiji’s readmission fulfilled the wishes of the country’s Great Council of Chiefs and the general public.

SRC turns 50 The South Pacific Commission celebrated its 50th anniversary celebrations in

PM Rabuka

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Reducing medical costs The leaders of the five Smaller Island States are to seek a detailed cost-benefit analysis into a proposal for bulk procure ment of pharmaceuticals to cut costs.

The chairman of the SIS and Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry will also consult with French Polynesia to see whether the French would be interest ed in joining the scheme. At the last SIS meeting in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, lead ers expressed concern over the high costs of medical treatment and the need to find

ways to reduce these costs.

The members of the SIS are Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue and Tuvalu.

A final decision on the scheme will follow a cost-benefit analysis to be arranged by the South Pacific Forum Secretariat.

Renewable energy Leaders of the Smaller Island States have identified renewable energy as an impor tant area for further collaboration which could be addressed through regional pro grammes. This was done at the last meet ing of the SIS in the Cook Islands in September.

Areas for collaboration included improving the quality and availability of information on energy sources such as solar and wind, as well as strengthening project appraisal techniques and planning.

Renewable energy technologies that are technically proven and in use in the SIS include small-scale photovoltaic (PV) sys tems, solar water heating and solar drying.

Solomons plans nuclear fees The Solomon Islands is planning to charge ships carrying nuclear waste through its waters, Pacnews reported. Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’alu said his govern ment was going to use payment for using its waters as a way to stop nuclear ship ments. Ulufa’alu said his government had decided to draw up and implement legisla tion which would allow them to charge a huge fee to nuclear ships passing through its economic zone.

Tourism awards The Tourism Council of the South Pacific have announced the 1997 Tourism Award winners: Photography - Paul Miles (Solomon Islands); Domestic Airline - Air

Rarotonga (Cook Islands); Budget

Accommodation - Homestay Suva (Fiji); Standard Accommodation - Hideaway Resort (Fiji); Deluxe Accommodation - Turtle Island Lodge (Fiji); Tourism Transportation - Apia Rentals Ltd (Samoa); Inbound Tour Operator - Island Hopper Vacations (Cook Is); Ecotourism - Eco Tour Samoa (Samoa); Heritage Cultural - Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre (New Caledonia).

Marry or leave, expat couples told

Samoa told expatriate couples in de-facto relationships “who want to stay on” to either marry or face deportation, AFP reported. Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Department, Vaasatia Poloma, in October, said de-facto relationships were not part of the Samoan way.

Guam flights cancelled Korean Air decided to discontinue flights between Guam and the South Korean cap ital, Seoul, as of last month, Pacnews reported. The cessation of flights was a direct result of the August crash of Korean Air flight 801, resulting in the deaths of 228 of the 254 crew and passengers on board as the plane approached Guam’s international airport. Korean Air officials remain concerned about the safety of the airport’s facilities.

Samoa protest worries PM Australia and New Zealand would come to the aid of Samoan police if a looming protest proves too difficult to handle, Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana said last month, AFP reported. The chief group, Tumua Ma Pule, called a march for October 29 aimed at forcing the PM to resign.

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