Australia's role in Kiribati patrol

boat

Your article “Korean fishing access in Kiribati in doubt” (PIM July 1999, page 13) gave the false impression that the Kiribati Patrol Boat is led by an Aus tralian.

The Patrol Boat provided to the gov ernment of Kiribati by the Australian government under the Defence Co-oper ation Programme is commanded and crewed by members of the Kiribati Police Maritime Wing. All of these per sonnel are I-Kiribati nationals.

Australia continues to support this programme by providing surveillance and technical advisors to assist the Kiri bati government in the protection of its maritime resources. The Australian Defence Force personnel in Kiribati are advisers and that is their prime function.

Decisions on all matters operational and

otherwise rest with the relevant Kiribati authorities. By way of background, you should be aware that Australia has pro vided a total of 22 patrol boats to 12 countries within the Pacific region.

Australian Defence Force Advisers support these in each country.

The Pacific Patrol Boat programme has been extremely successful with the countries involved all developing a sig nificant capability to protect their very valuable and important maritime resources. In many cases, this has result ed in substantial increases in revenue to governments from the granting of fishing licences.

K. R. Eglen,

Commander RAN, Defence Adviser South Pacific