Briefs

Fiji’s domestic carrier to begin new service to Tonga Air Fiji will this month introduce a new service between Fiji’s Nausori Airport and Fua’amotu Airport.

Manager Airline Operations, Arthur Whippy, told Radio Tonga News that the new weekly flight begins on the first week of this month. Air Fiji’s Brasilia turbo-prop 30seater aircraft will operate the flight expect ed to take an hour and forty minutes. He says the plane could be pressurised and can fly up to a height of 30-thousand feet.

Air Fiji hopes to expand to two flights a week, and could operate three times by the end of this month on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, according to Mr. Whippy.

The tentative schedule would leave Nausori at eight Fiji Time arriving Fua’amo tu at 11.40 later in the morning. The return flight would leave Tonga one hour later. At present, Tonga is two hours ahead of Fiji.

Whippy was in Nuku’alofa to meet officials from govermnent, airlines and the tourism sector.

He says he received favourable recep tion from his various discussions. The new service would cater for passengers wanting to travel direct to Suva instead of going through Nadi. This will be Air Fiji’s second international flight having served Funafuti in Tuvalu for about two months now. PNS Vanuatu court confirms

anti-pyramid scheme ruling

The Supreme Court of Vanuatu has ordered a company convicted of using a pyramid selling scheme in the northern Aus tralian state of Queensland to return $300,000 they had transferred to Vanuatu 18 months ago.

Radio Australia Pacific correspondent Kevin McQuillan reports that the action was taken by the Competition and Consumer Commission.

“In 1998, the federal court in Bris bane ruled that Golden Sphere International, a Vanuatu-registered company, had breached the Trade Practices Act. It ordered company directors Pamela Reynolds and Victor Cot trill to pay $550,000 into a trust, to compen sate members of the public who’d been caught by the scheme. But only $292,000 was paid and the commission said the rest had been transferred to Vanuatu.

“The Supreme Court in Vila has now ruled that the money must be sent back to Australia, along with 10 percent interest.

“Armed with the court ruling, the

commission will now access the company’s bank accounts in Vila, saying its decision to pursue the company overseas has been vin dicated. (Radio Australia) Australia and Fiji agree to new talks on SPARTECA agreement.

Australia has agreed to talks for anew agreement with Fiji to succeed the current SPARTECA agreement.

Fiji Prime Minister Mahendra

Chaudhry, addressing the joint Fiji/Australia

and Australia Fiji Business Council meeting in Suva, said he had written to his Australian counterpart, John Howard, on the matter and Howard had responded by reaffirming Aus tralia’s commitment to strengthening bilater al relations with Fiji.

Howard’s letter said, “The Australian Government appreciates how important the trade dimension to our relationship is for Fiji, particularly for the textile, clothing and footwear industry. Your suggestion that we initiate discussions at the earliest opportuni ty is, one I would support as it is important that officials clarify the issues thoroughly and identify viable options for the future.”

“I would be aiming to see these mat ters concluded satisfactorily prior to the next meeting of foreign ministers scheduled for mid December,” Howard’s letter said.

Chaudhry said with these anticipated direct Government to Government talks the two Councils needed to work together to work out an arrangement beneficial to the two countries. On Fiji’s domestic front, Chaudhry said latest indications on Fiji’s economy is positive with real GDP for 1999 forecast to expand by over 7 percent.

“Copra production has increased fur ther by 18.5 per cent in the first seven months of the year, with total production of sugar at the end of the crushing season expected to more than double from 2 million tonnes of cane.” He said his Government had reduced costs of doing business with tele phone charges, power and water and further reductions expected next year.

“We will work with industry in increasing productivity and their internation al competitiveness in overseas markets.”

The Prime Minister also assured all investors that his Government would honour all existing commitments of special conces sions, but said the business sector must acknowledge that concessions granted would be reviewed periodically.

“My Government recognises the cru cial role of private entrepreneurs as the key to increased growth in the economy and is

committed to building a constructive part nership to create prosperity for all in Fiji as we move into the next millennium.” PNS PNG’s parliament to ratify over 26 conventions for the country’s workforce Papua New Guinea’s Tripartite Coun cil is moving to ratify more than 26 conven tions for the country’s workforce in the November parliament session. Council members from the Labour and Employment and the Trade and Industry Departments including the Workers Unions resolved to have the ratification’s made during a closed

door meeting at parliament.

The new Labour and Employment Minister, Claris Haiveta, said it is pertinent this is done immediately by a competent authority in line with conditions set by the International Labour Organisation, which PNG is a member of.

Haiveta said parliament has never rat ified any conventions, most of which were initially inherited from Australia including those introduced after Independence. Haive ta said the process of drafting the legislation is almost completed and he is confident the Bill will be tabled in this month’s parliament session. The Bill will cover Labour Laws Reform, Terms and Conditions, Industrial Relations and Workers Compensation.

Meanwhile prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta announced the Council will expand its membership to also include parliamentar ians as it is the single largest sector in terms of formal and informal employment and the major area for sustainable employment growth for the future. PNS

Tonga’s vanilla beans attracting

Japan

Tonga’s size and quality of vanilla beans has attracted potential marketing opportunities in Japan. The market potential was revealed to Government representatives while on a recent fact finding tour with vari ous markets destinations in Japan. Trade officer, Saimone Vuki said positive feedback was given to them in regards to the length of the beans measuring up to 28 centimetres.

Tongatrade shipped two tonnes of A and B-grade vanilla last month and prices were as high as US$45 for each grade.

The prices compared favourably to

the current level of 25-dollars or up to 30dollars in the traditional markets in the Unit ed States and Germany. Trial export of vanil-

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la to Japan began during the first part of the year with an initial volume of 20 kilograms.

Japan says if Tonga maintains its high quali ty, the price could be between 1-hundred and-50 to 2-hundred-and-50 dollars, similar to the treatment given to vanilla from French Polynesia.

Saimone said vanilla growers in the Kingdom especially those in Vava’u should not lose hope for the future of the market, as further negotiations are continuing to secure better and reliable market opportunities.

Pns

Solomon Islands receives for the first time the biggest group of Peace Corps from United States Solomon Islands will receive for the first time the largest recruitment contingent of Peace Corps volunteers by the first week of this month. Country Director of Peace Corps Volunteer Service in Solomon Islands Wesley Mukoyama said 44 new Peace Corps volunteers will arrive in Solomon Islands from the United States of America Novem ber 8.

The volunteers will take up two-year assignment contracts with secondary schools, community high schools, rural training centres, youth development projects and environmental education in the country.

Peace Corps has been providing vol unteer service to Solomon Islands since 1971. There are 73 Peace Corps volunteers currently working in the country. Under the new expansion of services initiative, new volunteers will also be engaged in youth and women development programmes, environ mental and health and agricultural pro grammes. In the past programmes concen trated on teaching in secondary education, community high and rural training centres.

Pns

Million dollar Fiji trade event set for year 2000 Fiji’s premier trade event, the Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange (BFTE) 2000 is set to take place from 16th-19th May 2000. The BFTE Committee Chairman David Voss confirmed this. According to Voss, they were very pleased with the results of BFTE99 with the increase in number for both Buyer

and Seller companies registered for busi ness.

He stated that BFTE2OOO would be bigger and better with a strong focus on improving the quality of buyers and sellers.

For its 2000 event, the Committee has set a target of attracting 125 Buyer companies and 120 Seller companies to Fiji, which is an increase of 32 percent and 15 percent respec tively for Buyers and Sellers over this year’s event.

A key attraction for Buyers has been the inclusion of neighbouring South Pacific destinations in the event such as Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. A much larger contin gent from the Pacific Islands including Tahi ti is expected to participate as Seller Desti nations in next year’s event.

There has also been a conscious effort to work together with the other key trade events within the region that happen around the same time. Registration forms for Buyers will be sent out by mid-October and any interested Buyers are to contact the Commit tee Secretariat for further information. PNS ■