Briefs

PNG approves US company lor fixed satellite service A major US-based telecommunication company has been granted a license by the Papua New Guinea Telecommunication Authority (Pangtel) to provide domestic and international fixed satellite services in PNG, starting in 2004.

The license has been granted to Teledesic Corporation in which Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates is a major stockholder, Pangtel board chairman Les Gavara-Nou said in statement.

Gavara-Nou said that through an authorised carrier like Telikom PNG Ltd, the Teledesic system would provide PNG with access to services that are increasingly necessary for economic development, such as Internet access, digital videoconferencing, interactive multimedia, and real-time, two-way, high-speed digital data transmissions.

“Teledesic also possess the requisite technical capacity and business experience to serve the PNG market. Additionally, the opportunity for PNG to have access to this new technology, and the expected contributions to the building of a modem national telecommunications infrastructure, are key considerations in granting this license,” he said.

He said Teledesic is well qualified in its corporate and financial capacities to provide services in PNG.

Gavara-Nanu said with their global coverage and small terminals, the Teledesic Network offers a way to augment the services of existing communications service providers and to create instant communications infrastructure where low user density, rugged terrain, or other factors could make other alternatives

impracticable.

Fiji windsurfer qualifies for Sydney 2000

Olympics

Fiji’s champion windsurfer, Tony Philip is the first Fiji athlete to qualify for the

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Philip has also been picked as one of five athletes from around the world to be featured in an international television documentary for the Olympic Games.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, Fiji’s Dr Robin Mitchell said the documentary will show Philip’s preparation before and during the Sydney Olympics.

“It will be a big boost to his career, and especially to Fiji for the publicity it will receive,” Dr Mitchell said.

The project, named Horizon, was initiated in November by the IOC to record the life of an athlete during the Olympics.

Philip has been chosen along with athletes from China, Kenya, Cuba and Europe, ahead of other world-ranked athletes.

The selection followed his second placing in the World Windsurfing Championships. Philips is now officially the second-best windsurfer in the world.

This makes him Fiji’s best bet for its first Olympic medal.

For Philip, this will be the second Olympics. His first was in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain where he was placed 10th overall.

Solomon islands government moves to get rid of quick money schemes The Solomon Islands Parliament has passed a bill to protect its citizens from rip off by quick money schemes.

Moved by Finance Minister Alpha Kimata, the bill was described by many MP’s as having been tabled too late in Parliament as there’s been much concern about pyramid schemes.

Kimata said the amendment was necessary in the absence of no fair trading legislation in the country, citing pyramid schemes as a source of instability in the financial system.

He said it was fortunate government had disassociated itself from the quick money schemes at the outset. The amendment also caters for penalties of pyramid scheme owners.

Meanwhile, private firms in Solomon Islands now have access to a new financial assistance scheme introduced by the European Union.

At its launch in Honiara, John Lympton, an administrator of the scheme in Brussels, Belgium, said the scheme is a new initiative by the European Union to assist member countries from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) who are signatories to the

Lome Convention. Known as Ebas, the scheme provides financial assistance to the private sector on consultancy work required to promote business operations in the global market. It can provide funds up to more than 370-thousand dollars covering 50 percent of costs involved in the job.

Permanent secretary of the Department of National Planning, Donald Kudu said the introduction of Ebas scheme in Solomon Islands reflected government’s support for private sector development.

Fiji's Rabuka Vanuatu's Coconut Oil Mill chair Former Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has been appointed Chairman of Vanuatu’s newly-formed Coconut Oil Production Company (COP), the Vanuatu

Weekly reported.

Rabuka’s appointment, which took place at COP’s official opening, symbolises “Melanesian cooperation among Melanesian Spearhead Group members,”

Vanuatu’s former prime minister Donald Kalpokas said in Luganville, Espiritu Santo Island.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) consists of Vanuatu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia’s FLNKS party.

“This project demonstrates the reality of our commitment to build trade and business links,” Kalpokas said.

The oil mill is expected to produce 30,000 to 40,000 tons of oil annually.

Melanesian tourism alliance gets nod Papua New Guinea’s Tourism Promotion Authority Board has endorsed the creation of a Melanesian Tourism Alliance according to board chairman and Samarai Murua MP Titus Philemon.

At the end of a board meeting held recently in Alotau, Milne Bay, Philemon said the creation of the alliance comprising PNG, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands made sense, given that each country had similar products and were geographically close.

“The concept originated with the Tourism Promotion Authority and positive discussions have taken place with the

National Tourism Offices (NTOs) of each country. “We now need to move the concept to the next stage,” Philemon said.

The concept involves a marketing and

promotional campaign combining the

resources of the three countries and utilising the TPA offices in Los Angeles, California and Frankfurt, Germany to target the long haul European and North American travelers.

“We are looking at ways to make the olfices more effective and we are looking to develop partnerships with our Melanesian neighbors in marketing and promoting our unique cultures, diving and ecotourism products,” he said.

Philemon said that the proposal would now be put to the Foreign Affairs Department for endorsement, and discussion at the next Melanesian Spearhead Group Forum meeting.

“Each office is doing a great job in marketing and promoting the country and they act as general sales agents for Air Niugini. There is no reason for them not to provide a similar service to the Solomons and Vanuatu and to act as agents for other airlines servicing those countries,” he said.

Western Pacific HIV-infections to exceed the million mark - WHO The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that the total number of HIV-infected individuals is expected to exceed one million in the Western Pacific region this year.

WHO also warns that the annual number of new AIDS cases in this region would have doubled between 1998 and 2000.

The projections on HIV/AIDS cases in

the region were highlighted by WHO’s

Western Pacific Region in a fact sheet for World Aids Day which was celebrated on December 1.

“WHO estimates that each year there are more than 35 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the Western Pacific region fl the majority of which are among 15-30 year olds,” the fact sheet titled ‘Facts and Figures about

Hiv/Aids/Sti’ Said.

“It is estimated that over 700,000 individuals were living with HIV in 1998.

This includes at least 70,000 cumulative

cases of AIDS, of which more than 80,000 new cases occurred in 1998. In the region, 17 per cent of reported AIDS cases and 43 per cent of reported HIV infections have occurred in the 13-29 age group.”

The fact sheet highlighted four patterns of HIV prevalence in the region, one of which shows that Australia and New Zealand have registered declining HIV prevalence.

“Countries with increasing HIV prevalence due to heterosexual transmission include Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.”

The theme for the World Aids campaign was “Listen, Learn, Live! World AIDS Campaign with Children and Young People.”

There are altogether 27 member states in the Western Pacific region, 14 of which are from the Pacific Islands region.

American Samoan governor Tauese signs

2000 budget

American Samoan governor, Tauese Sunia, has signed the territory’s budget for fiscal year 2000.

The U 55194.2 million budget approved by the governor is USsl.4 million less than the original budget approved by the territorial Legislature, or Fono.

The governor cut USsl.l million from the Legislature’s budget, U 55237,000 earmarked for special programs and U 5532,5000 from the Department of Human Resources.

Lawmakers will have to submit an appropriation bill this year to cover the USsl.l million shortfall, the governor said.

The Fono’s budget for its own operations in fiscal year 1999 was US$4.2 million, but lawmakers had increased it to more than US$5 million by reducing appropriations to other government

agencies.

Government representatives to be phased out hi the Cooks The post of Government Representative in all the outer islands will be phased out over a two-year period, says new Cook Island prime minister. Dr Terepai Maoate.

He says Aitutaki people already made it

clear to him while on a recent visit there that they don’t want a Government

Representative (GR).

He says it’s possible government may appoint someone who is prepared to work but not be on the state payroll as “consular officer”.

At the request of Manihiki MP, Dr Robert Woonton, and many of the northern islands’ people, Bruce Graham was recently re-appointed by the government as Manihiki GR.

The Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) manifesto promises to “sort out the present confusion and conflict in regards to the roles of MOID, the GRs and the CEOs.”

“The Ministry of Outer Islands Development (MOID) and the Office of the Government Representative will be phased out. The role of the existing Chief Administration Officers (CEO) will be reviewed and they will be responsible to the (Island) Council and not to MOID as at present,” states the DAP manifesto.

Dr Maoate says his government will try and fulfill as much of their manifesto pledges as quickly as possible.

“There are certain things we have already started, like the Rapae and the Investment Corporation, and I don’t see any future problems.”

Solomon Island public workers warn of strike The Solomon Islands Public Employees Union has warned the government to expect industrial trouble this year.

Radio Australia reported general secretary of the Public Employees Union, Clement Waiwori, warning he couldn’t rule out the possibility the Public Sector Unions could opt action to force the government to agree to their log of claims next year. Waiwori was reacting to the non inclusion of salary increases for public servants in the 2000 national budget. The Public Sector Unions are angry because their log of claims, which includes a 12.7 percent pay rise submitted to the government last year, is still outstanding.

Waiwori says whether the government likes it or not the unions will continue to exert pressure on it to ensure it responds positively to their demands. ■