Briefs

Bougainvile Affairs Minister hints on new

interim government (or Bougainville

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government announced an interim Government for Bougainville will be ready and in place bythis month. Minister for Bougainville Affairs, Sir Michael Somare said he had received 12 nominations from Bougainville MPs to make up the interim government. He said the candidate names will go to Cabinet for consideration and if approved. Prime Minister, Sir Mekere Morauta will announce the formation of the interim government. The PNG Minister said it’s important to establish the interim government, which will act as a vehicle to facilitate a democratically elected government for the island

province. Sir Michael said he was confident a common stand would be reached from the Bougainville leaders and the government during the Bougainville talks on the position of their demand for highest autonomy and referendum for independence. Meanwhile, Governor of Bougainville, John Momis is also confident all parties involved in political talks will achieve satisfactory answers to the Islands call for autonomy and a referendum for independence.

Momis and BPC President, Joseph Kabui are heading the 25-member Bougainville delegation to the third round of talks, which began at the resort of Loloata Island. Kabui said from Port Moresby that it was clear the Government was open to discussing the two issues and expected

something positive from the weekend talks.

Another leader in the Bougainville People’s Congress, David Sisito has also urged the National Government to seriously consider the demands as they were committed to a negotiated political settlement and would continue to support the peace process as long as parties maintain dialogue on the agenda for Bougainville. Government team leader to the talks and Minister responsible, Sir Michael Somare has said the Government was prepared to discuss the two issues and reach a compromise even though a referendum is not allowed in PNG’s Constitution In another development, an Australian study team from the Rural Development Sector is currently in

Madang to conduct workshops on renewable resources and rural development for the Provincial Administration and the Department of Primary Industry.

American Samoan Parliament rejects casino gambling bill Without any debate, America Samoa’s House of Representatives rejected legislation, which would have legalised casino style gambling in the territory. Last month’s vote puts to rest attempts by a group of American Samoans in California to set up a casino gambling operation.

The actual number of Representatives opposing the gaming bill was not counted because the vote was taken during second reading, which involves only a show of hands.

The House Ways and Means Committee and the House Economic Development Committee only held one public hearing on the proposed law in February. Church ministers attending the hearing spoke strongly against legalising gambling saying it would create social problems.

Two previous hearings were cancelled because the Faaola Group, which had been banking on legislative approval of the gaming law, to set up a casino facility in the territory, couldn’t attend. The two committees agreed to recommend to the full House that the bill be rejected. Before the vote. Chairman of the Economic Committee, Rep. S.E. Sala informed members of the outcome of last month’s public hearing on the bill, where only representatives of local churches testified, and all were against gambling. Rep. Su’a Carl Schuster, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee echoed his colleague’s statement and said that although the bill was quite attractive in terms of raising much needed revenues for the government, it would create many social problems.

Both lawmakers recommended rejection of the bill and without any argument or debate, the legislation, which has been dubbed the ievil of society,! was killed by a swift show of hands.

Rep. Sala was one of the five co-sponsors of the bill, but early this year changed his mind and took the opposing side, citing social problems created by gambling.

New Zealand Minister commends Tongan community for ethics conference New Zealand’s Pacific Island Affairs Mark Gosche has commended members of the Tongan Community in New Zealand when he launched the world’s first Tongan Ethics Conference.

The meeting was designed to enable Tongan

people to work out for themselves protocols and ways for officials and medical practitioners to work with their people. “The conference is groundbreaking in that the Tongan community is going to work out how for themselves how they as a people want to move forward,” said Gosche.

“The community have acted proactively by setting the agenda themselves and asserting their position.” Gosche said ethics were about principles and values. “When someone’s actions are ethical we consider him or her to be moral, we feel they are acting in a fair, just manner. But when actions are unethical we consider them unjust and without principles,” he said.

Gosche said while people often talk about the iPacifici way of doing things - the reality is that there are several “Pacific” ways. “We are many peoples and we must each find our own way of dealing with our circumstances and futures,” he said. “Only Tongan communities know how to marry traditional Tonga Fai ways with modern concepts. Only Samoan communities can work out how fa’asamoa is to work for New Zealand bom generations. The new book Fa’asamoa and social work within New Zealand investigates many of these challenges,” Gosche said. He hoped other Pacific communities would follow the Tongan community’s example.

Pro-independence FLNKS holds congress New Caledonia’s pro-independence FLNKS (National Kanak Socialist Liberation Front) its annual congress in Mare island (Loyalty group, north) with an agenda dominated by structure reform and internal differences. “There is some cacophony within FLNKS because we don’t have a clear orientation, and no working methods,”

Union Progessiste Melanesienne (UPM, a member of the four-party FLNKS umbrella) President Victor Tutugoro said. FLNKS was set up in 1984, amidst civil unrest in the French territory. Since then, FLNKS leader, the late Jean- Marie Tjibaou signed the Matignon Accords in 1988 with anti-independence RPCR (rally for New Caledonia within the -French- Republic) leader Jacques Lafleur and the French government, paving the way for increased autonomy.

Tjibaou was assassinated a year later by a hardliner within FLNKS who saw the charismatic Kanak leader as a traitor to the spirit of struggle of the Kanak people. The Matignon Accords were followed by the Noumea Accord, signed by the same parties in 1998 providing for a possible independence of New Caledonia within “15 to

20” years. From civil unrest of the mid-eighties to a relatively stable political and institutional environment, FLNKS “is not ageing well”, supporters admitted. Wamytan was elected FLNKS President in 1995. He is also the head of the Union Caledonienne, the umbrella’s main component. “We’re like prisoners of a movement which is not really one and where each party wants to keep its own identity,” Wamytan said.

“But he also expressed disapproval at what he sees as disrespect of the ‘spirit of collegiality’ within the newly formed local government (dominated by RPCR). “If there is no evolution by the next follow-up meeting of the Noumea Accord (in April-May), the obligation for us to leave this government will impose itself to us.

The direct consequence will be an institutional crisis that the (French) State and RPCR will have to take the blame for,” Wamytan said.

Fiji military authorities hold on to name of Indo-Fijian soldier who shot a fellow soldier in Lebanon Military authorities in Fiji fear for the safety of the family of the soldier that allegedly shot and killed Private Anare Waqavonovono at the Fiji camp in Southern Lebanon. Press reports the name of the Indo-Fijian soldier is known to Fiji Military officials but they have withheld the release of the name for fear of reprisals against his family in Suva. The Fiji Military Forces has confirmed the Indo-Fijian soldier is currently admitted in hospital in Southern Lebanon after he was assaulted by a group of soldiers, in a revenge attack. He is expected to be court martialed. An Army spokesman said he is likely to face several charges before military judges and if convicted of murder, he will be jailed at a civilian prison. The penalty for murder is life imprisonment.

The shooting took place at the Fiji Batt A company area of operation in South Lebanon.

Private Waqavonovono was shot twice in the chest and once on the head.

Private Waqavonovono, whose father is a Captain in the army, is believed to have questioned the Indo-Fijian soldier where he had been when an argument broke out. “The details are not clear but 1 am told there was an argument before my son was shot,” Captain Waqavonovono said. Private Waqavonovono, who was on his second tour of duty, was to complete his stint in Southern Lebanon in June this year. The shooting has been investigated by the Fiji Batt and the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) military police. ■