Briefs
pp. 6-7 · Read in the full issue
Satyan qua Mes fop world record
The Marianas Visitors Authority has received certification from Guinness World Records that Saipan now qualifies to be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for the World’s Largest Dive.
Martin Duenas, community projects manager for MVA, and members of the Underwater Events Committee met after receiving notification from Guinness about Saipan’s qualification for inclusion into this elite circle of record holders.
On April 17,1999,215 divers, mostly from Japan, simultaneously participated in what was hoped to be the World’s Largest Dive. Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records were on hand to record the event Divers were issued stamp rally entries for a raffle to be drawn at a later date and die winners are to be brought back to Saipan for a dive holiday.
Saipan Tribune
Maternity leave gains to Frendi Polynesia
Women’s associations in French Polynesia have obtained the right to keep fully-paid salaries during their maternity leave.
The announcement, which was made by
President Gaston Flosse, comes as a result of meetings held earlier this week with the French Polynesian government Last February, about 150 French Polynesian women had gathered in the streets of the capital Pape’ete to demand 100% reimbursements of maternity leave by the local social security system. Mothers, grandmothers, many holding their babies, were chanting a revised version of the French national motto “Liberte, egalite, fratemite”, turned into “Liberte, egalite, matemite”. Recent statistics show that out of some 21,000 working women, 6,000 do not get fully reimbursement when going on maternity leave. (Les Nouvelles de Tahiti) Emfroiiiiemafctt protest against PNG mfcie operators - BHP Environmentalists and Papua New Guineans (PNG) today dumped dirt on the steps of the Melbourne headquarters of major Australian mining company, BHP to protest its involvement in the Ok Tedi copper mine in PNG’s western province.
Members of “Friends of the Earth” and PNG landowners are calling on BHP to provide financial support as tonnes of waste from the
mine are being dumped daily into the Ok Tedi Fly River system. The protesters claim up to 50,000 Papua New Guineans have lost their livelihood because of the environmental damage caused by the mine waste.
PNG’s Environment Minister Herowa Agiwa last month warned Ok Tedi Mining Limited to take full stock of all environmental damage in its operations before it decides to leave. Late last year BHP in a report admitted pollution of the Fly River system and its tributaries indicating that the best solution was to close the mine immediately. This prompted the World Bank to recommend for the closure of the giant copper mine.
However, the National Government said it would not support an early closure of the mine.
It wants BHP to rectify operations at the mine to avoid further environmental damage.
The Mine has a remaining life span of about nine years, until year 2010. PNS French Polynesia to defend Its name French Polynesia’s minister of economy Georges Puchon is this week in Paris to meet French officials and campaign for a better protection of the intellectual property of the
name of‘Tahiti”.
The trip follows concerns raised recently by the French Polynesian Chamber of Commerce, which pointed out that in metropolitan France, around 300 products, from shower gels to a whole range of items, are currently marketed under Tahiti or Tahiti-derived names. Local companies argue that because these products are already famous under this names and also marketed in French Polynesia, those entrepreneurs wishing to use the names again are effectively penalised.
French companies usually use these names because they convey a strong exotic and dream loaded message. Other names of atolls in French Polynesia, like Bora-Bora or Moorea, are not exempt either. During his trip to Paris, Puchon is schedule to have meeting with name and brand property-specialised lawyers with the aim of better protecting French Polynesia’s cultural and name identity. (RFO) PNG fftn nets acclaimed prize A Papua New Guinean film produced and directed by the head of the National Film Institute in Goroka has won an international award. Titled “Bridewealth for a Goddess,” the film was completed last year after 14 years of filming. Institute chief Chris Owen said yesterday the film institute had been awarded the prestigious Prix Nanook-GrandPrix at the 19th annual Bilan du Film Ethnographique.
He said the international festival of ethnographic/anthropological film was held each year at the Museum of Mankind in Paris, France. It has become a showcase for the best documentary films in this genre. He said the film told the story of a chief from the Kawelka tribe near Mount Hagen, in Western Highlands Province. The chief devoted several years of his life to fulfilling the ritual obligations he inherited after being visited in a dream by Ambkor, a beautiful young woman.
Mr. Owen said: “The film was selected by a distinguished panel of international jurors.
“It runs for 72 minutes.”
Mr. Owen said that the final scene in the film is one of those “increasingly rare moments in Papua New Guinea’s rapid changing society that only film could capture and preserve for posterity.”
It was directed, shot and edited by Mr.
Owen, working out of the former Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies film unit in Port Moresby. The film unit has since been
amalgamated with the former Skul Bilong Wokim Piksa to form a new national film institute. Video copies are available from their cultural gift shop in Port Moresby. (Post- Courier) ShangrHa hotels and resorts names new chief operatfeig officer Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced the promotion of John Segreti to Chief Operating Officer. In his new position, he will supervise all the operating functions of the group except Development. This will allow Giovanni Angelini, the group’s Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, to focus his priority on the global expansion and development of the Shangri-La and Traders brands. Segreti, a native New Yorker, joined the company in August 1991. Most recently, he was the Vice President responsible for hotels in Singapore and Indonesia and directly responsible for the repositioning of the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.
This appointment took effect April 1, 2000.
John Segreti will be based at Group’s headquarters office in Hong Kong.
PMndne arfeie to fly Paiau-Davao route A Philippine airline is set to commence direct flights from Davao in the southern Philippines to the Palauan capital Koror, a Palauan official announced.
Trade and Commerce Minister Okada Techitong said Cebu Pacific would make its maiden flight on the route within this month carrying both passengers and cargo.
The decision of the airline to fly the Palau route was a result of exploratory talks held in Davao last year and following Techitong’s recent meeting with the airline’s representatives in Manila. The minister said Cebu Pacific would increase its direct flights between Davao and Koror if there was sufficient market demand, which he believed existed.
He said he hoped Cebu Pacific would provide flight connections for European tourists arriving and departing the southern Philippines.
In joining Palau’s aviation industry, Cebu Pacific would become the second Philippine airline to operate in Palau, after Centennial Air which is owned by Filipino businessman Jose Alvarez. Centennial Air provides direct flights from Manila to Palau carrying tuna exports which are transported to the Japanese market.
(Afp)
Cnise hdustry growth presents new safety
problems
The growth of the cruise industry in the Asia-Pacific region has spawned new safety concerns for maritime agencies, officials said.
Fifty top officials from 17 maritime agencies in the region decided at the end of a two-day meeting to give further attention to the boom in the cruise industry, a statement said “This presented a new challenge for SAR (search and rescue) operations, in particular in the evacuation of large numbers of passengers in an emergency,” said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), which organized the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Forum.
The maritime chiefs also agreed to examine new technologies to make its global maritime distress and safety system more efficient and cost effective, it added.
Tongas king intervenes in rugby boycott,
PoSce Minister quits A club rugby strike in Tonga ended after King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV ordered the country’s rugby union to end a high-level leadership tussle. Tonga Rugby Football Union (TRFU) chairman Clive Edwards, who is also the police minister, caused an uproar when he stacked the board with his own supporters, including Police Commander Sinilau Kolokihakaufisi.
The 23-clubs on the main island of Tongatapu refused to play for three weeks, prompting the King to order the board to meet again to reconcile their problems. Rugby union has always been something of a democratic battleground in a kingdom which is without meaningful political democracy. The police have long struggled to control the game and eight years ago the then Police Minister, Noble Akau’ola, pulled all the police out of the national team - four of the top 15 players.
The royal ordered meeting occurred when Edwards arrived and announced he was resigning from TRFU.
The Tongatapu clubs voted to accept the resignation with immediate effect and the kingdom’s rugby competition was finally underway a month late.
Long term, the row could have a serious impact as Tonga is due to play the All Blacks later this year as well as competing in the Pacific Rim competition with Samoa, Fiji, Canada and Japan. (AFP) ■