PAC - Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association articles from April 2005

PAC - Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association archives from April 2005

Catholics around the Pacific mourn the death of Pope John Paul.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Italian officials and Vatican clerics have been paying their respects to Pope John Paul the second, whose body is lying in state in the Vatican...as worshippers in the Pacific pay their tributes. A death...

Code of conduct for Cook Islands MPs.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 RAROTONGA (Pacnews) --- Establishing codes of conduct for public servants and MPs, and implementing zero tolerance towards corruption, are just a couple of areas of focus by the Cook Islands government in its 2006 budget. The...

Petition for U.S. military base circulates on Tinian.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 SAIPAN (Pacnews) --- A petition urging the U.S. government to pursue its military use plan of Tinian as originally planned has been circulating on the island, local officials said. Tinian Governor Francisco Borja said he fully...

Niue company struck off NZ companies registry.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 ALOFI (Pacnews) --- Shareholders of Niue Investment Ltd, the company formed by Finance Minister Toke Talagi to lease the government owned Niue Hotel, have expressed concern that the business has been struck off the Companies...

Kiribati MP's visit Taiwan.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 TARAWA (Pacnews) --- Kiribati former president says the use of force to settle disputes will not work. Teatao Teannaki, a member of a delegation visiting Taiwan made the comment a day before they left for Taiwan. "The...

Gun Smuggling Secrets Revealed.
April 4, 2005... PNG April 4 (Pacnews): Guns have been smuggled into the country in 200-litre gas bottles and 44-gallon light oil drums, according to those "in the know''. Speaking to the guns control committee meeting in the highlands, informers have told...

New Anti-Aussie Protests Planned.
April 4, 2005... PNG April 4 (Pacnews): AN even bigger march is being planned for Tuesday by community leaders in Port Moresby to protest the treatment of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare at the Brisbane Airport two weeks ago. The National learned from...

Staff Association Fails to Stop Disciplinary Action.
April 4, 2005... PNG April 4 (Pacnews): Members of the National Academic Staff Association (NASA) have failed to stop the University of PNG administration from penalizing them for taking part in an industrial action in March. National Court judge David Lay...

Night of Terror.
April 4, 2005... PNG April 4 (Pacnews): A family was subjected to a night of terror in Port Moresby on Saturday at the hands of police who appeared to be drunk. It is alleged that four policemen, using a vehicle donated by the Australian Assisting Police,...

Suspended Officer Points to Police in Coup.
April 4, 2005... FIJI April 4 (Pacnews): Suspended Fiji police officer Nasir Ali has written to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo alleging that some senior police officers colluded in planning the May 2000 coup. The Daily Post says Inspector Nasir Ali's 200-page...

"Remove Limitation on Treason Charges": Police.
April 4, 2005... FIJI April 4 (Pacnews): The Police Commissioner has revealed that the force is likely to make a submission to the Fiji Law Reform Commission to reconsider the statute of limitation for treason. Andrew Hughes hopes the review of the Penal...

Squatter Numbers Rise.
April 4, 2005... FIJI April 4 (Pacnews): In two years the squatter population in Fiji's capital of Suva increased by about 213 families to 8908 families. Surveys conducted by the Ministry of Local Government's Squatter Resettlement Unit set the number of...

NZ May Help Squatters.
April 4, 2005... FIJI April 4 (Pacnews): The plight of squatters will be considered when the New Zealand government draws up its aid strategies for the next five years, however N.Z. High Commissioner to Fiji, Michael Green, says no specific projects have been...

Many Without Water For Months.
April 4, 2005... FIJI April 4 (Pacnews): The taps of a community in the West of the island of Viti Levu have been dry for several months, forcing them to pay a trucking company $20 each time they need a tank of water. Fifty-two households are reportedly...

Campaign for Fiji Midwives.
April 4, 2005... NORTHERN MARIANAS April 4 (Pacnews): Campaigners are canvassing support in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in an effort to stop restrictions being imposed on Fijian midwives working in the country. The Saipan Tribune...

Government Raises $3.7M for Deportation Fund.
April 4, 2005... CNMI April 4 (Pacnews): The cash-strapped government has generated a total of $3.7 million from the 30,000 foreign workers who have to pay for their alien registration cards each year according to documents from the Department of Finance. ...

French High Commission Steps into Port Blockade.
April 4, 2005... FRENCH POLYNESIA April 4 (Pacnews): The French high commission in Tahiti has formed a mediation team in a bid to end the rebellion of intervention group GIP which has blocked the port of Papeete and its industrial zone since last week. The...

Teachers Fail English Test.
April 4, 2005... MARSHALL IS April 4 (Pacnews): The majority of teachers in the Marshall Islands did not pass a high school English test. Some 63 per cent of 900 Marshall Islands teachers failed both the reading and writing sections of the test . Only 18...

NZ objects nuclear waste shipment through Tasman Sea.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 WELLINGTON (Pacnews) --- New Zealand has asked that a shipment of radioactive nuclear waste, expected to pass through the Tasman Sea on its way to Japan, to not enter New Zealand waters. The British Nuclear Fuels shipment was...

Samoan leaders meet to iron out immigration woes.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 APIA (Pacnews) --- The leaders of the two Samoas met on Friday (01 April) in the Samoan capital of Apia to discuss matters relating to travel between the two countries. Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi...

Temaru government locked in conflict with dissident group.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 PAPEETE (Pacnews) --- The month-old government of French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru is locked in conflict with the controversial dissident group that has blocked access to the port of Papeete for the second time in two...

Rapa Nui grapples with the idea of loss of Culture.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 MELBOURNE (Pacnews) --- The indigenous people of remote Easter Island (EI) says they're struggling to keep their culture alive. Radio Australia reports that in Easter Island, fewer and fewer children are speaking the local...

GG and wife leave to attend Charles' wedding.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) --- Papua New Guinea (PNG) Governor General-General Sir Paulias Matane and his wife, Lady Kaludia, leave for London today to attend the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles. The second...

Fiji journalist wins ADB journalism award.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005TOKYO (Pacnews) --- Former PACNEWS journalist, Vasiti Ritova has been named Island Journalist of the Year at the 2005 Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA), sponsored by the Tokyo-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) Institute....

Fijian minister jailed for involvement in 2000 takeover of army barracks.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Two more high-ranking Fijian government officials have been put behind bars for their involvement in the illegal take over of the military barracks in the northern island town of Labasa. Minister for Lands...

Australian High Commissioner in discussions with PNG over security incident.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) ---- The Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea is in talks with the PNG Prime Minister's office, over future security proceedings at Australian airports. This follows protest marches in Papua...

Lakatani claims investigated by government.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Niue's premier, Young Vivian says government is considering pay claims by former Niuean leader, Sani Lakatani, who resides in Auckland now. Mr Lakatani, who held the position of premier before he moved to...

Kabui to run for Bougainville presidency.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 WELLINGTON (Pacnews) ----The president of the Bougainville People's Congress, Joseph Kabui, says the number one priority for his new political party is to ensure the peace agreement and constitution for the Papua New Guinea island...

USP to stage graduation ceremony in Rarotonga.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 RAROTONGA (Pacnews) --- The University of the South Pacific will stage a special graduation ceremony in Rarotonga in August to coincide with the country's celebration to mark 40 years of self-rule. The USP's Cook Islands...

Pitcairn's population 'explosion'.
April 4, 2005... 04 APRIL 2005 PITCAIRN (Pacnews) --- Pitcairn Island, the remote Pacific community of descendants of HMS Bounty mutineers, has seen its population increase closer to 50 after the birth of just the second baby in over 18 years The island is...

Emergency meetings held to sort out jailed Cabinet Minister's Status.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) ----The junior partner in Fiji's coalition government, the Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua, will hold an emergency meeting today following the jailing two of its senior party members. Radio New...

Tearful farewell for West Papuans returning home.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) ---- About 23 families from the Merauke in Papua province, Indonesia who lived at a settlement near NARI farm outside Laloki in Papua and New Guinea (PNG) left for their native home on Friday (01 April). ...

Indonesia says Australia and NZ are part of Asia.
April 5, 2005... O5 APRIL 2005 CANBERRA (Pacnews) ---- Indonesia vowed yesterday to promote Australia's often uneasy role in Asia by pushing for Canberra's inclusion in a new East Asia Summit after it rushed to the aid of its tsunami- and earthquake-devastated...

Port blockade lifted.
April 5, 2005... O5 APRIL 2005 PAPEETE (Pacnews) ---- A five-day blockade of the only access road to the Port of Papeete ended late yesterday afternoon with the announcement of the signing of a protocol agreement, the second since Easter Sunday to resolve the...

Remittances economy grows in the Pacific.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Remittances from Pacific Islanders that migrate overseas represent a vital source of their island nation's export income, said academic, Professor Stewart Firth. For the past 15 years, the leading remittance...

More Police officers recruited into the RSIP.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 HONIARA (Pacnews)----Police cadets of the Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP), Academy have taken their oath of office. Speaking to the Police cadets yesterday, Deputy Police Commissioner Sandie Peisley said that the...

Taiwanese president to visit Kiribati in May.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 TAIPEI (Pacnews) --- Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian says he will visit Kiribati in May. He revealed this during his discussion in Taipei this week with the visiting Kiribati parliamentary speaker, Etera Teangana. ...

Vanuatu imposes another ban on Fiji biscuits.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Vanuatu has imposed a ban on Fiji biscuits for the second time in six months. The move has drawn criticism from a major Fiji exporter, which claims Vanuatu's ban has breached world trade rules and regional...

67 percent of people polled not happy with the political situation in Tahiti.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 PAPEETE (Pacnews) --- A public opinion poll in French Polynesia has found that 67 percent of the people polled were not happy with the political situation in the French overseas country. At the same time, 62 percent were...

HIV / AIDS cases increase in Fiji.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005-SUVA (Pacnews) ---- Fiji has seen an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS positive cases reported to the local medical authorities since January to March this year. 11 news cases were reported to the local authorities taking the...

American Samoan soldier killed in Iraq.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 WASHINGTON (Pacnews) --- The Pentagon says a soldier from American Samoa died in Iraq over the weekend. Staff Sergeant Ioasa Tavae was killed when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire in Mosul. The...

Fiji's Holiday Inn to be sold.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY (Pacnews) --- InterContinental Hotels Group is selling a further 10 hotels in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, pressing on with its strategy to exit hotel ownership, NZ Herald report. The group said the 10 properties...

Australia Unlikely to Raise Autonomy Issue.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY PNG - While Australia has previously backed the special autonomy granted to the Indonesian province of Papua, it is unlikely to raise the matter during the current visit of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. ...

Warm Send-Off for West Papuans.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY PNG - Twenty-three families from Merauke in Papua province, Indonesia, who lived at a settlement near NARI farm outside Laloki left for their native home on Friday. The morning send-off ceremony at Laloki was performed by...

Bishop Wants Death Penalty for Gun Offenders.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY PNG - A prominent clergyman has called for capital punishment for people convicted of gun-related offences. The head of the Gutnius Lutheran Church, Bishop David Piso, said the state had been given the power to enforce the...

Minimum Bets for Pokies Set at 50 Kina.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY PNG - The new minimum bet required at all poker machine throughout PNG is K50 under a law which came into effect on April 1. As a result, many pokies sites throughout NCD were minus their patrons over the weekend as the...

Jail Terms for Four Chiefs.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY FIJI - The Minister of Lands of the current government, Ratu (Chief) Naiqama Lalabalavu has been sentenced to eight-months in jail for his part in the takeover of the Labasa military barracks in 2000. Magistrate...

Heat on PM to Decide Ministers' Fate.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY FIJI - The heat is on Prime Minister Qarase to decide on the future of his Lands minister who has been sentenced to eight months imprisonment for his part in the 2000 uprising. The Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, is...

Fiji Midwives Gain Island Support.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY CNMI - A petition to summon support to retain Fijian midwives in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands (CNMI) is being drafted. It will be circulated throughout the country for Mariana islanders to sign...

Education Minister Takes Action.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY MARSHALL ISLANDS - The government says it will be taking action over the majority of teachers failing a high school English test. Minister of Education Wilfred Kendall says a meeting will be held to discuss options...

2nd Papeete Port Blockade Ends.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY FRENCH POLYNESIA - A five-day blockade of the only access road to the Port of Papeete ended late Sunday afternoon with the announcement of the signing of a protocol agreement, the second AGREEMENT since Easter Sunday in...

Consent and Civil Collaboration Part of New Aid Plan.
April 5, 2005... 05 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY VANUATU - After 18 months of negotiation and taking direction from the Vanuatu government and customary leaders about the type of assistance it requires, the new five-year plan for Australian aid was last week agreed...

Fiji PM yet to decide fate of jailed lands minister.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Fiji's Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase says he will await a legal advice from his attorney general before a decision is made on his jailed lands minister, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu. Ratu Naiqama, also the...

Volcano eruption in the CNMI.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 MELBOURNE (Pacnews) ---- Anatahan volcano in the Northern Marianas has erupted, creating an ash plume more than 15,000 metres high. According to Radio Australia, local authorities said the eruption is the strongest since the...

Stay order for finance minister not to revoke appointments of NPF board members.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 Honiara (Pacnews) ---- Solomon Islands Chief Justice Sir Justice Albert Palmer has granted an interim stay order against the finance minister's decision to revoke the appointment of the current National Provident Fund (NPF) Board...

Australia announces support towards natural disaster emergencies.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 MELBOURNE (Pacnews) ---- The Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bruce Billson announced that Australia will contribute AU$2.5 million a year to a five year programme to save lives and boost Solomon...

Tonga High School celebrates hand-over of new $10m campus.
April 7, 2005... 05 April 2005 NUKU'ALOFA (Pacnews) ---- China has officially handed over a new TOP$10-million (US$5.2 million) Tonga High School campus to the Government of Tonga. Tonga's Minister for Education, Rev Tevita Hala Palefau, accepted the new...

Former ruling party dissidents expelled.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 PAPE'ETE (Pacnews) ---- French Polynesia's former ruling party, Gaston Flosse's Tahoeraa Huiraatira, yesterday expelled two of its former MPs who did not support the party's official candidate at recent Presidential elections. ...

Oceania Football Confederation to convene in Noumea next week.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 NOUMEA (Pacnews) ---- The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is to hold its annual general meeting next week in New Caledonia's capital, Noumea, official sources in the French Pacific territory said this week. Oceania Flash...

Jailed government minister resigns.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Jailed Fijian Minister for Lands Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has resigned from his portfolio. This was after Ratu Naiqama, also the paramount chief of the province Cakaudrove on Fiji's second largest island of...

Forum Secretariat concerned with shipment of radioactive materials.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Forum Secretary General, Greg Urwin, has again expressed concern about the proposed shipment of radioactive materials through parts of the Pacific region. The latest shipment of vitrified residues departed...

Australia aware of PM's travel, says Sir Rabbie.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) --- The necessary arrangements were in place for the visit of the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, to New Zealand and back, including his transit at the Brisbane Airport, Foreign Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu...

PNG Government to invite international observers for Bougainville election.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) -- Papua New Guinea is to issue official invitations for international observers to the first general election for the autonomous Bougainville Government. The decision was made following a joint...

Temaru meets with nuclear test veterans.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 PAPEETE (Pacnews) --- French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru has met separately with officials of the Moruroa e Tatou Association and a French government official in charge of nuclear safety. Association president, Roland...

Nuclear waste shipment to enter Pacific waters.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- A British ship carrying high-level nuclear waste is expected to transit through Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of a number of Pacific States in the next couple of days, Greenpeace Pacific warns. Greenpeace...

French Polynesia's Temaru in New Zealand for private visit.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 PAPE'ETE (Pacnews) --- French Polynesia's President Oscar Temaru has left the country for what is described as a "private visit" to New Zealand. Oceania Flash said President Temaru visited New Zealand on several occasions...

CNMI loses tourists to Guam.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 SAIPAN (Pacnews) --- Unless the Northern Marianas administration and the Legislature get their acts together, the country will continue to lose its share of the tourism market to Guam, Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) said. ...

Rapa Nui risk losing native language and artefacts.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 RAPA NUI (Pacnews) --- The people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) risk losing their native language, valuable artefacts and the integrity of their outstanding stone sculptures, say New Zealand experts who recently visited the world's...

Honour goes to Samoan writer.
April 7, 2005... 07 APRIL 2005 WELINGTON (Pacnews) --- Acclaimed Samoan novelist, poet, and educator, Professor Albert Wendt will receive an honorary doctorate from Victoria University at its May 2005 graduation celebration. Professor Wendt, who is one of...

Concern Over Nuclear Shipments.
April 7, 2005... REGION April 7 (PacNews): Forum Secretary General Greg Urwin has again expressed concern about shipments of radioactive materials travelling through parts of the Pacific region. The latest shipment of vitrified residues left France on the...

Australia Aware of PM's Travel, Says Sir Rabbie.
April 7, 2005... PNG April 7 (PacNews): The necessary arrangements were in place for the visit of Prime Minister Somare to New Zealand and back, including his transit at the Brisbane Airport, according to Foreign Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu. The...

Officers Quiet on ECP Effectiveness.
April 7, 2005... PNG April 7 (PacNews): An investigation by The National into increasing levels of crime in Port Moresby has been met with a wall of silence on the effectiveness of the Assisting Australian Police component of the Enhanced Co-operation...

AAP Acting Chief Lauds Local Media.
April 7, 2005... PNG April 7 (PacNews): Australian Assisting Police Acting Commander Detective Superintendent Bill Quale has praised the local media for excellence in their coverage of police operations in the country. Quale, during the recent opening of...

Dame Carol Blamed for Causing Division.
April 7, 2005... PNG April 7 (PacNews): A former female politician has lashed out at Dame Carol Kidu for causing a division within the National Council of Women. Nahau Rooney, who is now the acting president of the National Council of Women (NCW), has...

Prisoner Shot 4 Times.
April 7, 2005... SOLOMON IS April 7 (PacNews): A man who was murdered at Rove Prison while on remand in November 2000 was ordered to sit on the ground, put his hands up, and then shot four times the High Court was told yesterday. "These shots did not kill...

Agriculture Scam Probe Moves Ahead.
April 7, 2005... FIJI April 7 (PacNews): Five former government employees have been implicated in an alleged fraud in the Agriculture ministry which cost the national coffers over $30 million dollars. Police spokeswoman, Unaisi Vuniwaqa, says the files of...

Ministry Sets Guideline For New University.
April 7, 2005... FIJI April 7 (PacNews): The University of Fiji has been given guidelines to follow if it is to remain operational. Education Minister Ro Teimumu Kepa said that it is now up to the newly formed varsity to adhere to the guidelines. ...

Jailed Minister Resigns.
April 7, 2005... FIJI April 7 (PacNews): Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has resigned as Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources. He resignation was announced in a statement from the Prime Minister, who visited Lalabalavu in jail Wednesday. The resignation is...

Record Eruption for Volcano.
April 7, 2005... CNMI April 7 (PacNews): The latest eruption of Anatahan volcano has sent ash to a record altitude of 50,000 ft. with the plume extending south and darkening the sky over Saipan and Tinian yesterday. Dusk appeared to have descended on the...

PNG steps up diplomatic pressure on Australia over PM incident.
April 8, 2005... 08 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) --- Papua New Guinea (PNG) has suspended Australia's assistance programme because Canberra has refused to apologise for the security search of the Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare. The Australian High...

FNPF to host Tongan prime minister.
April 8, 2005... 08 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Fiji's National Provident Fund will host Tongan Prime Minister, Prince Ulukalala Lavaka Ata in Suva today in his capacity as chairman of the Retirement Fund Board of Tonga Radio Fiji reports that Prince...

Australian NSW MPs set to scrap oath of allegiance to Queen.
April 8, 2005... 08 APRIL 2005 SYDNEY (Pacnews) --- Australia's oldest parliament is set to scrap the requirement for its members to swear allegiance to the Queen when they are elected. Instead, under a bill passed by the NSW Legislative Assembly today,...

Bougainville to see close race for president.
April 8, 2005... 08 APRIL 2005 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) --- A close contest is anticipated for the post of President for the Bougainville Autonomous Government in next month's election. Current Governor and long-serving Member of Parliament John Momis and...

New lands minister sworn in.
April 8, 2005... 08 APRIL 2005 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Fiji's Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase has appointed a member of the Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua (CAMV), Samisoni Tikoinasau as the new lands minister, replacing Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, who was jailed...