PACIFIC BRIEFS 7/2/2016

ASIANS SURVEYED ON SAFETY CONCERNS

TONGA – Tonga police officers are currently meeting with Asian business people in the outer islands as part of a survey to find out what security and safety concerns they have. Tonga police set up Taskforce Operation Great Wall late last year in response to a spate of violent attacks on Asian business people. Crimes committed against Asians account for three per cent of reported incidents, but there is concern about the seriousness of many of the offences. Deputy Commissioner Pelenatita Fe’ao Vaisuai said they want to make sure all the citizens of Tonga are safe. She said the survey was designed to find out about safety issues and challenges that are specific to the Asian community.

COCAINE SMUGGLERS SENT TO FRANCE

SAMOA – Police in French Polynesia are transferring four suspected drug smugglers to France after arresting them in possession of more than 1.4 tonnes of cocaine last month. The four, including a French citizen, were arrested within a week on two separate yachts owned by a Frenchman. The public broadcaster said the four were escorted by 12 police officer and flown out on scheduled aircraft bound for Paris. The prosecutor in Tahiti said the four could face jail terms of up to 30 years. Two of them were arrested off the Marquesas Islands and two in Tahiti after being stopped with a total of 1438 kilograms of cocaine which is reportedly worth about $US57 million. The prosecutor, Herve Leroy said for the South Pacific the haul was unprecedented in its size and showed that French Polynesia was a transit area for drugs sent to Australia and New Zealand.

CALL FOR BETEL NUT BAN ON MINORS

NORTHERN MARIANAS – A lawmaker wants the legislature to amend a law that makes it illegal for minors to buy betel nut in the Northern Marianas to now include those grown by private landowners. The law banning the sale, offer, or giving of betel nut to minors or persons under 18 years old came into force last year. Its goal is to curb the rampant sale and easy access of betel nut to minors in stores. Joseph Leepan Guerrero, however, is concerned about landowners who have betel nut trees at their homes. He said the new law does not cover these people and minors can easily obtain betel nuts from them.

TUVALU LAUDED FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FOCUS

TUVALU – The Secretariat of the Pacific Community says Tuvalu is leading the way in the Pacific by establishing a national plan on human rights. Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga spearheaded the plan, which aims to enshrine human rights in the country’s development priorities. The Pacific Community’s senior human rights advisor, Romulo Nayacalevu, said Tuvalu is the first country in the Pacific to launch such a document. Nayacalevu said human rights include not only civil and political rights but also access to water, education, and health care. “Sometimes we think of human rights as just abstracts on paper but the reality of human rights is everything that we are dealing with in life to have a better life - a life of dignity and humanity.” Tuvalu’s plan is the result of consultation with government departments, NGOs and communities to identify its priorities.

STRIP SEARCHED COUPLE ARRESTED

FIJI – The Fijian couple who claimed they were allegedly stripped naked by police at theLabasa town market, have been arrested. Spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said the couple were interviewed and released. “I can confirm that they were brought in, interviewed and released,” she said. The couple – Ranjita Devi and Arendra Kumar – claimed last week that police allegedly stripped them naked during a drug raid at the Labasa Market on January 21. “They questioned us about the interview I gave to the media,” Devi said. “We were kept at the station for the whole day and the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre boss Shamima Ali came to the station and she was helpful.” The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission has labelled the arrest of the couple in Labasa as an act of intimidation. Commission director Ashwin Raj an independent arm of police should be in charge of the investigation into the alleged strip search.