PACIFIC BRIEFS New bill to stop Samoan Child Labour

SAMOA – A senior Samoa government official is hoping a new bill will help stop children working illegally as street traders and on farms.

Currently, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 15 to work during school hours, but there are no laws covering any other time. The acting chief executive of the Ministry of Women, Culture and Social Development, Louisa Apelu, says the government is still working on the bill’s intricacies. “Given all the issues that have been raised so far with compulsory education and also children selling things out on the streets late at night that’s also part of the issues that are being addressed through the protected mechanisms addressed in this bill at this stage” Apelu says the government hopes to have the bill tabled with Cabinet within the next few months.

American Samoan priests to pay tax

AMERICAN SAMOa – The American Samoan Tax Office says it will now be taxing church pastors, priests and other clergy who earn income. The Tax Office manager, Richard Jimmerson, says it will be the first time the government will be collecting taxes from church ministers. Jimmerson says money that parishioners give to the church is still exempt and pastors who take a vow of poverty will be exempt. He says his office has visited most of the churches to explain the changes. “If the minister is paid money for conducting services, either at the church or conducting other traditional services such as weddings, funerals, government activities and he is provided with money, that is income and that is taxable.”

OUSTED PM TO CONTEST ELECTION RESULT

SOLOMON ISLANDS – The former Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo, who lost his seat in last year’s election, has filed an election petition against his successor, Jimson Fiau Tanangada. The Island Sun Newspaper says Lilo’s petition is one of 15 scheduled for a pre-trial conference at the High Court next Thursday. Of the 15, four have been filed by MPs who lost their seats and 11 by other losing candidates. The paper says most petitions allege bribery, treating and undue influence. Since independence 36 years ago, only a handful of election petitions have been successful and only one has resulted in the mover winning a subsequent by-election.

police to sink Vietnamese fishing boat

WEST PAPUA – Police in West Papua say they will sink a Vietnamese-flagged vessel caught allegedly fishing illegally in the province’s waters. The West Papua Police Chief Brigadier General Paulus Waterpauw told The Jakarta Post that fishermen proved guilty of stealing resources will be brought to justice, as a deterrant. He says special measures have been taken to sink the foreign boat. The police say they found over ,2000 kilograms of shark fins, 45 turtles, five manta rays, 586 manta fins, a gill net and 3.5 kilograms of formalin powder to preserve fish. 12 Vietnamese citizens were on board the KM Thank Cong when it was seized. Two have been named suspects, including the captain, while the others are still under investigation.

GUARD’S HAND CUT OFF BY BANK ROBBERS

SOLOMON ISLANDS – A US$500,000 bank robbery in the Solomon Islands ended with a maimed security guard, a car crash and three arrests on Monday. The Solomon Star reports two security guards have been hospitalised after the incident, which occurred in the heart of the city in broad daylight. The masked robbers attacked the guards with machetes as they wheeled two boxes of cash out of the Westpac Bank. One of the guards had his hand cut off at the wrist as he tried to defend himself. Police pursued the men in a car and arrested three of the four suspects an hour later, when the getaway car veered off the road, overturned and crashed. Police Commissioner Frank Prendergast says one of the boxes was broken and the fourth suspect escaped with an amount of money, reportedly about $50,000 US dollars.