More Top Stories
Cook Islands passport proposal
6 January 2025
Top cop position advertised
7 December 2024
Police need numbers and bigger budget
9 December 2024
Niki Rattle: A call for stronger human rights protections
10 December 2024
Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill referred to Parliament committee
10 December 2024
DPM defends CIIC finance and travel policies
6 December 2024
Cook Islands has its first mosque
14 November 2024
CI Muslim opens up about her faith and journey
16 November 2024
RAC to address mosque legality
19 November 2024
I don’t expect much change: PM Brown on US Elections
6 November 2024
Fifth weekly Sydney flight to Rarotonga announced
23 October 2024
CIIC directors seek $350,000 in damages over defamatory claims
21 October 2024
Man found guilty of rape, burglary
24 September 2024
Tenants face water bill burden
8 October 2024
Concerns over Minister’s role in inmate work releases: PAC
5 October 2024
Tourism contribution set to surpass half-billion dollar mark
25 September 2024
Parliament Clerk sparks outrage over deep sea mining statement
23 September 2024
Deep sea dilemma: Cook Islanders weigh the cost of mineral riches
21 September 2024
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
Cook Islands deep sea mining poll sparks controversy
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Rising seas, rising costs: Climate impacts on Cook Islands economy
2 September 2024
Inflation eases but concerns remain
31 August 2024
Prime Minister defends $659,000 MPs travel bill
23 August 2024
Taxpayers foot $659,000 bill for MPs travel and allowance
22 August 2024
Corruption report exposes ‘bribe and sexual favours’
17 January 2023
PM Brown eager to hand over Forum chair role to Tonga
13 August 2024
Challenging ‘rape culture’
8 July 2024
Articles by Utopia Support
The inspiration of the Scriptures
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Church Talk
OUR STUDY of Christian doctrine has brought us to three great truths:
Whale team hits a record
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Local
The WHALE team has reached a new whale research record.
PM's nephew loses appeal against conviction
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Politics
Prime Minister Henry Puna’s nephew lost his appeal against a conviction for trawling shopping malls for young women and filming up their skirts.
Issues 'off the radar,' says Turia
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Politics
Issues surrounding the filing of declaratory orders by the coalition opposition are “off the public radar,” says spokesperson George Turia
MPs reminded to turn talk on SDGs into action
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Regional
PACIFIC – Pacific MPs have been given a stern reminder of their responsibility to inform their people at a conference on sexual health in New Zealand.
Church could face abuse lawsuits next week
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Regional
GUAM – Lawsuits are set to be slapped on the Catholic Church in Guam after legislation was passed allowing child sexual abuse survivors to sue at any time.
Samoan fencers say 'en garde'
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Regional
SAMOA – Samoa will make its international fencing debut at the Oceania Under 20 Championships in New Zealand this week.
Fiji MP kicked out for the duration
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Regional
Opposition member apologises but denies racism
Fiji's Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi dies
Friday 30 September 2016 | Published in Regional
FIJI – Nauru’s chief justice and a former Fiji vice president, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, has passed away.
Takuvaine hoping for a rebound
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Football
After getting thumped by Puaikura last week, Takuvaine will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways in the Rarotonga football Round Cup Championship.
Elikana keen to learn
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Football
FIVE DAYS into the Oceania Football Confederation B Licence coaching course, Cook Islands U-17 women’s assistant coach Tahiri Elikana is looking forward to taking his new knowledge home to improve the quality of coaching here.
Cronk, Taumalolo best of year
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in League
COOPER Cronk (Melbourne Storm) and Jason Taumalolo (North Queensland Cowboys) have tied for rugby league's prestigious Dally M medal.
Just read that Act
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
RE THE smoke signal “A question and another”, published in CI News recently.
Roading decisions call for answers
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
IT WAS great to read about the Minister of Finance announcing the $8 million-dollar commitment to the island’s road network over the next four years.
Shark cull plan 'disgusting'
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
IF IT is true, then news that the Cook Islands government is planning a shark cull in Tongareva, and has supported an ongoing shark cull in Pukapuka, is disgusting.
Call to reveal the secrets of pokie machines
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Regional
AUSTRALIA – Three federal politicians are calling on Australians to leak secret information relating to the poker machine industry.
Relocated villagers want to hear the truth
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Regional
SAMOA – A community in Samoa is demanding the truth from the government as to why their village has to be relocated. The government said the village needs to be moved because of climate change – but some say its to make way for a new waterfront development. “The government’s decision to relocate Sogi residents – which has led to a legal action – is not only unfair, it is also insincere,” the president of the environmental group, O Le Si’osi’omaga Society, Fiu Mataese Elisara, said. Fiu is urging Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi to tell the truth as to why they have evicted people from Sogi. “The government is using climate change as an excuse and the main reason why they asked the people to relocate,” Fiu told the Samoa Observer. “It seems that there is a conflict in the reasoning by the government when in fact they are actually talking about the waterfront project. “The decision seems insincere. They’ve used climate change as an excuse at the same time, they are planning to develop the Apia waterfront project and it contradicts their decision. “They should tell the people the truth and say that they are asking Sogi to relocate because of the waterfront project and not because of climate change. They need to be honest with the people of Sogi,” he said. Fiu, who is a strong advocate for indigenous rights, said he understands the government has the power to take away people’s land under the Taking of Land’s Act 1964 to remove people from their lands for public purposes.” However, Fiu warns that the decision for the people of Sogi to relocate will have a huge impact socially. “The decision will surely cause stress for the people of Sogi,” he said. “No one is doing an analysis or a research on the impact assessment of resettlement. A lot of global policies we have now require the donors who have projects involving people, to carry out an environment impact assessment. But they also need to look at the social impact assessment and how it affects the mentality of the people. “These people have been there for hundred years. That community is made up of generations and generations from a hundred years ago. That is home for them. “And if we ask them to relocate, that’s violating their rights and that’s an element of injustice, because they finalised their decision without adequately consulting the people first.” Fiu believes that with this decision the people who have been living together as a community will be divided. “This community has been a very closed-community for years, asking them to leave will divide the community.” Adaptation is another challenge the residents will face if they relocate, said Fiu. “If they move out of Sogi, it will take them time to adapt to this new place, new lifestyle and new environment,” he said. “It’ll be just like a life of a new born baby – it’s going to be hard for them.” “The other thing is, most of these people have families and relatives buried at Sogi. This is going to be one major issue for these people.” “Again, this needs to be covered during a social impact assessment. Unfortunately, they don’t carry out researches on the impact of these decisions and projects on people.” One family in Sogi village is taking legal action over government moves to relocate them. The government said it was moving people because of the threat they face from climate change as much of the town is low lying. Some of the families in Sogi were settled there generations ago after their ancestors had been brought there by the country’s then German colonial masters. Ownership of the land was eventually vested in them but a 76-year-old member of one the affected families, Nanai Liu Tokuma, said the government is violating his family’s rights to own and live on the land. The government has maintained that its decision to move families in Sogi village, including the Tokuma family, is final. But Nanai said the government’s plans had less to do with concerns about climate change and more to do with the plans of business people to develop the area. The decision by the government to relocate residents of Sogi was initially announced in 2011. The government then offered families a quarter acre of land at Falelauniu which they will lease to own at just over $30,000 and $3000 cash to relocate. Many families at Sogi have taken up the offer. But many others have refused. A 30-day notice given to residents at Sogi to relocate expired on May 5 this year. Earlier, an elderly mother, Tala Leiataua, issued a heartfelt plea to the prime minister: “We’re ready to face the consequences but we want to be buried on this land. Tuilaepa, this land is where our grave is. This is where we belong. I ask the government to dig a hole and throw us all in there. I’d rather die and be buried on the land my ancestors passed down to us.” - PNC sources
Struggles of albino Fijians documented
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Regional
FIJI – Fiji is a country that attracts many tourists seeking to bask in its abundance of sunshine, but for a significant number of Fijian locals, sunlight is something they try their best to avoid.
Hawai'i group welcomes recognition
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Regional
HAWAI‘I – A prominent native Hawaiian says moves to allow the state’s indigenous population to choose whether to form a unified government is a huge development.
West Papuan lives matter, UN told
Thursday 29 September 2016 | Published in Regional
WEST PAPUA – Solomon Islands has called on Indonesia to substantiate allegations that Pacific nations are fabricating information when citing human rights violations in West Papua.
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