Regional
Tonga tourism chasing ambitious targets
Wednesday 8 February 2017 | Published in Regional
TONGA – Tonga’s government has doubled the earnings goals for the tourism sector in the hope that it will play a bigger part in building a strong economy.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 8/2/2017
Wednesday 8 February 2017 | Published in Regional
FUGITIVE US SAILOR TO BE EXTRADITED TONGA – The federal court in Honolulu has allowed the extradition of an American man wanted for the murder of his wife in Tonga.
168 asylum seekers to be deported - PNG starts arrangements to send non-refugees home
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Papua New Guinea government is finalising arrangements to deport 168 asylum seekers from the Australian run camp on Manus Island back to their home countries.
Media ban remains in force
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A ban on local and international journalists having access to the Manus Regional Processing Centre and the Manus Transit Centre is still in place, Acting Immigration chief migration officer Solomon Kantha said.
PNG cabinet ministers accused of fraud
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
Papua NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has announced that two of his cabinet ministers are standing aside pending a probe into their involvement in alleged fraud.
Media ban at marae 'juvenile' says Peters
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – A media ban at Waitangi’s Te Tii marae was “juvenile” and “silly” and showed how out of touch its trustees were, said New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
PM English pays tribute to Ngati Whatua at Orakei
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – Prime Minister Bill English has acknowledged Ngati Whatua and the occupation of Bastion Point at Waitangi Day commemorations in Auckland.
$300m worth of cocaine intercepted on Kiwi yacht
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
AUSTRALIA – A New Zealand-registered boat, seized off the coast of New South Wales, is at the centre of a huge cocaine bust.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 7/2/2016
Tuesday 7 February 2017 | Published in Regional
ASIANS SURVEYED ON SAFETY CONCERNS
Concerns over brothel for PNG's Manus
Monday 6 February 2017 | Published in Regional
Papua New Guinea – Concerns are being raised over a proposed brothel for asylum seekers on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 6/2/2017
Monday 6 February 2017 | Published in Regional
CHURCH FACES $60 million in payouts
Fiji 'bungled' human rights opportunity
Monday 6 February 2017 | Published in Regional
FIJI – Fiji has bungled an opportunity to improve its human rights record after it forcibly deported a young refugee seeking asylum according to Amnesty International.
Bishop believes deal is still on
Monday 6 February 2017 | Published in Regional
Australia – Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says US officials are continuing to interview asylum seekers in Nauru as part of the refugee deal with America, despite lingering uncertainty over the agreement.
Tension over refugee deal mounts
Monday 6 February 2017 | Published in Regional
Papua New Guinea – Police in Papua New Guinea are requesting extra officers be sent to Manus Island to deal with asylum seekers at Australia’s offshore detention centre.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 4/2/2016
Sunday 5 February 2017 | Published in Regional
POHIVA BELIEVES HE HAS THE NUMBERS TONGA – Tonga’s Prime Minister says he believes he has the numbers to easily defeat a proposed motion of no-confidence. The motion was submitted this week and signed by seven Noble Representatives and three People’s MPs including former Deputy Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu and sacked Internal Affairs Minister Fe’ao Vakata. ‘Akilisi Pohiva said he continued to have the majority support of the 26-member parliament. The motion is currently before the Parliamentary Privileges Standing Committee before a date for the motion is announced. Pohiva said he wanted to know on what basis the motion had been submitted. “The most interesting element of the motion is to see, to know the grounds for the motion. What are the allegations provided in the motion? These are the things we are waiting for.” REPORTER ATTACKED OUTSIDE COURT FIJI – The Fijian Media Association says people need to respect, appreciate and understand the hard work of journalists. Its general secretary Stanley Simpson made the comment after a Fiji Sun reporter was attacked by a relative of an accused person at the Suva Magistrates Court. The reporter was taking videos of the three accused persons when the man walked towards her, grabbed and threatened her. Simpson said the association strongly condemned such acts committed against journalists. He said Fiji was a democratic country and people needed to know how hard journalists worked to get the news out under trying circumstances. RALLY CALLS FOR SEIZURE OF WEAPONS NEW CALEDONIA – Two hundred people rallied outside the French High Commission in New Caledonia yesterday over the lack of security south of Noumea. The road past St Louis has been repeatedly closed by police in recent months after people travelling on the road were targeted by gunmen. A delegation from a residents’ association was received by the High Commission and assured that the curfew to close the road at night will be lifted next week if the situation remains calm. The demonstrators also called for arms in circulation in St Louis to be seized. In the latest attacks last Sunday, bullets pierced the armour of police vehicles and injured two officers. SAMOA LAUNCHES CYBER SECURITY PLAN SAMOA – Samoa has launched a five-year national cyber security plan. The minister of communication and information technology Afamasaga Rico Tupa’i said government and the business sector should work together to protect the development of the country’s economy from cyber attacks. He is challenging the country to volunteer to help government to protect and fight against cyber crimes. Tupa’i said the plan was to help Samoa innovate online.“It’s a concrete step towards a safer Samoa. It’s an initiative to ensure that your information is safely guarded and that your privacy and security is top priority of government,” he said.
Pregnant woman flown from Nauru
Sunday 5 February 2017 | Published in Regional
NAURU – A heavily pregnant woman being held at the offshore processing centre on Nauru has been flown to Australia for treatment.
Stripped naked during police raid
Sunday 5 February 2017 | Published in Regional
SUVA – A Fijian couple have lodged a complaint against police for allegedly stripping them naked in public during a drug raid at the market in Labasa.
Escaped refugee deported from Fiji
Sunday 5 February 2017 | Published in Regional
FIJI – An Iranian refugee who fled from Manus Island to Fiji seeking asylum has been deported back to Papua New Guinea.
Where to for ailing Wellington Sevens event
Tuesday 31 January 2017 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – The Wellington sevens are officially in jeopardy. New Zealand Rugby has acknowledged that the tournament may not survive in the capital, with executive member Nigel Cass saying there were just 20,000 for the latest tournament at Westpac Stadium.
No commitment to swap a single refugee
Tuesday 31 January 2017 | Published in Regional
AUSTRALIA – The United States could resettle none of the refugees from the Australian-run immigration detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru and still be upholding a swap deal it has struck with Australia, according to publicly known details.
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