tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25943973733637518992024-02-19T04:42:52.704-05:00Pasifik Wantoks InternationalDuran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-56924356074931554052018-09-28T02:04:00.003-04:002021-10-20T22:06:16.785-04:00Welcome back to this blog 28 September 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To my valuable readers,<br />
<br />
Over the past year, since the passing away of my uncle, Dykes Momoka Angiki, I decided - out of respect - not to engage in any shape or form of journalism. It was my form of respect during this time, to mourn the loss of someone, whom I had greater respect for him as an uncle, relative, father-figure, professional colleague, mentor, advisor and friend. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Our bond was a special one. As a young kid, who spent my entire childhood years growing up in the village and subsequently moving to the city as a teenager, the new environment was difficult. But my desire to gain an education led to my decision to move from my simple life style in the village to Honiara to attend junior high school and later employment. <br /><br />My uncle played a huge role in guiding me throughout those early years of my life in the national capital. A time, I also witnessed his unwavering dedication to the development of journalism and media freedom in the country. <br /><br />During those years, I accidently joined the media industry, a career path that I had never dreamt it would be possible. But fate led me here through the hands of God and the help and advise of a young professional broadcasting journalist.<br />
<br />
As a nephew, his loss was unbearable. <br />
<br />In our Polynesian culture - the least I could do is to cease working as an act of respect. Through thick and thin, he was always there for me. He was my staunchest supporter and harshest critic. <br /><br />We struggle against all odds in a nation where we were among the first in our ethnic Polynesia minority group of Mungiki and Munghaba (Bellona and Rennell Islands) to join the mainstream news media. It was at a time when Melanesian prejudice, racism, discrimination and other isms against our Polynesian ethnic minority group were and are still a problem.<br /><br />It worsens during the ethnic conflict in Solomon Islands between 1998 to 2003. The conflict was between two ethnic Melanesian armed militia groups: Guadalcanal militants and Malaita armed militia. But we were targeted by the armed criminal thugs, and their leadership and some of their educated elites due to our ethnic background and our determination to report the truth.<br />
<br />
Being from one family and working in the nation's mainstream media was both a pride and a curse. We were easy targets because of our profile in the local and regional media. Despite the challenges, regular harassment and death threats by armed thugs and crooked politicians, we hang on to our dear lives and career with pride and dignity. At different stages of the conflict, we were accused, harassed, bullied, attacked and ridiculed publicly by armed militia leaders, opportunists, corrupt politicians and their criminal armed thugs, sympathizers, lawyers, cronies and even colleagues. It took a personal toll on us and our family. The situation was and still unbearable. But thank God, we'd never allowed corrupt politicians, armed thugs and their cronies to intimidate us into submission and compromising our professional credibility.<br />
<br />
Despite this huge sense of loss, I will continue to ensure that his legacy remains a shining light to my own career path and professional aspirations. As of today, I've decided to re-engage with my professional side of life, journalism, after a year now. Hopefully with time, the pain will subside. In memory of my dear uncle, Songi ou ba'e kipo'ungi.<br />
<br />
'Aue (thank you).</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-8252794616567636662016-07-15T02:37:00.000-04:002019-11-18T08:51:31.431-05:00Solomon Islands fatigue of corruption, what next?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Recently, Transparency Solomon Islands International revealed that the current government had paid less than $SID15m to a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) and bogus companies under a shipping project. The news had not only led to a strong condemnation by the Opposition Leader of the government but a request for the government to investigate the allegation.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">What is more interesting about this case is the manner by which the media, public, and the government had responded to the allegation. It appears to be business as usual. In the past, such a case would generate huge public interests and media backlash. But now, no one seems to care. It is business as usual. And no one knows whether the lack of interests by the public and media, in this case, is a sign of fatigue or something else. Whichever way one looks at this issue, it is a sad reflection of a nation that is now hanging on a cotton trade and fatigue of corruption.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Blatant corruption by successive governments, Prime Ministers and Members of Parliament, including those in the current government, has no longer surprised anybody and nor an exception to the rules. Corruption is now the new norm in the administration of the Solomon Islands government. Prior to the ethnic conflict between 1998 to 2003, allegations of corrupt against government officials and politicians were treated as serious matters. There was a genuine hope that alleged perpetrators of corruption would be brought to justice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Fast forward that same case to today's environment. When an allegation of corruption is made against an MP or PM or official, the chances of that official or politician to be tried in a court of law is next to zero. The issue is not whether or not the allegation is true or false, but how close is the accused to the center of political power. I guess the issue that might generates some public excitement is how big or small is the amount? And if so, is the amount bigger than other amounts looted by previous governments, MPs, and PMs? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I have known for a fact that majority of public servants in Solomon Islands are honest and decent people, who have pride and credibility to protect. The problem now is - the public service is highly politicized and compromised that honest public servants are no longer willing to take action against cases of corruption within the system. Since the conflict until today, a new culture of corruption has blossomed and perpetrators are getting bolder every year. Honest public servants are no longer the pride and assets of the country. They are now considered as threats to politicians and their interests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Over the past 10 to 15 years, honest public servants had been intimidated and sidelined from promotions, while corrupt public servants and cronies of politicians had been given positions, promoted and progressed through the ranks. It gave corrupt politicians and their networks a clear power to intimidate honest public servants. Our only hope as a nation, moving into the future, is the media and the judicial system (courts, judges, magistrates, the police) are not corrupt. But no one is certain whether or not it isn't happening.</span></div>
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</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-55592796502558537782015-09-15T01:38:00.000-04:002019-11-18T08:35:11.419-05:00Former logger in the Solomon Islands becomes Ozzie PM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmZIW2mj-TeMSrEodPTNok4OwZupyzvBli1lQQjUg5HUPW2bkVT3hB7OT8IiokckFUyN_0u2pv5fd5c3F_PlXjpvDjn05KWuW6cMccMt4sFb5CKcdOCU3TCPjZGZI2sF6JuA50VraU6Td/s1600/Turnbull.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmZIW2mj-TeMSrEodPTNok4OwZupyzvBli1lQQjUg5HUPW2bkVT3hB7OT8IiokckFUyN_0u2pv5fd5c3F_PlXjpvDjn05KWuW6cMccMt4sFb5CKcdOCU3TCPjZGZI2sF6JuA50VraU6Td/s320/Turnbull.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turnbull (left) and Abbott (right) in good time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A former
logging operator in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands is now the new
Prime Minister of Australia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Malcolm
Turnbull’s connection to the Solomon Islands logging industry began in the late 1980s . Turnbull
and Nick Minchin, the former retired Finance Minister of Australia in 2002,
were the principal investors in Axiom Logging Company. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The logging company
was carrying out a logging operation in Vella La Vella Island, Western Province,
Solomon Islands, and had its head-office in a building directly opposite, the
current office of the Solomon Star English newspaper at New China Town,
Honiara.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">One of the
former company senior account clerks in Honiara during that time had also named
his young son as Turnbull. During those years, Turnbull was a banker and
investor. He partly built his wealth and empire in Sydney, through the destruction
of Vela La Vella Island’s rainforest, streams, wild life, gardening land and fishing
ground. The logging operation was later sold. Since then, several Asians logging
companies have been operating on the island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Turnbull is one
of the few millionaires in Australia, who had successfully launched a political
career. He became the Leader of Opposition in 2008 to 2009, but overthrown by
Tony Abbott in an internal party revolt over Turnbull’s support for climate
change policies of then Kevin Rudd-led government. During the Liberal Party tussle for the then leader’s position, Abbott won by 42-41 votes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Turnbull
subsequently announced his intention to quit politics, but immediately enticed
by former Prime Minister, John Howard, to remain in politics. He immediately withdrawn
his intention and Abbott embraced Turnbull and gave him a shadow cabinet
position in his Opposition-front bench.<br />
<br />
Following the 2013 federal election, where Toney Abbott successfully won the
election for the Liberal Party, after two terms in the Opposition bench, Turnbull
was given the Ministerial position of Communication. But after two years of the
Abbott-led government failure to revamp the Australian ailing economy and 30
straight bad polling results, which indicated that if a national election was
held yesterday, an Abbott led government would be annulled by the Labour Party.<br />
<br />
The bad polling results and Abbott’s refusal to support a number of key
progressive policies led Turnbull and many of his colleagues to challenge
for the leadership of the Liberal Party and Prime Ministership. In a spilt over
motion last night after resigning as a cabinet minister four hours earlier. He
successfully revenged his dumping in 2009 by Abbott in yet another leadership
contest by 54-44 votes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Turnbull is the
current Member of the Federal Parliament for Wentworth, Eastern suburbs,
Sydney, NSW. The constituency of Wentworth covers some of the wealthiest suburbs
in East Sydney, included Kings Cross, Bondi junction and beach, Potts Point,
Rose Bay, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, Point Piper, Tamarama,
Bronte, Clovelly and many more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The above suburbs are along the coastline of Eastern
Sydney and famous around the world for their beautiful sandy beaches and
multimillion dollars sea view real estates, housing apartments and properties.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">According to News Limited reports, Turnbull wealth is worth $180m and he is currently living in a mansion valued at $50m.</span></div>
</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-3217451429779630512015-08-21T02:32:00.001-04:002019-11-18T08:36:50.752-05:00Miners accused of bribing former Prime Minister<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZwN_KqU5uPAj85xJbV_KCHHYZTdwQpJSx6AmMjADk5ccjLKMwGIAqmiVAZsAjwHE7MTXOT0XRaevKSr_EKK7imH7R1N3z2War8gx7DPT8UdYuPS0lxWhAIs4V2LxPaCrU2mhRoQjXLGB/s1600/7961846056_053c4da2b2_z%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZwN_KqU5uPAj85xJbV_KCHHYZTdwQpJSx6AmMjADk5ccjLKMwGIAqmiVAZsAjwHE7MTXOT0XRaevKSr_EKK7imH7R1N3z2War8gx7DPT8UdYuPS0lxWhAIs4V2LxPaCrU2mhRoQjXLGB/s320/7961846056_053c4da2b2_z%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beauty of the 'Avatai o Mugava (West Rennell Coastline)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The former Prime Minister of Solomon Islands and former
Minister of Energy, Mines and Minerals with top bureaucrats are accused of receiving
briberies to grant prospect and mining licences to two Asian companies, including the one now the sole owner of West Rennell mining tenement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Asia Pacific Investment Development (APID) has been
accused in the local media and various social media forums of bribing former
Prime Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo, of directing the Ministry of Energy, Mines
and Minerals to grant the permits to APID, despite the abnormality of the process and the existence of fake document in the core applications of APID and a rival company, Bingtang.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The alleged fake-document by both companies includes land-maps, doctoring
and plagiarising prospect mining results previously carried out by a Japanese
company on Rennell Island in 1970s, producing lists of landowning groups, which had never signed up their land, and producing reports of public meetings in
West Rennell, which were non-existence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite the abnormality of the process and documentations, the former
Prime Minister allegedly directed the former Minister, Permanent Secretary, Director and Board of Mines, to proceed with granting
the licences (prospect and mining).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">According to former Provincial Secretary of Rennell
and Bellona Province, Willie Peseika, the above allegations had led to his
decision to sue the government for corrupting the process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But Peseika defended the action of his former boss and
premier, Lence Tango, of similar allegations of using a rival Asian mining company, Bingtang, to pay
$4 million of their extravagance life-style in one of the country’s five-star hotels,
Heritage Park, in mid-2014.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">After almost a year following the controversy, the
former sacked provincial secretary, Willie Peseika, who is also using the alias
Agiki P Baiabe in the social media forum, Rennell and Bellona Province, said there
was nothing wrong about the unofficial transaction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The multi-million-dollar hotel bill led to the
down-fall of Premier Tango, following the resignation of his former Deputy, Puangongo
Tepuke, with two other members of his executive. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Following the resignation of the members, Premier
Tango, refused to resign. He then allegedly using Bingtang to secretly offered
$250,000.00 each to the former executive members. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But when Tango’s attempted bribery failed, he allegedly requested
the former Prime Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo, who was also a close friend of
Tango, to abolish the executive power of Rennell and Bellona Province. Tango’s
move was intended to prevent the new group from taking over power. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lilo, who had allegedly received about one-million
dollars SID) payment from the Asian investors, obligated and
suspended the provincial government of Rennell and Bellona and handed over the
executive power to the Minister of Provincial government.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But in a twist of fate, the government also terminated
the employment of former Provincial Secretary, Peseika, for acting outside of
his administrative role by taking a court case against the government in the
High Court. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Peseika now claimed that the court case was to protect
his land and people of West Rennell from government corrupt practices in granting
APID’s prospect and mining licences over his preferred company, Bingtang. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The unofficial $4m hotel bill was initially revealed
by the local media based on an investigation into the unprecedented accommodation
by former premier Tango and his secretary in the hotel for almost five months.
APID was and still accommodating a few selected landowners and supporters in
hotels and motels in Honiara until today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The former secretary revealed that the $4m hotel bill
had also included funds that he had used to help over 7,000 people of
Rennell and Bellona Province, who were regular visitors of the hotel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But Peseika’s boastful revelation about the number of
people, whom he had claimed to assist during that time, defied
the population statistics of Rennell and Bellona Islands, which is 4, 000 in
both Honiara and the two islands – according to the 2006 census estimate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Asians, who were financing the former premier and
his sacked secretary were Indonesian Directors of Bingtang, which was applying for
prospect and mining licences from the central government and province executive to
carryout mining for bauxite mineral in West Rennell Island.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Back then, the former Premier and his hand-pick-political
appointed secretary, Peseika, were not only accommodated at the hotel, but they
were also working as middlemen of Bingtang, in their attempt to secure prospect
and mining licences, and access permit to Rennell Island.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Last week, Peseika admitted that during that time, he
sued the Solomon Islands government for corruptly processing and accepting APID’s
prospect and mining application, which led to its sole ownership of the mining
tenement in West Rennell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He claimed that he had paid $5,000.00 for the initial fee
of the court-case, but later said $20,000.00, which is highly suspicious
considering Peseika’s current earning power as an ordinary secondary school teacher,
following his sacking by the government mid-last year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When Peseika was pressed to explain how an ordinary
teacher could afford to take the Solomon Islands government to court
considering his meagre wage, he abused those who had questioned his version of
events, while boasting that he had money to pursue the case.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Peseika claimed that the former premier had the right
to get money from Bingtang, on the basis that he is one of the land owners
of the tenement, which Bingtang had applied to carry out prospect mining on
Rennell Island.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The former Premier and his secretary were openly
supporting the application of Bingtang and facilitating the administrative
paper work, despite the apparent forgery of the maps and document that the
company had used to be the basis of its application.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Peseika did not deny his role and involvement of the
former premier in pushing for Bingtang to get a prospect licence, but furious
that members of the forum were not questing the activities of APID. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But when he was pressed to explain his role over the hotel
bill controversy, he admitted his involvement in negotiating and promoting
Bingtang’s promises to give landowners of West Rennell over $20m in royalty
payment, while dismissing the $4m hotel bill as none issue.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He claimed that the only problem with the whole mining
issue was the corruption of the national government, which prompted him to sue
the government for granting APID prospect and mining licences. APID is partly
owned by one of Bingtang’s directors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Peseika also blamed the current mess (social,
environmental, political and economic) in West Rennell on past successive
executive governments of the province and the government of former Prime
Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">According to APID’s sole ownership right over the
tenement in West Rennell, landowners have no legal right to carry out any logging,
mining or commercial activities in their land.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The landownership in Rennell Island is 99 percent customary
owned. Tribes are the principal owners of the land and individuals of the
various tribes utilize the land as secondary users. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Early this month, the local media reported that APID
had claimed to acquire the mining tenement in West Rennell after meeting the legal
requirements set by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Minerals. Since early
this year APID began a clear-felling logging operation on the current tenement.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Provincial Premier, Collin Singamoana Tesu’atai, in
May this year revealed that his executive was only informed of APID logging
operation following aerial view from the travelling public.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">APID claimed to have acquired the tenement by
producing land maps and publically displaying notices in villages as required
by the Mines Act. It followed by a three-month of allowing public perusal of
documentation through the courts, giving landowners an opportunity to challenge
the land acquisition process and legality. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But APID’s claim, like Bingtang, has been disputed by
landowners and villagers of West Rennell, who had accused both companies of
producing fake document and deliberately failing to hold community meetings and
concealing the paper-work until the 3-month was lapsed before coming out in the
media to inform the people about their claims. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">APID’s media release, published by the local media
late in July this year, claimed that the land acquisition process and the legal
requirements were met without any legal challenge, giving the company the sole legal
right over the mining tenement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">According to the Mines Act of the Solomon Islands
government, the only way that the landowners and provincial executive of
Rennell and Bellona Province could take is to challenge APID’s sole ownership
of West Rennell mining tenement in a court of law. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As of now, only the newly elected provincial
government of Rennell and Bellona, led by Premier Singamoana Tesu’atai, has
promised to take-up a court case against APID. The landowners of West Rennell
Island are enable to mount a court case against APID because of the cost of
engaging in a protracted legal process, which the landowners have no money to
finance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Since the election of the current national government
into office in December 2014, Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare immediately cancelled
the prospect permit and mining licences of Bingtang. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Sogavare also sacked the former Permanent Secretary of
the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Mineral in May this year over allegations of
corruption, while establishing an ongoing investigation into allegations of
corruption by the directors of Bingtang, APID and some senior bureaucrats.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Peseika and Tango, were allegedly backing Bingtang. It
was alleged that Bingtang obtained its prospect and mining licences in less
than four months. The process of obtaining a full mining licence should have
taken three (3) years minimum or seven (7) years maximum for a company to meet.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Since late last year, Bingtang and APID have been
carrying out mining operations in West Rennell. Despite the government
termination of Bingtang’s operational licence early this year, the company defied
the order and decided to export an undisclosed amount of bauxite from Rennell
Island. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But as the shipment arrived on Noro Port, Western
Province, for Customs clearance, the government banned the shipment from
leaving port. At the time of writing, Bingtang has appealed the government
decision to the High Court, which is still pending for a ruling.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As of now, over ten new Asian mining companies, mostly
from Indonesia, are applying for prospect mining licences to Rennell Island and
their applications are pending before the Board of Mines.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Most of these companies are supported by the same
individuals from Rennell Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-2007183502924776332015-08-21T00:51:00.001-04:002015-08-21T00:53:02.041-04:00Consultation on Pacific Trade ends today in Fiji<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Consultations on solutions for growth in the Pacific Islands region has brought together wide range stakeholders of parliamentarians, private sector, civil society, government officials and policy makers to engage in a ‘Comprehensive Consultations on Pacific Trade at Shangri-La Fijian Hotel, Sigatoka, Fiji, which ends today.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“In my visits to Forum member countries and in my meetings with Leaders, economic development remains uppermost. And our Leaders have consistently agreed on the fundamental contribution of trade to economic growth,” says Dame Meg Taylor, PIFS Secretary General.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pacific Leaders have led the way in instituting an inclusive Framework for Pacific Regionalism through which every individual and community from the Pacific have been able to voice what they think should be the priorities Leaders need to focus on.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Regional integration is not an end in itself, but rather a tool for enhancing sustainable economic growth and fostering inclusion – within and between member countries – and it remains a high priority for the Pacific region. This includes ensuring that our women, our youth and our actors in the informal sectors are part of inclusive solutions for growth,” Dame Meg Taylor said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Opportunities available for inter-regional trade and South-South trade are significant, and Pacific Island traders are encouraged to pursue such trade.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The consultations will focus on how the Pacific region can leverage the engagement of the private sector in economic development in preparation for the upcoming joint gathering of Forum Economic Ministers, Trade Ministers and the Private Sector in the Cook Islands in October.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“The Secretariat welcomes the complementary presentations and dialogue that will ensue during this two-day consultation on the range of trade initiatives that are being pursued in the region. Participants are encouraged to suggest options that will guide trade-related policies for positive development impact,” Dame Meg Taylor said.</div>
</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-56279527685152805222015-08-19T02:59:00.001-04:002015-08-20T01:13:00.737-04:00Former sacked PS calls Bellonese administrators "leaches"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSLO6-WTKe1FBWPGI9wE5H4hYEl41HFdIFCUc_J9nwKgXLNsDIQzP6vHG3P3khHAZovnsH6dTrCcwGKI4zgW5RuLsGu5_7HOkXG86C3aOrepcFxnef-EXij5McqGx8ebWo4qct4wwBfrE/s1600/Mughava2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSLO6-WTKe1FBWPGI9wE5H4hYEl41HFdIFCUc_J9nwKgXLNsDIQzP6vHG3P3khHAZovnsH6dTrCcwGKI4zgW5RuLsGu5_7HOkXG86C3aOrepcFxnef-EXij5McqGx8ebWo4qct4wwBfrE/s400/Mughava2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pool of water in a recently dug up mining site by APID in West Rennell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The
former provincial secretary of Rennell and Bellona Province, Willie Peseika has
labelled the pre-dominantly Bellonese administration of the province as
“leaches”.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Peseika
made the sarcastic description, implying that Bellonese are sucking money
out of the Province, in the Rennell and Bellona Province members’ only
social media forum, where he had used the alias Agiki P Baiabe.</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Rennell
and Bellonna Islands are two ethnic Polynesian islands of the Solomon Islands,
located in the Southern part of the country. The bigger island is Rennell and
the smaller one is Bellona. Rennell has natural resources such as forest,
bauxite mineral and the biggest free-water-lake in the whole of the Pacific
Islands region. Bellona has phosphate mineral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The two
islands were given provincial status in June 1993 after years of negotiations
between the political and traditional leaders of the islands and national
leaders of the country – thanks to the leadership of former Member of
Parliament for Rennell and Bellona Constituency, Joses Tuhanuku, in late 1980s
to 2001 and former Premier of Central Province in the 1980s and later Rennell
and Bellona Province in late 1990s to early 2000s, late Father Francis
Taupongi. Both former modern day and traditional leaders are from Bellona.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But since
the inception of the province, a minority group of individuals from Rennell
Island, led by Peseika, has been consistently fuming that the senior
administrative positions of the province had been often taken up by people from
Bellona Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Such anti-Bellonese
sentiment was recently articulated by Peseika, who was infuriated by a debate
about his past role over allegations of corruption against him during his
tenure as a former provincial secretary of Rennell and Bellona Province in 2013
- 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">He
accused Bellonese in the forum of witch-hunting and failing to accept his
explanation that the $4m hotel bill and other under table dealings allegedly
involving him and his former boss and Premier Lence Tango, with Asian logging
and mining companies, are none issue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Peseika’s
anti-Bellonese statement is a new low in his history of consistently expressing
a hatred of Bellonese, who were and are working in the current provincial
administration headquarters of the Province at Tigoa, West Rennell Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Last
month, he also accused Bellonese in the forum of looking down on Rennellese
during a debate about allegations that a criminal plan by Asians with logging
and mining interests in Rennell Island to burn down a rival company’s logging
operation was foiled by bad weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It was
alleged that a group of Rennellese and Malaitans were hired and sent by Asians
to carry out the criminal plan failed to execute it due to bad weather. The
speed boat out-boat-motor, which the group had allegedly used to travel from
Honiara to West Rennell, was diverted to seek shelter in the neighbouring
island of Bellona, due to rough seas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But when
the alleged criminal plan was revealed by a Bellonese in the forum, Greezer
Pongi, Peseika came out swinging ridiculing Pongi for spreading false news and
engaging in a conspiracy to discredit and smear Rennellese.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Peseika’s
anti-Bellonese history could be traced to the fact that during his time as an
untrained primary and later community high school teacher in Rennell Island
during the 1990s until 2013, he has never been promoted to a leadership
position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It was
only during the election of former Premier, Lence Tango, in 2013 that he was
hand-picked to become the provincial secretary – the highest administrative
position in the province.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But due
to the downfall of his former boss, Tango, the national government sacked
Peseika on the basis of professional incompetence, abuse of position to
progress the investment interests of Asian investors and allegations of corrupt
practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Since his
sacking in late 2014, Peseika claimed that his removal was related to his
decision to sue the national government over his claim that the process of
granting the prospect and mining licences to Asia Pacific Investment
Development (APID) was very corrupt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">APID is a
logging company, initially registered in the country in 2005 and owned by Indonesian
directors. But since 2010, APID enticed a Rennellese, Solomon Maui, to be its
chief negotiator and middleman. Through alleged fraudulent and corrupt dealings
with successive governments and provincial executives, it secured a prospect
and mining licences within less than six months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But
despite the existence of the allegations, especially the trail of fake document
used by APID to secure its mining permit, the former provincial government of
Rennell and Bellona during Peseika’s tenure as Provincial Secretary, failed to
challenge it in a court of law as a province. Instead, his former boss,
Tango, and him, backed a rival company, Bingtang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">According
to Peseika, it was on that basis that he had decided to take up
a case in the High Court against the national government to nullify the
granting of the prospect and mining licences to APID.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Peseika
has also blamed the failure of past provincial executive governments of
Rennell and Bellona and also the national government for ignoring corruption in
the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">He blamed
former and current administrators of the province for the mess in West Rennell,
especially the social instability that caused by Asian logging and mining
companies, who are competing for the support of villagers and landowners in
West Rennell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Recently,
the Public service Commission has reappointed former Deputy Provincial
Secretary, Ruben Ngiumoana, to be the Provincial Secretary, replacing former
acting Secretary, Adrian Tuhanuku, who is now becoming the Deputy Provincial
Secretary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Both
Ngiumoana and Tuhanuku are Bellonese, along with Barry Saukiu, Provincial
Police Commander and Dr William Taika Hatingongo, Director of Health, which infuriated
Peseika. The Director of Education is from Rennell and the Treasure is from
Lord Howe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Peseika
accused the above post holders of personal, professional and petty issues,
mocking their appointments as based on unscrupulous process. But he failed to
substantiate his claims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">He also
dislike Bellonese going over and taking up menial jobs in the logging and
mining industry in West Rennell, but has no problem with the huge influx of
Asians and Melanesians to Rennell Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Despite
Peseika’s overtone divisive accusation, he had forgotten that the people of
Rennell and Bellona are an ethnic minority Polynesian community in the
predominantly Melanesian nation of Solomon Islands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The total
population of Rennell and Bellona Islands is over 4,000 in a Melanesian nation
with a population of 560,000.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Historically,
Tuhanuku and late Taupongi initiated the idea of Rennell and Bellona Islands
breaking away from Central Province and through hard work and hard bargain
negotiations, they managed to convince successive governments to finally grant
the provincial status of Rennell and Bellona.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The
people of the two islands share a similar history through marriages, tribal,
cultural, linguistic, family relationships and traditional ties. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <b>Note:</b>
Peseika, tau gogo koau maga piki ina pegea mai Mughaba ia Seth, tetatou former
MP, kokoe ma Tohuika, te Chairman ote West Rennell Landowners Association, he’e
maogi. Na hegeuga ki koutou maga tu’u taki atu kinai mu’aga koutou na pegea
waka ina gahumanu mana community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
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Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-80644748826680397882015-08-19T02:04:00.001-04:002015-08-19T02:04:40.560-04:00Pacific trade consultations underway in Fiji<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">More than one hundred trade
and customs officials, the private sector, parliamentarians, non-state actors
and development partners from the Pacific region will meet at Shangri-La Hotel, Sigatoka, Fiji, for series of trade related meetings
from 17 – 21 August.</span><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Pacific Regional
Workshop on the ‘WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement’ organized by the Pacific,
the World Bank Group and International Finance Corporation (IFC), which
facilitate the meetings. The first two day workshop on 17-18 August, is the
culmination of a series of in-country consultations on Trade Facilitation
Needs Assessments undertaken for each Forum Island Country-WTO member: Fiji,
Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Strengthening trade and
investment capacity in Pacific countries for a more vibrant and robust economic
partnership with the United Stated will be the focus of the 'Pacific Islands
–U.S Regional Workshop on Trade, Investment and Private Sector Development' on
19-20 August. This workshop co-sponsored by the United States Governments
Department of State and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, will be attended
by representatives from Pacific Island Member States, the private sector and
the US Government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">At the end of the week, the
focus will be on parliamentarians, non-state actors, private sector and
government officials will discuss the dynamic role of various stakeholders in
the management and oversight of trade policy, and the effective implementation
of international trade agreements. There will be discussions on the trade
integration dynamics in the region and the opportunities and challenges in
regional trade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">A focused discussion
on trade agreements currently being negotiated or implemented in the Forum
Island Counties will be part of the ‘Comprehensive Consultation on Pacific
Trade Comprehensive Consultations on Pacific Trade’ on 20–21 August, 2015.</span></div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-33538272522376208302015-08-03T02:31:00.001-04:002015-08-03T02:34:58.678-04:00Islands' agencies meet in Suva to talk about Labor Mobility Scheme<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Pacific Islands
Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in Suva, Fiji, is hosting a one-day meeting of Regional Agencies
Responsible for Implementing Labour Mobility today, Monday 3 August, 2015.</span><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“As the Pacific is
a region of dynamic migration, it is important that labour mobility schemes
continue to contribute to Pacific Island countries’ progress and development,”
said Ms Cristelle Pratt, Acting Secretary General of PIFS.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“This one day
meeting is an opportunity for regional agencies to discuss issues and to share
experiences regarding intra-regional labour mobility, and to identify
collaborative initiatives to support the region’s progress in the Temporary
Movement of Natural Persons (TMNP) Scheme, which is an important part of the
Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) negotiations.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">A number of
stakeholders including representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB),
International Labour Organisation (ILO), Pacific Immigration Directors’
Conference (PIDC), Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP),
Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat and the Office of the Chief Trade
Advisor (OCTA) will be attending this one-day meeting.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) Temporary Movement of
Natural Persons (TMNP) schemes is a framework agreement aimed at facilitating
the movement of professionals and tradespeople within the fourteen Forum Island
Countries (FICs).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-40498149895558928552015-01-27T21:47:00.002-05:002015-08-07T02:10:14.526-04:00Media Ethics Forum generates debate in Colombo, Sri Lanka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Sri Lankan Press Institute will conclude a three-day
conference on Media Ethics in the Age of Globalization in Colombo, Sri Lanka, today.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8yS3ZNwDapTxD6zdmSVafpuB-ZJZMiQ8DICCuqFWHCTbWpJY-6qCacplNGEDm4FJYjzn7w85C6nUBSv6JX4jXl80p82PF-Bv4lUUZ1ztIsQ3fG9eugaC8HPJ4gYZ4AfEb1rv1xuvzgu9/s1600/Panel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8yS3ZNwDapTxD6zdmSVafpuB-ZJZMiQ8DICCuqFWHCTbWpJY-6qCacplNGEDm4FJYjzn7w85C6nUBSv6JX4jXl80p82PF-Bv4lUUZ1ztIsQ3fG9eugaC8HPJ4gYZ4AfEb1rv1xuvzgu9/s1600/Panel.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prof Shunkantala Rao on the far right with colleagues</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the first session yesterday, Professor Clifford Christians
of University of Illinoise and Professor Shukantala Rao of Department of
Communication Studies, State University of New York, co-chaired the first
session over the topic “Global media ethics and ethics within regional and
local context.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The second session, Professor Shakuntala Rao
co-chaired and moderate a panel with Dr Vipul Mudgal, Dr Ranga Kalansooriya and
Mr U Myint Kyaw, over the topic “Media Ethics in Emerging Democracy”.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the third second. Mr Javid Yusuf moderate a panel
comprised of Mr Kamal Siddiqi, Dr Maneesha S. Wanasinghe-Pasqual and M Eric
Cinje over the topic: “The Role of the Media in Conflict Resolution”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In the final session of the day, Dr Vipul Mudgal of
India chaired and moderate the panel discussion over the topic: “Citizen
Journalism and Social Media Ethics”. Two trained and practicing journalists,
now migrating from print media to the social media platform, presented papers
on the benefits, successes and challenges of the citizen journalism and social
media.</span></div>
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<br />
The first presenter was Duran Angiki of Pasifik Wantoks International, a
journalist originally from the Solomon Islands, but now residing in Australia
and Mr Nalaka Gunawardene, a print journalist from Colombo, Sri Lanka, now using
the social media as a medium of publication and communication.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The panel discussion generated huge interests with educators,
communication specialists, media experts, practitioners and representatives of
various regional press councils, local government departments, print,
television, radio and social media were given opportunities to discuss issues
relating to their researches and experiences.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In addition, participants also debated issues relating
to the importance of legislating laws to govern media freedom in emerging democracy,
journalists and media code of conducts and ethical practices, where a deep
divide emerged amongst journalists’ on-one-side and academics and government
spin-doctors on the other. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5R4V8fiYdMVMF84dSkj7E-4wN1a_vzHdVl5V_sM__llNXbKY4NryY-nuWdPipWQAn_ZLZNXl7Bw9vNVIP7y6pnzyCK1DUNWHPH22UAsw14stm_nbMyUp-2CF2w6VnnDQaiD2frEAcnJD/s1600/Eric+n+I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5R4V8fiYdMVMF84dSkj7E-4wN1a_vzHdVl5V_sM__llNXbKY4NryY-nuWdPipWQAn_ZLZNXl7Bw9vNVIP7y6pnzyCK1DUNWHPH22UAsw14stm_nbMyUp-2CF2w6VnnDQaiD2frEAcnJD/s1600/Eric+n+I.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Cinje, CEO of African Media Initiative with me at the Conference, The Kingsburry Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In both camps, government officials, communication specialists
and educators advocate the idea of governments playing a role in legislating
laws to govern the use of the social media, while journalists argued against and
warned that allowing </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">governments to legislate laws – on behalf of citizens – is
a recipe for disaster as governments are always acted on self-interests.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the final analysis of the debate, Angiki was given
an opportunity to pitch his case. He argued that journalists are often hard
done by the public and critics in every given country. But regardless of the
critical observation by some sections of the public, journalists are by nature
law abiding citizens, whose took pride of their work and role. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In every country,
there are professionals in the fields of
education, law and medicine, but no one scrutinize their failures as much as they did to
journalists. The reality is - in most cases – teachers and educators, who are
also professionals, send their failures to the streets and unemployment queues
because they cannot help them to progress in education. Lawyers hide their
failures by sending and locking them up in jails and doctors bury their
failures in graves and cemeteries. But journalists live another day to face
public criticisms and even killed in the line of duty.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In essence, journalists are the bravest of all
professionals. They fought over centuries to protect the rights of citizens to freedom
of expression. For decades journalists developed a thick-skin attitude and
resilient to keep on moving regardless of facing constant abuse, assault, harassment,
death threat to their own lives and the lives of their families, all in the
name of upholding the fundamental rights of citizens to freedom of
expression and human dignity.<br />
<br />
As once stated by a Kenyan journalist, in response to constant criticisms of
his work that he has heard of many cases and stories of governments and
military regimes taking over newspapers, newsrooms and jailing journalists, but
he has never heard one story of a news editor or publisher taking over a
government. It is to the credit of journalists that we are talking ethics this
week.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Today the conference will continue in its last day
with topics such as “Are Ethics Possible in a Globalize World, Covering
Elections Ethically, The Ethics of Contentious Cartoons and Freedom of
Expression and Global Media Ethics: What is in the Future?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-84117252070327520102014-12-30T00:26:00.001-05:002015-07-31T00:21:52.581-04:00Renbel and Honiara City Council have elected new leaders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Rennell and Bellona Province has elected a new Premier.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
He is Colin Pongi Tesu'atai of Ward 8, Bellona Island.<br />
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Tesu'atai, who is a newly elected Member of the Provincial Assembly, defeated his only rival, Puangongo Tepuke of Ward 10 by 5-4 in the 10-member assembly.<br />
<br />
Tesu'atai is a former Rennell and Bellona Provincial Police Commander, while Tepuke is the former Deputy Premier of the province in the last executive government, which was suspended by the national government. <br />
<br />
Over the past four years, Tesu'atai has been running a small retail shop in Bellona following his decision to quit his job to contest the 2010 national election.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the Honiara City Council has also elected a new Mayor. He is Alference Fatai. He defeated his only rival candidate, Charles Aiwosuga. The other candidate and former Mayor, Andrew Mua, withdrew from the contest before election.<br />
<br />
Both the Premier and Mayor are still working on the line-up of ministers in their respective government.<br />
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<br />
<br />
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Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-65025278460816365502014-12-30T00:13:00.002-05:002014-12-30T00:45:23.839-05:00Life and time in the Island of Bellona, Solomon Islands.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Welcome back to my blog. I have been out of action since September due to work commitment in Bali and now the Solomon Islands.<br />
<a name='more'></a> Over the past two months, I have been spending time with family and friends in the island of Bellona, Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands.<br />
<br />
The island has a population of about 3,000 residents. There are no running water, electricity, landline telephone and of course the internet. But people are relying on brackish and rain water, solar power and mobile phones to communicate nationally and internationally. <br />
<br />
About 99 percent of the total population lives on subsistence life style. People plant gardens and fishing for their daily livelihood. During my time in the island,<i> </i>I enjoyed following my uncles, aunties and cousins to work in their vegetable gardens and fish. The reward for helping out in the garden is what people called "Oso hekau". Food that is prepared by the host for those who are helping out in the garden.<br /><br />Life is basic but affluent in many ways than one. Though my time in the island was enjoyable, I also missed some of the basic stuff in life, which were not available in the island. I wasn't able to access the internet, landline telephone and the social media. The island of Bellona has no access to the internet except for mobile phone, but it is very expensive.<br />
<br />
My access to the internet in the national capital of the country, Honiara, is some what constraint by the cost and availability of internet cafee. This is one of the challenges of relying on the internet to communicate regionally and internationally if you are residing in the Solomon Islands and especially the rural areas of the country. My staying in the country has some ups and downs. But what interesting is after over 20 years of residing overseas, it is saddening to come back home and see our people still facing many challenges and hardships in their living standard.<br />
<br />
Be my guest for the next couple days. Wish you all God's blessings during this coming year 2015.<br />
<br />
Aue kiate koutou katoa. Te ma'ine mai Mungiki (Bellona). The island is a paradise.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-75043406553040634362014-09-21T21:18:00.002-04:002014-09-21T21:28:18.603-04:00Former coup leader promised to govern for all Fijians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(Suva, 22 Sept 014) Victorious FijiFirst leader Voreqe Bainimarama has reassured his supporters that he will lead the new government and serve the nation for the next four years.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpSQH2waTzvXXCxe3BiIwQ0lxm6W28rCuHuevovi80IeCjDMjT5VmSzVE-sqhZltrYJ2TjUHWeZ3L3d3I2v5RXW1SpV1BpJzF7-jljgKN74YXZS1UVg-79aAEzdkXkt6Ekehc8REPHoFv/s1600/coup+leader.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpSQH2waTzvXXCxe3BiIwQ0lxm6W28rCuHuevovi80IeCjDMjT5VmSzVE-sqhZltrYJ2TjUHWeZ3L3d3I2v5RXW1SpV1BpJzF7-jljgKN74YXZS1UVg-79aAEzdkXkt6Ekehc8REPHoFv/s1600/coup+leader.JPG" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former Coup Leader Bainimarama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In his victory speech this morning Bainimarama thanked a wide group of people for their support during the past eight years and during the election period.<br />
<br />
“I am greatly honoured and humbled that the Fijian people put their trust in me to lead them into our new and true democracy - my absolute promise that we will govern for the well being of all Fijians."<br />
<br />
Bainimarama went on to thank the soldiers of the Republic of the Fiji Military Forces, who he says unwaveringly stood by him since the events of 2000 and stood for the ideal of true democracy.<br />
<br />
“I want to thank the officers and the rank and file of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces who have unwaveringly stood by me since the events of 2000 and who have stood for the ideal of true democracy. I wish to publicly acknowledge and thank them for their camaraderie, their vision, their perseverance and their sacrifice.<br />
<br />
It is their legacy that today we have a democratically elected parliamentary government under an<br />
internationally acclaimed constitution with a vast array of civil, political and socioeconomic rights and that will deliver good governance and transparency”, said Bainimarama.<br />
<br />
In a historic turn around Bainimarama becomes the only political party leader to take a commanding lead in the polls under the new electoral system. <br />
<br />
“Not everyone voted for me, but the fact that we have so far approximately 32 seats in the 50 seat parliament demonstrates the enthusiasm and the faith and the trust the Fijian people have had for both the track record of my government and FijiFirst manifesto.”<br />
<br />
"I am the Prime Minister of all Fijians, for all Fijians. The days of pandering to special interests groups, elites and certain areas of the country are over. Now, the days of meeting the needs of ordinary people and their families will continue and with renewed fervour". <br />
<br />
"We intend to ride the current wave of economic growth that is certain to now increase even more. We will use this growth to meet the needs of all Fijians to improve services, create more jobs in particular for our youth and continue with building more and better infrastructure,” said Bainimarama.<br />
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<br />
PACNEWS<br />
First Edition<br />
<br /></div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-9458137899505689342014-09-19T01:47:00.003-04:002014-09-19T03:40:00.325-04:00Overseas born Australians make up 27 percent of population<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Australians today are older, more likely to live in urban areas, have fewer children and are more likely to be born overseas than a century ago, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).<br />
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<br />
The Australian Historical Population Statistics publication showcases a wide range of historical demographic data, going back as far as 1788.<br />
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"This publication is a great way to use statistics to tell stories of how Australia's population has changed over time", said Neil Scott, from the ABS.<br />
<br />
Since Federation in 1901, Australia's population has increased over fivefold, growing from a total population of nearly four million to reach 22.3 million in 2011. The population distribution has also changed, with over 85 per cent of Australians living in urban areas compared with less than 60 per cent in 1911.<br />
<br />
Life expectancy at birth has increased by 33 years between 1890 and 2011, reflecting improvements in living conditions, health and medical advances. As a result of this higher life expectancy and an aging population structure, the median age of Australians has increased from 22 years in 1901 up to 37 years in 2011.<br />
<br />
Australia's fertility, as measured by the total fertility rate, has declined from an average of 3.1 babies per woman of child bearing ages in 1921 to 1.9 babies in 2011. This decrease reflects broad social change in Australia, including the introduction of birth control and an increase in labour participation by women.<br />
<br />
In 2011, 27 per cent of Australia's population were born overseas, the highest proportion since Federation. The United Kingdom remains the top country of birth, however with the broadening of Australia's immigration policies since the 1970s, new groups of migrants have been arriving from all parts of the world increasing the diversity of Australia's population.<br />
<br />
Further details can be found in Australian Historical Population Statistics (Cat. no 3105.0.65.001) available for free download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au). </div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-10545481683319832382014-08-19T20:24:00.001-04:002014-08-19T20:34:22.720-04:00Corrupt former Premier orders road block in West Rennell Island.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Former embattled premier of Rennell and Bellona Province, Lence Tango, has taken his frustration over his sacking against the Provincial Speaker, Norman Sa'o.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nkVIJ5r09jjldpsG1sRscPY3R8yxs_z5oyVI-yEf-QAGtEZNQQSZ-S7I290vvkzFXihj8QN0MteYM-EAtTJiSIqwuhvCbJPuHZy3z7CUHx2EtnNDl06LO4mKF2F8X4P-X9zgg94GjrhC/s1600/Rennell+Island+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nkVIJ5r09jjldpsG1sRscPY3R8yxs_z5oyVI-yEf-QAGtEZNQQSZ-S7I290vvkzFXihj8QN0MteYM-EAtTJiSIqwuhvCbJPuHZy3z7CUHx2EtnNDl06LO4mKF2F8X4P-X9zgg94GjrhC/s1600/Rennell+Island+Map.JPG" height="352" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Rennell Island (L-R West - East)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This follows recent reports alleging that Tango has ordered his supporters and landowners at Taungagoto, known locally as TNT village, near the headquarters of the Province in West Rennell, to ban the transportation of heavy machinery belonging to a logging company owned by the current Speaker of Provincial Assembly, Norman Sa'o and his cousin, Evan Tuhagenga.<br />
<br />
The heavy machines were destined to a new logging concession area in West Rennell, where Sa'o and Tuhagenga, are the principal owners. But the machines were stopped along the way by landowners of TNT village, where the main road runs through it. The villagers have allegedly sent a message to the drivers not to pass through or they will sabotage the machines. It led to a stand-off.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJNr1boQg_BcmhsoyxSrMfjwbGfpElSRoPo4f31mtZy_ARSZqnM33kjdeXOM5bTfvHTyaloYSZCxABRbY9hEwzTWfb_0-KWklO_rdILdm9T0avThdIKwxd4xQYUlhgV8_SnjeCBUrstFy/s1600/Rennell+Island+Coast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJNr1boQg_BcmhsoyxSrMfjwbGfpElSRoPo4f31mtZy_ARSZqnM33kjdeXOM5bTfvHTyaloYSZCxABRbY9hEwzTWfb_0-KWklO_rdILdm9T0avThdIKwxd4xQYUlhgV8_SnjeCBUrstFy/s1600/Rennell+Island+Coast.JPG" height="408" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coast of Rennell Island.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Sa'o, and former premier, Tango, are currently engaging in a political stand-off over the legal legitimacy of a decision by the former to call a provincial assembly meeting to resolve the ongoing political impasse between Tango and his former executive. Despite Tango's decision to boycott the meeting and calling it illegal, a new executive government was appointed and joined by four of his former ministers.<br />
<br />
The decision to call the meeting that subsequently led to Tango's sacking simply infuriated the former premier, who reacted by openly calling on the Minister of Provincial government to suspend the newly elected Executive of Rennell and Bellona Province. <br />
<br />
The political standoff began a month ago when Tango lost the majority of his supporters in the executive following the resignation of his entire executive but one. It created a political impasse that dragged on for almost a month, allowing Tango to cling on to power and refused to either resign or call for an assembly meeting to determine his numerical strength.<br />
<br />
The resignation of the executive members came following local media exposing of Tango’s extravagance life style in one of the five-star hotels in the country, Heritage Park. Media reports revealed that Tango had incurred a hotel bill of $4m within few months at the expense of Bingtang Mining Company of Indonesia, which has an application pending before the national and provincial governments to carry out a mining operation in Rennell Island.<br />
<br />
While the political impasse remained deadlock, allegations were also reported in the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Forum (Social Media Page) that former Premier Tango had stalled the process of calling for an assembly meeting as he had secretly offered over $200,000 (SID) to each provincial member, who had resigned to rejoin his government.<br />
<br />
Tango last effort to cling on to power came following the revelation of the $4m hotel bill at Heritage Park, where Tango continues to reside until today, at the expense of the Indonesian mining company. The blatant corrupt practices of the former Premier became unbearable for the direct employees of the province, who have not received their salaries for 11 months.<br />
<br />
According to reports from TNT village, the landowners’ threat was a result of the sacking of former Premier Tango, who squarely blamed his down fall on the Provincial Assembly Speaker, Sa’o. As a result of the blame game, supporters of Tango at TNT have vented their anger at Sa’o and threatened to sabotage any attempt to transport the machines over the road that runs through their village.<br />
<br />
In another twist, Sa'o and Tuhagenga, have been given permission by other landowners in the same village to build a new road through their land to avoid confrontation and ensure that the machines are transported safely to their final destination in the hinterland near Kangua village, West Rennell.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-91310598592030241422014-08-12T21:45:00.001-04:002014-08-12T22:31:54.517-04:00Renbel embattled Premier opts for desparate measure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The Premier of Rennell and Bellona Province, Lence Tangosia, is going from one extreme case of accumulating a hotel bill of $4m in few months, which led to the resignation of four of his ministers, to asking the country's government to suspend his provincial executive government.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rjjChN80OCd7QVscPJWm43H_Vn9y-WhfQub-DBaAO4VDmossvBA2AHifAvwwYiXxAapMNvxcgW3RG9GSRE0ItpX_ANfdnAMAjp-oOHCr5D5c4PgElF8HeBDsJIgx6uCMLcUfgJ_iQML5/s1600/Con+Premier1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rjjChN80OCd7QVscPJWm43H_Vn9y-WhfQub-DBaAO4VDmossvBA2AHifAvwwYiXxAapMNvxcgW3RG9GSRE0ItpX_ANfdnAMAjp-oOHCr5D5c4PgElF8HeBDsJIgx6uCMLcUfgJ_iQML5/s1600/Con+Premier1.JPG" height="281" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remained with one supporter and still hang-on, Premier Tangosia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
“Since they refused, I think the only option left is to seek the suspension of the provincial assembly,” he said in an interview with the country's daily newspaper, the Solomon Star today.<br />
<br />
Tangosia told the newspaper that he made the request after four of his ministers who resigned recently refused to rejoin his minority government of two in a ten wards assembly.<br />
<br />
The four former ministers were the same MPAs who had supported Tangosia during the March 2014 motion-of-no-confidence against him, which he had won by a vote of 6 to 4. <br />
<br />
Premier Tangosia, who is a veteran provincial politician of over 20 years, said he wanted Minister Silas Tausinga to use his (legislative) powers to suspend the assembly because of the unresolved political upheaval.<br />
<br />
This desperate tactic by the embattled premier is purely designed to deny the four renegade Members of the Assembly (MPA) of joining forces with two MPAs in the Opposition bench to form a new Provincial government. <br />
<br />
Premier Tangosia's move has the potential to prevent and stall the process of any new government from investigating his alleged forging of landowners' signatures in East and Central Rennell to give an Indonesian mining company and current financier an access license and also granting licenses for Asian companies to log in Rennell Island under back door dealings and without proper procedures. <br />
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Since toppling former Premier George Tuhaika in a motion-of-no-confidence in March 2013, Premier Tangosia has alleged to misuse over $1.5m (SID) government grants to the Province and lately accused of accumulating a $4m (SID) bill at Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara at the expense of the Indonesian mining company.<br />
<br />
The above cases are amongst the many alleged corruption cases against Premier Tangosia, prior and after becoming the Premier of the Province in March 2013.<br />
<br />
The hotel bill, the first of its kind in the history of the country, was initially reported as paid by the company on behalf of the Premier for renting two rooms and hosting daily drinking and dinner parties for his friends in the hotel for almost three months.<br />
<br />
Sources claimed that beside Premier Tangosia's hotel bill, a number of senior government officials from the Ministry of Mine and Energy and a lawyer were all accommodated at the same hotel during the same time at the expenses of the Indonesian mining company. <br />
<br />
In a media report carried by the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Social Media Forum, a source closed to Premier Tangosia and his former MPAs claimed that the embattled premier had offered $250,000 (SID) each for the four MPAs to rejoin his group. <br />
<br />
But following their refusal last week, Premier Tangosia said he would only step down if they take him to court. His latest move is an expected twist in a saga that reveales the tarnished reputation of the Premier and his desperation to hold on to power, which denies the people of the province any descent government services.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-56543787391930252392014-08-08T01:11:00.003-04:002014-08-08T01:19:21.261-04:00Migrant Pacific Islands' communities establish a Federation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By Duran Angiki, Brisbane (General Secretary) <br />
<br />
The Pacific Islands’ communities in regional and urban Queensland have established an umbrella body to represent and advocate on their behalf at different levels of government in the State.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The Federation of Pacific Islands’ Communities of Queensland (FPICQ) was initially suggested and endorsed by the inaugural Talanoa Pasifika Conference in 2012 and re-endorsed by the follow-up conference in November 2013.<br />
<br />
The Talanoa Pasifika Conference is an annual event where academics and professional practitioners of the Pacific Islands region, who are based in Queensland, are gathered to discuss, debate and share ideas about issues that are important to the migrant population in Queensland.<br />
<br />
Following last year’s conference, where a Steering Committee of seven members, was appointed, an Executive report was presented and adopted by the Talanoa Pasifika Conference in July 17-18 2014 at Cairns Institutes, James Cook University’s Cairns Campus.<br />
<br />
Committee Chairman Ofa Fukofuka said the Federation is an overarching body that will act as a united voice for the Queensland-based communities of the Pacific Islands in the State.<br />
<br />
He said over the past decades, the communities of the Pacific Islands in Queensland have been unable to proactively advocating on socioeconomic, political, cultural and educational issues that are heavily impacting them.<br />
<br />
Following the incorporation of this body, the Executive will be eager to work closely with various groups, representing the communities of the Pacific Islands in Queensland, to ensure that their voice is heard at State, Councils and Governmental departments.<br />
<br />
The establishment of the Federation has been on the making over the past years. There are existing groups representing the various communities of the Pacific Islands in Queensland, but they are only catered for specific localities and Island groups.<br />
<br />
With the Federation now up and running, Fukofuka said the Federation is not going to intrude into the existing activities and operations of current Pacific Islands’ groups, but will focus on assisting community groups in areas and matters that they need support.<br />
<br />
The Federation and Talanoa Pasifika Conference are crucial to the long term aspirations of the Pacific Islands communities in Queensland as they elevate the profile of issues that are mattered most to the people of the Pacific Islands communities at academic level.<br />
<br />
This year’s theme of the Talanoa Pasifika conference, held at Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Cairns, was “Choices, Chances and Opportunities. Education is the Future”.<br />
<br />
The next Talanoa Pasifika Conference will be held at Gold Coast TAFE in 2015.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-57986716810602318252014-08-01T01:23:00.001-04:002014-08-01T01:23:23.253-04:00Island leaders appoint first female Secretary General<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at their Retreat in Peleliu State, Palau on 31st July announced Dame Meg Taylor, DBE, as the next Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, making history as the first woman to be selected to hold the office of Secretary General.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82B4NUEhFf26pfNxXxXBN1xq3sHPTLqEnX0OiIzevVNlNNgkMFs__s22J0T9q1ZrFL9frDpg9JYfNqwEtxSWufaMw5Tjcxia4KYMZG7DCivSIbGZJFvTf-VN40IoHKhcKTA7kMSm0nOGE/s1600/Dame+Tailor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82B4NUEhFf26pfNxXxXBN1xq3sHPTLqEnX0OiIzevVNlNNgkMFs__s22J0T9q1ZrFL9frDpg9JYfNqwEtxSWufaMw5Tjcxia4KYMZG7DCivSIbGZJFvTf-VN40IoHKhcKTA7kMSm0nOGE/s1600/Dame+Tailor.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dame Taylor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dame Taylor, currently serving as a senior official at the World Bank, brings over 20 years of experience working in the region and internationally, including serving as PNG's Ambassador to the United States, Mexico and Canada.<br /><br />The Chair of the 45th Pacific Islands Forum, H.E. President Remengesau Jr., welcomed Dame Taylor’s selection saying, “This is an important and historical decision for the premier political organisation in the region. I am sure that Dame Taylor will lead a successful Forum Secretariat into the future.”<br /><br />“Forum Leaders also expressed their deep appreciation and gratitude to the outgoing Secretary General, Tuiloma Neroni Slade for his significant and valuable contribution to strengthening the region during his six years in office. Leaders particularly acknowledged the Secretary General’s contribution during very challenging times.”<br /><br />Pacific Leaders rallied to support Palau’s theme for the 45th Forum and endorsed the Palau Declaration “The Ocean: Life & Future” Charting a Course to Sustainability.<br /><br />Forum Leaders endorsed the Framework for Pacific Regionalism which will improve priority setting and support a real focus on initiatives that can make a significant difference to the region.<br /><br />In acknowledging their central stewardship role in Pacific Ocean governance and sustainable development, Leaders agreed that the Palau Declaration will be actively promoted and provide impetus to the SIDS Conference, UNSG 2014 Climate Summit, UNGA69 and in the Post-2015 Development Agenda to highlight the importance of the Pacific Ocean to economies, societies, culture and environmental integrity.<br /><br />Speaking earlier at a press conference, the Secretary General, Mr. Slade, said, “On the issue of Fiji, Leaders requested that the Ministerial Contact Group (MCG) make a recommendation to Leaders following the election in Fiji regarding Fiji’s re-admission to the Forum, based on assessment of the report of the Multinational Observer Group and any other factors the MCG wishes to take into account.”<br /><br />Leaders admitted Tokelau as an Associate Member and extended an invitation to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to become an Observer in the Forum. Turkey and Spain were also included as members of the Post-Forum Dialogue Partnership.<br /><br />The Pacific Leaders announced that Papua New Guinea will host the 46th Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in 2015.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-27958979863762931732014-08-01T00:41:00.003-04:002014-08-01T01:07:09.541-04:00Journalism at its purest is not for the faint-hearted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Over the past couple of years, I have been one of the strongest supporters of the Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII), especially its CEO, Benjamin Afuga. But in recent days, I've decided to block Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII) from my social media network.<br />
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For this reason, I took time-off on regular basis over the past two years to contribute articles that provide context and background on issues that many of our young readers and members are ignorant about their existence and in other cases too sensitive and scared of talking about them publicly. I guess, this is the new politics in Solomon Islands.<br />
<br />
But I have been always hopeful that our educated elites will foster a new pathway of transparency and accountability through open dialogue, naming, framing and deliberating on issues without fear or favour via the social media. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for this to happen. My commitment to the course of media freedom is unconditional. I believe that unless our people are open for dialogue or Talanao the Pasifiaka way, Solomon Islands will never realize its full potentials.<br />
<br />
And the task of achieving it is through creating awareness and building relationships through the social media and allowing people to express their views. This has led me to my next point. My association with FSII was purely based on an ideological hope that maybe the FSII will be a catalyst to this task of becoming the vehicle and avenue for promoting open political dialogue and Talanoa, the Pasifika way. It led to my decision to pay my annual subscription-fee of SID$70 per-year for the next over ten years. In the process, I paid SID$1,100.00 last year (2013).<br />
<br />
But sadly, FSII and its management had demonstrated consistently an attitude of contempt in a number of blunders and cases after cases of clear biases toward the main ethnic group in the country. Such an attitude had clearly killed my hopes of a new robust and sensible debate about issues that are preventing the country from moving ahead. I'm not really sure whether it is a deliberate tactic or a case of professional incompetence. But either way, we are worse for it. As has been the case, FSII and the mainstream media in the country are often hesitant and cautious about talking openly about corrupt cases of ethnic Malaitan leaders at community, provincial and national levels, especially against ex-MEF commanders. They are too fearful of asking even the most obvious questions.<br />
<br />
Contrary, FSII has consistently allowing debates, naming, shaming and open accusations of other ethnic political leaders and criminals in the forum. And a classic example of such double standards is the case of Alex Bartlett, a former politician and ex-MEF Commander of South Malaita origin, who had recently ordered the burning down of three houses in a piece of land, allegedly belonging to him and his company, Hatanga Group.<br />
<br />
This case has many dimensions to it because of the police failure to arrest Bartlett, his son and the Hatanga crew using of guns to threaten the victims. As always the case, when the debate was raging in the FSII about the criminal and inhumane actions by the former MEF Commander, whose eldest son was also involving in the arson attack, the CEO of FSII posted a High Court case judgment of the ex-MEF militant on a similar arson case, which he had won in the Solomon Islands High Court in 2008.<br />
<br />
That post was allowed to remain in the discussion board, while the one about the burning down of the houses was taken down on the basis that it is enough. I just wish that the CEO of FSII has also acted in a similar manner on debates, where ethnic Malaitans in the forum have been castigating the Prime Minister from Western Province and the Member of Parliament and Premier of Rennell and Bellona Province over allegations of corruption, nepotism, misappropriations of public funds and abused of powers and positions. Obviously PM Lilo, MP for Renbel, Gukuna and Premier for Renbel, Tango, are not of his cultural stock and enforcing any security threat to him.<br />
<br />
This and other issues have left a lot to be desired about FSII professional competence to provide a neutral venue for unbiased and honest debates about issues that are impacting Solomon Islands since the MEF coup of June 2000 and the subsequent intervention of the Australian-backed RAMSI in 2003. One cannot underestimate the important role that the social media has played in the global arena of politics and unrestricted sharing of information, and also where the ownership of politics has been given to citizens through the interconnection of people via the social media.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, FSII has failed to exploit this channel of communication to progress public debates about issues of leadership corruption, criminal injustices, instability, socioeconomic hardships, cultural and ethnic divisions that continue to struggle Solomon Islands out of its last breath. The challenge now for FSII’s CEO is whether to take the fight or turn the forum into a propaganda tool for ethnic Malaitan opponents of this government.<br />
<br />
For FSII and CEO information, the role of upholding media freedom is not an opportunistic act, but a life-time commitment by professional trained journalists to the democratic ideals of equality, human rights and human dignity. It is also fundamental to maintaining one's professional credibility. In a nutshell, journalism is not for the faint-hearted. It is for the brave-hearted, who have sacrificed their lives, time, space, comfort, energy, security, family, fame and future aspirations, to uphold one of the fundamental principles of building a stable and secure democracy – that people of all races, creeds, religions, beliefs, ethnic, cultural, linguistic groups are treated equally.<br />
<br />
It took 24 years of hard labor and imprisonment for the late Nelson Mandela to fight for the freedom of his people in South Africa. I guess this is the yard-stick that everyone of us who are dreaming and hoping that Solomon Islands will one-day becoming an economically prosperous and politically stable nation that we all want it to be.<br />
<br />
One of the comforts that the CEO of FSII should have is this – there has never been a case of a news organization or journalist taking over a government by the barrel of a gun, but history is littered with crooks and corrupt politicians taking over governments through disguised civilians and military coups under the barrel of a gun.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-1209611066163281422014-07-29T08:07:00.002-04:002014-07-29T08:33:08.956-04:00Pacific Islands small nations meet to talk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Leaders of Smaller Island States Grouping open a series of official meetings at the 45th Pacific Islands Forum in Koror, Palau today.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Small Islands nation in the Pacific Islands region.</td></tr>
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Mr. Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, attending his final SIS Leaders meeting said, “The Smaller Island States grouping was established in recognition of their particular vulnerabilities and challenges.”<br />
<br />
“This meeting of Leaders of the Forum is an important opportunity to canvas issues of particular significance to the smaller countries and ensure that their unique needs are clearly understood and highlighted.”<br />
<br />
Highlighting last year’s Review of the Pacific Plan by Sir Mekere Morauta, the Secretary General said, “We need to find new and innovative ways to address Smaller Island States vulnerabilities and dependencies - as highlighted by the Morauta Report, as additional funding is only one part of the challenge confronting these countries and communities.”<br />
<br />
“There needs to be a political conversation about the prospects for more accurate responses and for greater integration both amongst SIS countries and within the regional Framework for Pacific Regionalism. We must move beyond ‘business as usual’ and find new solutions and strategies to support SIS in this very changing and complex world.”<br />
<br />
“The findings of Sir Mekere Morauta’s report raises directly the need to find ‘game changing’ strategies and approaches if we are to effectively address the challenges of the smaller states in the Pacific,” said Mr Slade.<br />
<br />
SIS Leaders considered issues relating to the Palau Declaration on ‘The Ocean: Life and Future’, the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, the Third International Conference on Small Islands Developing States and climate change actions and solutions, and strengthening of the SIS Programme for countries.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-23157851571679530562014-06-20T00:33:00.002-04:002021-10-18T21:56:47.017-04:00The pitfalls of fighting corruption in Solomon Islands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The following documentary film by ABC Foreign Correspondent is based on my investigative work in the Solomon Islands during the 1990s. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoYaFV9_5OE" target="_blank">Documentary film about Duran's investigative work</a><br />
<br />In Solomon Islands' Melanesian cultures, corruption is hereditary. And to fight it by using the Western inspired media and journalism is amounted to treason. The attached documentary is an attestation to that observation. The end result was - I was treated like a criminal. It triggered hatred and verbal threats against me and members of my immediate family for simply trying to investigate and tell the truth. I was also verbally vilified by my former employer and few colleagues. They engaged in a smear campaign to discredit my professional credibility, purely because I was an embarrassment to them. I did not accept bribes, nor take a backward step in taking on the fight to corrupt politicians and Asian loggers.<br />
<br />
It was a sad case of character assassination by colleagues and a former employer, whom we should have been working together to prosecute the case against corrupt politicians, government officials and police officers. But instead, they allied with the devil they know. My initial investigation and the publication of a number of highly controversial articles about corruption in Solomon Islands were finally led to the termination of my employment with the Solomon Star English newspaper.<br />
<br />Besides the threatens of physical harm to me and my family, Asian loggers and corrupt politicians were also using lawyers to harass and bully my publisher, and the manager of sales, who was the wife of the publisher, to tell me to stop writing stories about them and they'd threatened to withhold advertising, worth thousands of dollars.<br />
<br />
On hindsight after 20 years of observing Solomon Islands Melanesian politics, it's obvious that the country could have avoided the ethnic tension and its aftermaths, if the media (publishers and local journos) were courageous to prosecute the case. That missed opportunity had led to the current situation - a nation struggling to recover from the aftermaths of the coup on 5 June 2000. Since then, armed thugs have virtually controlled the government, transforming it to be a hub for criminals to exert their authorities over the country. As of now, political leaders are under the whim of Asian and Chinese loggers, let alone Asian miners.<br />
<br />Corruption is now rooted in the administration and the executive government of the country. Any attempt to weed corruption out of government institutions could destroy the very fabric of the country's government. One of the reasons is the very politicians and senior bureaucrats, who were implicated in major corruption cases in the past and the coup of June 2000, are still calling the shots in the administration and executive government. So, a change of government is just liken to going from one nightmare to another.<br />
<br />
Watch the documentary film: it is a testimony to my endeavor to hold corrupt leaders accountable. My reward for doing my job was to be threatened with death threats, bullied, harassed and attacked on my professional credibility by former colleagues. In essence, I paid the price for exposing corruption. Fighting corruption in Solomon Islands is a lonely journey and can be fatal. <br /><br />My greatest regret is I brought my cultural virtues and norms, which are hereditary, and applied them under the Melanesian Way that rooted on black magic mentality.<br /><br /></div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-74122207628171020412014-06-03T02:40:00.000-04:002014-06-19T08:24:19.896-04:00Economic metrics alone can't measure RAMSI and human lives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is no one answer to the issue of gauging the success or failure of the Australian-led Regional Assistant Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). <br />
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After over ten years of RAMSI's intervention, experts and lay people are beginning to use different measurements to determine the economic success of RAMSI. But in my opinion, there is more to the story than what meets the eyes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvw61hrN8Giv3sSWklIYZkm-zkPJzknMg4hPIemsIl-mlNDvGCTM6wpCLqGZRc3hdVfIINWzbenkHprpEkPE3kX5SbFtfuDMtyvwNsLckzgBsrsO4L93ZAbQSK2WJ77U74XCD_NMrEnaRv/s1600/RAMSI+samoa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvw61hrN8Giv3sSWklIYZkm-zkPJzknMg4hPIemsIl-mlNDvGCTM6wpCLqGZRc3hdVfIINWzbenkHprpEkPE3kX5SbFtfuDMtyvwNsLckzgBsrsO4L93ZAbQSK2WJ77U74XCD_NMrEnaRv/s1600/RAMSI+samoa.JPG" height="378" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samoan Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, opening the RAMSI's history in pictures at the Museum of Samoa. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In early 2002, I was invited to attend a Solomon Islands Update Conference
at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. One of the key speakers/presenters, David Hegarty, the Convenor of
the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia (SSMG) Project at ANU, spoke and warned about the risks of
intervention, drawing from the history of Western "military intervention" and
cases after cases in Africa, Latin America etc. At the end of his
presentation, he suggested that despite the obvious risks, there is a special
case that justify intervention in the Solomon Islands, which I will call it "the human factor" or the lives of innocent people.<br />
<br />
Months
later, I was again invited to be a resource person in another seminar at
ANU, where villagers and community leaders from various provinces of
the Solomon Islands were brought to Canberra. The two days seminar was
held for senior bureaucrats of various Departments of the Federal
government and academics from ANU. During that seminar, participants
from the Solomon Islands almost exclusively pleaded with Australian
government officials to intervene. <br />
<br />
Now in hindsight, after more than ten years, everyone becomes an expert and criticizes
RAMSI's intervention by using economic metrics to determine "success". I
don't think that anyone, including experts, can measure "success or failure" by using
economic bench marks alone. RAMSI was dealing with human beings of a
tribal and ethnic based society.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWbL5Ae_Pctt96BQcYYrxztTLfjIBQOtJ4zXMJ1M7ySXV5d9AWrnrT_4HLpUjWxzuvYAiV3hzmRMqeYm1Ssg25dYdwz0tj0JEPeNHozyM2I2VFfs2NnALFgPNaRotZOt1yttD4oxGvl6i/s1600/RAMSI+patrol.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWbL5Ae_Pctt96BQcYYrxztTLfjIBQOtJ4zXMJ1M7ySXV5d9AWrnrT_4HLpUjWxzuvYAiV3hzmRMqeYm1Ssg25dYdwz0tj0JEPeNHozyM2I2VFfs2NnALFgPNaRotZOt1yttD4oxGvl6i/s1600/RAMSI+patrol.JPG" height="345" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMSI's officers with local police officers in a join patrol at Point Cruz wharf</td></tr>
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But RAMSI's success is a highly
debatable issue in the context of the Solomons, where leaders were
intimidated and simply watching armed thugs looting the government treasury and killing innocent people
before the intervention. <br />
<br />
The question then was would or could you or RAMSI
intervene? If we look at RAMSI's role from a human point of view (not
economic or politics), we will appreciate that RAMSI had done a great
job in saving lives, restoring peace, stability and law and order in the Solomons. Was
or is it worth it, hell yes (from a Solomon Islander point of view). <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhUVBV_LS83YAoPbdYsjCjgN-PX8hx6z3rM6tteXoYF6_4z7jv-YuMn14ZNo_FgkTxQG4VzZxCaZJ_FbsvNMZfS1cYtlxaHuHYGOQmd4YjT5DE88jyCRnZ6MdKXsb5glVSNS2COnZTcvE/s1600/RAMSI+women.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhUVBV_LS83YAoPbdYsjCjgN-PX8hx6z3rM6tteXoYF6_4z7jv-YuMn14ZNo_FgkTxQG4VzZxCaZJ_FbsvNMZfS1cYtlxaHuHYGOQmd4YjT5DE88jyCRnZ6MdKXsb5glVSNS2COnZTcvE/s1600/RAMSI+women.JPG" height="436" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solomon Islands women display a placard with a bold statement for peace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Besides saving lives, RAMSI prevents the chance of other provinces and ethnic groups joining the ethnic conflict. Western Province, one of the economic power houses of the country, was the first to declare its intention of breaking away from the Solomon Islands. Not only that, ethnic Malaitans - third and fourth generation settlers - were not welcome, but chased out of Noro, Ringi, Gizo and various islands of the province. <br />
<br />
Additionally, Isabel, Makira, Temotu and Rennell and Bellona provinces also expressed similar sentiment of seceding from the Solomons during the Premiers Conference in Bula, Isabel Province, in April 2000. Back then the
country was fast becoming a permanent failed state. <br />
<br />
We could all debate the pros and cons of how to maintain and sustain peace and stability that RAMSI have established. But in my view, it
is the responsibility of the host government, politicians, educated
citizens and the democratic institutions of the country to sort out the in-house challenges and ensure that long lasting solutions are devised, implemented and upheld. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OYLyjEUcoGK-JegwGzolnTqeggDFaJWfBnmcbcjTGNZgmrb6PnfZWIY8mb8g8g3TOBLlrc5gfFkvBw3hEWYwOkhKcf8L3-YUyh7f4FEPaRF880yw1eTsCxtbOO9k-5VqFht7nkRc_Xro/s1600/RAMSI+guns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OYLyjEUcoGK-JegwGzolnTqeggDFaJWfBnmcbcjTGNZgmrb6PnfZWIY8mb8g8g3TOBLlrc5gfFkvBw3hEWYwOkhKcf8L3-YUyh7f4FEPaRF880yw1eTsCxtbOO9k-5VqFht7nkRc_Xro/s1600/RAMSI+guns.JPG" height="320" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMSI's officers destroying home-made guns</td></tr>
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<br />
RAMSI
cannot be faulted for the past, present and future weaknesses of
governing the democratic institutions of the country, which are complicated by the influence of the multi-ethnic, cultural,
linguistic and island community biases and mindset of the people, whose allegiances are
always to their ethnic groups before the nation. <br />
<br />
The timing of an exit
strategy for RAMSI is again a debatable issue. But the case of
fixing Solomon Islands has been and will always be challenging for everyone, including our donor partners. The consistent failures of our leaders to manage the country's challenges are not always based on "incapability and incompetence", but issues that are external to modern principles of governance. <br />
<br />
These external factors are beyond simply dealing with the normal routines of governance, but they are issues relating to ethnic
and cultural values, virtues and norms that shape people's pride and identity that influenced their mindset, conduct, attitude and behavior of leaders to take or make decisions that are sometimes appeared to be out of the extra ordinary. <br />
<br />
It is is this intersect of cultural pride and mindset that resulted in how our leaders are taking decisions that are often appeared to be abnormal, silly and crazy in the eyes of our donor partners. It is often incompatible with Western norms of governing. <br />
<br />
In my observation of Melanesian politics, this issue cannot be fixed with Western inspired developmental strategies or
measured by "economic" metrics. It is one of the problems that African
nations are facing today. And I guess, Solomon Islands is no exception in this case (this is a very controversial observation but I am prepared to be corrected on this issue).<br />
<br />
The question is - how could one measures - fixing ethic conflict on the
basis of economic metrics? Could anybody out there show it to be?</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-43938753524148305272014-05-30T02:01:00.001-04:002016-07-15T03:09:13.806-04:00RAMSI critics are dishonest and looking for scapegoat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The accusation and labeling by some members of the Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII) of the Australian-led and funded Regional Assistant Mission to Solomon Islands (known widely as RAMSI) as a “failure” is simply out of ignorance and motivated by ethnic politics and biases.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMSI officers collecting home-made guns</td></tr>
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Many of us (critics of RAMSI) in this forum (FSII) seem to suffer from amnesia. We are very quick to shift the blame and blindly blaming Australia and RAMSI for the failures of our own government, politicians and leaders to deal with escalating socioeconomic problems in Honiara.<br />
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What disappointing is critics, including the leadership of Masina Forum, have failed to realize that we create the ethnic conflict between February 1998 and June 2003. It was the byproduct of our politicians perpetuating corruption, bastardizing of the civil service, the police, the judicial system and so on. It led to RAMSI's intervention.<br />
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Why are we pretending about reality? Is it because we cannot fix our own problems or we don’t like to face reality? Why blaming Oz (RAMSI) when the facts are palpable? At some stages, Solomon Islands' leaders and politicians have to stop pretending and take full responsibility for their mess.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMSI officers burning home-made guns in a fire</td></tr>
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Yes – Oz (RAMSI) has spent a lot of money in trying to "help" rebuild the various arms of the government in the country. But it isn't our money. Again, RAMSI’s role was on an advisory capacity.<br />
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Since the intervention, our leaders have maintained legislative powers. But it appears from the actions and decisions by successive governments that politicians have learned nothing from the ugly face of the past. Instead nepotism, cronyism and Wantokism have sky-rocket, blatant corruption has becoming the norm, not the exception, clogging the channels of trust and hope for anyone, including RAMSI, to begin the process of rebuilding and rehabilitating government institutions.<br />
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It had shown in the recent passing of controversial legislation that simply designed to financially benefit members of parliament. Those laws were strongly supported by both sides of politics without a huddle. Yet in countless cases, the opposition picks on non-issues blown out of proportion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solomon Islands Women Police Officers</td></tr>
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Critics have forgotten that successive governments - since 1998 - were consistently begging Australia and NZ for help. Oz responded and established RAMSI with an immediate task of restoring law and order.<br />
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It plays a major role in rebuilding the image of the force, which was trashed by former armed militants, who were drafted directly from Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) armed thugs into the Solomon Islands Police Force (SIPF) as part of a peace deal passed by our politicians.<br />
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The force is now a dysfunctional institution, where rogue officers are calling the shots. Critics have blamed the Acting Commissioner of Police for incompetence, without looking at the facts. Many senior officers of the Police Force, with the exception of a few honest and hard working officers, were willing participants of the MEF coup in June 2000. They are the ones who are criminalizing the force.<br />
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None of them had been prosecuted over treason, a crime against the state. The very police officers, who took part in the MEF June 2000 coup, under the control of former militia leader, Rasta, and his former colleague and now Deputy Prime Minister, Manasseh Maelaga, are the right hand men of Prime Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo. They carry out the PM's dirty laundry in the police.<br />
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Unfortunately, this is where the story ends. Since RAMSI’s intervention in June 2003, successive governments, politicians, prime ministers, police and judicial system, have failed to use the space, which was provided by RAMSI, to rebuild the country. Fools never learn from their mistakes.<br />
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Yes - RAMSI has spent multimillion bucks to remain in the country, but it is not our problem to criticize and debate the pros and cons of how the Australian government decides to use its money.<br />
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The most logical thing for critics to do is to take the fight to our leaders, who are busying corrupting the country and unable to take advantages of the time and space provided by RAMSI to rebuild and strengthen our governance system. This is the challenge.<br />
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After more than ten years, RAMSI has now scaling back its presence and operation in the Solomons from March this year (2014). The question is - what are we (politicians, critics and Solomon Islanders) going to do? Continue watching crooks corrupting the nation without punishment?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmi64abXJg5VitXVmi3wjh2_KSrKB8QsBKXETaWr_1u9a5vx8fn0VebZ2JV-f1hI7gaHQ-iwclYdC-wvuTEhZ0kwWhgZ_hbTGh_u3_4V4SNuEpVoJM88AKxY1G1tLvAOB65bBcascOGJg/s1600/RAMSI+dog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmi64abXJg5VitXVmi3wjh2_KSrKB8QsBKXETaWr_1u9a5vx8fn0VebZ2JV-f1hI7gaHQ-iwclYdC-wvuTEhZ0kwWhgZ_hbTGh_u3_4V4SNuEpVoJM88AKxY1G1tLvAOB65bBcascOGJg/s1600/RAMSI+dog.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMSI officers with a guard dog in a village, Solomon Islands</td></tr>
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At least RAMSI’s intervention has benefited Australia greatly by stopping would-be foreign criminal syndicates, money laundering, drug traffickers and arms’ dealers from using corrupt politicians, the government and Solomon Islands as a transit point to enter the Australian market.<br />
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We need to remind ourselves of – what is our government priority? Now RAMSI is packing up, what are we going to do critics?</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-87916616527604111992014-05-17T09:13:00.001-04:002014-05-17T09:43:24.014-04:00Police regain control of East Honiara after overnight rioting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The eastern part of the Solomon Islands national capital, Honiara, is currently under an uneasy calm following the Solomon Islands Police Force (SIPF) regaining control of the area after overnight rioting.<br />
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“We are utilizing all available resources and we are not taking any chances,” Acting Police Commissioner Junita Matanga said.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A building still smoldering from a riot the previous night in East Honiara.</td></tr>
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She stated that, “police officers deployed under the operation will not tolerate any nuisances and disorderly behavior.”<br />
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Criminals from Burns Creek settlement and nearby squatters East of Ranandi industrial area of Honiara have rioted, looted retail shops and commercial businesses and even burnt down buildings overnight.<br />
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Media report said the rioters were people, who had claimed to be flood victims of the recent flooding in Honiara.<br />
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And over the past five weeks, they have been residing in evacuation care centers, including the Panatina Campus pavilion of the Solomon Islands National University (SINU). But they were told to vacate the premises over the past four weeks, which eventually came to a head-on-collision on Friday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People walk toward the area where buildings were still on fire after an overnight riot in Honiara</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A coconut tree in front of King George IV School, which was cut down by looters overnight.</td></tr>
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Media reports, which confirmed by independent observers and NGOs in the country, alleged that those claimed victims of the flood were making false claims but they were not victims.<br />
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The genuine victims of the flood in East and Central Honiara, were already gone back to their various settlements and squatters to reclaim their land and began rebuilding their lives.<br />
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But those remaining ones in the Care Centers were homeless unemployed individuals prior to the flood. They were simply taking advantages of the flood to claim and qualify for government and NGOs assistance.<br />
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According to reports, the government and education authorities in the country have recently decided to instruct the removal of the individuals to enable the university and other schools in the Eastern and Central areas of Honiara, which were used as evacuation centers, to resume classes.<br />
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Prior to the removing of the individuals, they demanded that the government pays them money to help rebuilding their lives once again. Their demand was also accompanied by threats to go on rioting in the streets of Honiara, but the police failed to take it seriously.<br />
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Following their removal, they eventually rioted in the Eastern part of Honiara, on Friday evening and throughout the night, causing multi million dollars widespread damages to private properties and retail shops along the business strip from Ranandi to Burns Creek.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vehicles back on the road, East of Honiara, after the main highway was closed overnight due to rioting</td></tr>
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Since last night, the Police have managed to arrest some of the leaders of the rioting mob and also set up roadblocks in the area to monitor any suspicious activities.<br />
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This evening, a police press statement revealed that the SIPF has already launched a major security operation to target the current lawlessness experiences in parts of Honiara. Additional officers have been deployed and are patrolling Honiara and surrounding communities.<br />
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A number of Police Units have been utilized in this operation which has increase police manpower. Police Operations Officers are already assisting general duty officers with patrols and a variety of other policing tasks.<br />
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Acting Commissioner Matanga reminds the public that with the launching of the security operation, police are more prepared and have the response capability to attend to any disorder situation.<br />
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The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force operation is also benefitting from the strong support that is currently provided by the RAMSI’s Participating Police Force (PPF).<br />
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Police Commissioner Ms Matanga also strongly urged members of the public to refrain from involving in illegal activities and to stay at home.<br />
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“While I appreciate the responsible attitude displayed by the most members of the public, you are warned not to take advantage of the situation and get involved in unlawful activities,” she said.<br />
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“I call on members of the public to stay at home and exercise restraint and refrain from going out unless it is absolutely necessary,” Acting Commissioner Matanga said.<br />
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Police are already responding to a group of individuals who are trying to setup roadblocks around the King George to Burn’s Creek area this evening. Police will be continue with patrol but may also set-up random check points in and around the town boundary if it is required.<br />
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Police also called on the public to support their operation by providing any information relating to the unlawful activities and also information on anyone or group who may want to take advantage of the situation to cause additional nuisance.<br />
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The police call is also extended to community elders, church leaders and NGOs such civil society groups or community support groups to help in educating our people to stay away from such illegal activities.<br />
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The police operation will continue on to tomorrow and will depend on security assessments to either scale down the operation or extend.<br />
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The current disorder is the result of the behavior and attitude a few unruly individuals within our communities but police has continued to get huge support from the public and we are looking forward for the continued public assistance.<br />
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Any information that can assist police with their operation can be phoned in through the Police Communication Centre’s toll free numbers on 23666 the emergency number 999.</div>
Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-70571149360560198302014-05-14T01:07:00.000-04:002014-05-14T21:26:52.903-04:00Children reach out to flood victims children in Honiara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Children, backed by youths from the ethnic minority group of Rennell and Bellona Islands, residing in the national capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara, had taken the initiative of reaching out to children in the flood zones of White River, West Honiara and East Honiara.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White River area opposites the clinic</td></tr>
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“It’s heart breaking to visit and see some of these people….they have nothing at all”, said community and church leader, Johnie Tangimatai Tango.<br />
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“We are targeting children in our effort to assist flood victims as a recognition of their special needs”, he said.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stand alone small hut in the midst of debris </td></tr>
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“Children have specific and immediate needs as victims of the recent flood, but their needs and wants are tacked under the general welfare of their parents and families”.<br />
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Mr Tango thanks a number of local and overseas donors, who have responded positively to their initial appeal and provided clothing, cooking utensils, garden tools and basic medicines such as aspirins, Panadol, which they were able to distribute to the needy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children in the flood zones, who had received clothing from donors.</td></tr>
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A media report last week highlighted two incidents in one of the care centers, Panatina pavilion, where a child had died of ill health due to poor sanitation and health hazard abolition block. And the second case occurs when a group of adults fought over food.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children preparing to take clothing to children flood victims</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children feeding children in the flood zone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The supporting team to the children program</td></tr>
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Some tertiary nursing students of the youth group were able to carry out surveys in the disaster zones, which showed that the affected families are still a long way from getting their life back to normal.<br />
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He said most assistance given by aid donors and channeled through normal humanitarian organizations in the national capital are only enough for the flood victims in government established care centers.<br />
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According to Tango, most victims of the flood zone in West Honiara, who were turned back by the care centers due to overflowing capacity are still waiting for anyone to help them.<br />
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Most of these families have nothing left in their possession and homes. Some of them don’t even have a home. They live under open and makeshift shelters build from a collection of materials from houses and homes, which were destroyed by the flood.<br />
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They simply survive by sharing the little things they received from friends, relatives and small church groups, who have visited them so far.<br />
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Many families, who are living along the Mataniko river, Lunga river and White river, are urgently needing help of many sort, especially water tanks and basic tools to help in their cleaning up.<br />
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“The situations in many of these areas are so desperate. It is heart breaking to see families with children still struggling with even the most basic things".<br />
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Some of these families do not have a home or shelter to start with. They did not own cooking utensils, water tanks and even water-bottles to fetch water for drinking, let alone clothing, gardening tools and proper toilets.<br />
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The demands for basic things like cups, drinking bottles, cooking ports, plates, spoons and kitchen utensils, household stuff, food and clothing to name a few, are urgently needed in these disaster zones.<br />
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Many families have nothing at all and the worse part of it is there are many children. Some of them are going around with their little naked bodies because of lack of clothing.<br />
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There are many good Samaritans in the non-flooding areas in Honiara, who are willingly giving and offering help but they are not enough and only restricted to what they can afford to give.<br />
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Mr Tango said his target group are children and so far, they have distributed some of the donations that many good people in Honiara and few overseas friends have contributed.<br />
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Despite the generosity of their donors, many families are still missing out.<br />
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He appeals for donors to provide water tanks, water containers to fetch and store water for drinking, gardening tools and clothing for young children.<br />
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According to Mr Tango, the group is continuing its work and appealing for assistance from willing donors.<br />
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Contact: (677)7606089 for donations. To overseas donors, send donations through our church account, but narrate it as “Avaiki Students flood response”. Notify Johnie Tango jtango@adventist.org.sb copy to Church CFO (Frazer Alekevu) falekevu@adventist.org.sb .<br />
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Send us your donation to: Account Name: SDA Church-Solomon Islands. A/C no: 9000390301. Swift code: NBSISBSB. Address: P O Box R145, Ranandi, Palm Drive, Lungga, Honiara<br />
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Physical Bank Address: Bank South Pacific, P O Box37, Mendana Avenue, Honiara, Solomon Islands.<br />
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Donors will receive regular updates and financial report of their help via email. As of today, we have already provided five financial reports and updates to our initial donors over the past three and half weeks.<br />
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Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594397373363751899.post-1229927537896871672014-05-08T23:06:00.000-04:002019-11-19T17:52:52.808-05:00Sasako's dossier of lies, corruption and hypocrisy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Recently, a discussion topic in the "Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII)" on the issue of whether or not it is acceptable to have candidates of the same ethnic group holding the three top positions of the Prime Minister, Governor General and Commissioner of Police - at any one time or term </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">in the Solomon Islands government</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former failed politician, Alfred Sasako.</td></tr>
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The question was raised following the election of the Governor General (GG) in 6 May 2014. The post is five-year-term and the then two candidates, Frank Kabui, a former Attorney General and High Court Judge from Malaita Province, was seeking a second term in office. The challenger, Andrew Mua, was an ethnic Polynesian from the outer island of Tikopia, Temotu Province. <br />
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Mua is a veteran politician, who had served in the Honiara City Council as a counselor and Mayor for about 20 years.The topic draws diverse responses from FSII members on the basis that since the country gained political independence in 7 July, 1978, there was an unwritten rule in the political processes in the country that obligated successive governments and the dominating ethnic groups and bigger provinces to spread the three top influential positions among people of the diverse cultural and ethic groups of the country's nine provinces and Honiara city.<br />
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However, in the over 30-year history of the country, there were two instances, when the Prime Minister and Governor General were both from Guadalcanal Island (1989) and later Western Province (1993-1994). The two cases were due to ruling political parties replacing seating Prime Ministers after moving two motions of no-confidence.<br />
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My being honest and brutal with the truth was not widely appreciated by Alfred Sasako, an ethnic Malaitan former journalist turned politician, who took the debate into a personal crusade of attacking anyone who disagrees with him. He even threatened a young lawyer with a defamation lawsuit.<br />
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As always, I decided not to allow Sasako to intimidate anyone and get away with his threats and boastfulness about his so-called professional and academic achievements, a tactic he has been consistently employing in recent past to frighten his critics from scrutinizing his role and history of corruption. As such, I have decided to highlight below the many reasons, I've consistently called Sasako a corrupt former journalist turned politician.<br />
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Firstly, in 1998 as the then first Minister of State Assisting the Prime Minister, Sasako told the local media that the militants’ criminal activities in the rural areas of Guadalcanal was a “storm in a tea-cup”. Obviously, it blew up in his face and destroyed the Solomons. The country went through five years of ethnic conflict between armed ethnic Malaitan Eagle Force (MEF) and Guadalcanal Militants. It led to a MEF coup in 5 June 2000 and the removal of the democratically elected government by armed MEF militia. Over 60,000 ethnic Malaitan settlers and about 40,000 Guadalcanal villagers were displaced and over 100 people from both groups were killed. The conflict ended when an Australian-led military intervention in June 2003 brought peace and stability to the country. The mission disarmed criminal armed thugs and remained in the country until March 2013.<br />
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Secondly, during the early stages of the ethnic conflict in the Solomon Islands, Michael Field, a New Zealand-based journalist flew into the country and later wrote an article and quoted a Guadalcanal militant, George Gray, describing ethnic Malaitans in a derogatory term (the dog sperm issue). Sasako’s reaction was to ban the journalist, the foreign and local media from reporting about the ethnic conflict. Sadly the media ban failed to yield any positive result, instead it puts the government in the dark about the criminal activities and the planning of the Malaitan Eagle Force (MEF) coup.<br />
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The media ban also highlighted Sasako’s hypocrisy. As a former journalist based in PNG during the height of the Bougainville crisis in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sasako flew into Honiara and secretly took a banana boat crossed the Papua New Guinea (PNG) blockade of the border between Solomon Islands and Bougainville. He went to Bougainville and during his time on the island, he reported about atrocities, rape cases, killings of innocent people and many other inhuman activities by the PNG's Defense Force on the trouble island. Sadly, when an opportunity presented itself for him to protect media freedom and the role of the media to hold leaders accountable in Solomon Islands during the early stages of the conflict in the country in 1998, he disowned the very principles and professional ethics of journalism that defined his career. I was the only journalist in the country and the Pacific Islands region, who had written articles criticizing the media ban. I also wrote to the Fiji media and criticize the publisher of the Solomon Star, the late John Lamani and former manager of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting (SIBC), Johnson Honimae (both ethnic Malaitans), and executive members of the Suva-based Pacific Islands News Association (PINA). Their level of hypocrisy was so blatant when they were attending the annual meeting of the news media body in Fiji and giving out “Press Freedom Awards” without a mention of the media ban, which was then current in the Solomon Islands. I also attended that same conference.<br />
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Instead, Sasako, Honimae and Nina Ratulele of PINA secretariat in Suva, Fiji, personally attacked me in the Solomon Islands and Fiji media. Unknown to my regional colleagues was the three senior media executives from Solomon Islands, mentioned above, were ethnic Malaitans and allegedly pro-ethnic Malaitan militia. The media ban ended after the coup in June 2000, and since then no one really knows - what could have happened if journalists and the news media were allowed to report freely about the pre-ethnic conflict ground situation and politics in the country.<br />
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Thirdly, in 2000 to 2004, Sasako consistently criticized the then government over giving tax exceptions to Asian loggers, foreigners and local companies in both parliament and the local media. At that time, the government was almost begging aid donors to pay for education, health and the delivery of other major services in the country. But when a list of companies and individuals who were given tax exceptions by the government was released by the Custom Department, Sasako’s name was top of the list. Sasako got tax exceptions for liquor, tobacco (cigarette) and almost every thing.<br />
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He was also instrumental in using his ministerial position to give tax exceptions to QQQ Wholesale and Retail Company. This case also demonstrated the hypocrisy and self interests of Sasako, who was receiving financial assistance from QQQ and its Brisbane-based executive director, Lawrence Quan, for his past election campaigns and also to wage a media smearing campaign against Lawrence Quan’s ex-wife, Carol Edward. Ms Edward was acquitted by the Magistrate Courts in the Solomons over a traffic accident case.<br />
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Sasako took on the case in the court of public opinions with a hidden agenda and personal gain. He waged a media campaign against the Director of Public Prosecution (DDP) Ronald Bei Talasasa and demanded the reinstatement of the case. Sasako cooked up a storm and conspiracy theory, alleging that the DPP was covering up for a miscarriage of justice by deliberately omitting vital evidences by police witnesses against Ms Edward.<br />
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The names and reputations of the magistrate, police, DDP and Ms Edward were dragged under the mud for a long time by Sasako. Unknown to the public in the Solomon Islands and especially the Solomon Star, which Sasako had used as a mouthpiece to wage his media campaign, was Quan, the owner of QQQ Wholesale and Sasako’s financier in several past elections, was fighting a multi-million dollar law suit against his ex-wife in Brisbane over child custody, ownership of their properties and million dollar investments in Australia and Asia.<br />
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Sasako’s role was vital to the case in Brisbane because if the DDP was to re-open the case and Ms Edward was jailed over the allegations, Quan could have used the guilty verdict in the Solomon Islands to discredit his ex-wife’s reputation as a trustworthy claimant over the custody of their children, properties and the QQQ multi-million dollar investments in Australia and Asia (detail withheld). In the end, Sasako failed to convince the Magistrate and DDP to reopen the case. Interestingly, when Sasako was given a post as a political appointee to the government of former Prime Minister Danny Philip, Quan, who has no academic or otherwise credential was subsequently appointed as the Solomon Islands Consul in Brisbane.<br />
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Fourthly, in 2001-2004 as a former member of the Solomon Islands parliament opposition, Sasako waged a media campaign to discredit former Prime Minister, Allan Kemakeza. He accused him left, right and center of corruption and involvement in criminal activities. But this is not new, except for Sasako’s hypocrisy. In 2001, I wrote an email while in Canberra after receiving information about the killing of 11 Kwaio armed men in South Guadalcanal. I sent the email to some of my colleagues both in Australia and the Solomon Islands. I also mentioned that Sasako and Kemakeza were aware of the trip, which was intended to capture the Guadalcanal armed militia leader, Harold Keke.<br />
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The trip was motivated by an undisclosed bounty on the militia’s head if the group captures him and hands him alive over to the government. Not only that journalists in the Solomon Islands ridiculed the news update, but Sasako dismissed the story as speculative and fabrication of information. He stated in an email to me via a third party that even if it was true, there was no way that "God and Satan" could have slept together in one bed – a reference Sasako made to describe him as "God" (a righteous man) and Kemakeza as "Satan" (evil man). Interestingly, in 2004, Sasako joined Kemakeza’s government as the Minister of Agriculture. Sasako became the wife of Satan. Additionally, the story was proven to be true – there was no lies and Sasako ate his own words.<br />
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Fifth, following the confirmation of the killing of the 11 armed Kwaio men by now jailed Guale warlord, Harold Keke, a Commission of Inquiries was established by the government to investigate the case. Individuals and politicians were called and interrogated about their knowledge and involvement in the botched trip. There were 12 armed militia men and 11 of them were from Kwaio who had went on the canoe trip to Weathercoast. And only one person of Bougainvillean origin was released by Keke. The Bougainvillean was told to return to Honiara and inform those people who had sent the group that the 11 armed Kwaio men had been killed.<br />
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When Sasako was called to the Commission of Inquiries and interrogated on whether or not he was aware of the group, the planning and executing of the trip? Sasako answered by admitting that he went to the house that night, but he did not know that the group was holding a meeting in the other room. Well Sasako – you cannot fool anybody (detail withheld).<br />
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Sixth, in May 2001 and December 2002, Sasako attended two “one-hour-each” conferences at John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. In his CV Sasako claimed to have obtained two diplomas. I have confirmation from both the institution and the Solomon Islands government that this is a big fat lie. Those workshops were simply non-academic accredited conferences. They were funded by the Institution, but like any other conference, they did not amount to awarding of Diplomas. So Sasako, you cannot tell lies in 21st century and thinking that no one could find out. I have a copy of your CV with manufactured qualifications. Your only qualification (the highest) is Diploma in Journalism at UPNG in 1977.<br />
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Seventh, following the post-coup national election in November 2001, Sasako won his parliamentary seat of East Kwaio Constituency, Malaita Province. After few years in the Opposition, he joined the government of Kemakeza as Minister of Agriculture. In May 2005, he resigned as a Minister and took up a job with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States Secretariat in Brussels. In the process of moving from Honiara to Brussels, he deliberately refused to resign as a Member of Parliament for East Kwaio because if he did, he would not be illegible for Life-pension of parliamentarians in the Solomon Islands.<br />
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The issue came to light when the late Joses Sanga and one of his colleagues were attending an ACP meeting in Brussels. The General Secretary of the ACP, John Kaputin, who is Sasako’s personal friend of PNG’s origin, knew about it and in line with the principle of good governance, he requested Sasako to resign from his post as press secretary of ACP immediately. Sasako resigned in disgrace and on his arrival in Solomon Islands, he went berserk in the local media accusing the late Sanga of jealousy. Sasako did not bother to see his fat corruption and instead he had the tenacity to criticize others.<br />
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Eighth, as Minister of Agriculture, Sasako bombarded the news media as always to talk about the need for Solomon Islands government politicians to uphold the principles of good governance, leadership accountability and anti-corruption. In the midst of his ongoing media blitz, he was physically assaulted by an ethnic Malaitan man, Batolo, whom Sasako was having a sexual affair with his wife. Sasako was forced to pay SID$10,000 compensation for his cultural indiscretion. But weeks later, Sasako was caught again by the same person with his wife and he stubbed Sasako. Sasako was rushed to hospital and later recover. But upon his release from hospital, he came out in the local media and thanked the Christian community in Solomon Islands for their prayers (detail withheld). What a hypocrite?<br />
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Ninth, in 2007, Sasako came out in the local and regional media and ridiculing the then Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, alleging that he (Sogavare) was allowing fortune-tellers or black magicians to guide his political decisions. Sasako wrote an article and published by the Fiji-based Island Business Monthly and simply ridiculed Sogavare state of mind and fitness to govern the country. Few months later, Sasako accepted an offer by the same person whom he had earlier ridiculed as insane to be his Media Adviser. Talking about flip-flops and using media blitz to threaten people and forcing them to give Sasako a job opportunity is not a problem to this shameless and headless creature.<br />
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Tenth, between 2010-2012, Sasako teamed up with a New Zealander, who had claimed to have a magic solution to mining problems of the people and local communities near the Gold Ridge area, Central Guadalcanal. Sasako unashamedly wrote daily articles about the many promises of the so called investor. The person was later found by the investment corporation of the Solomon Islands to be a conman, who has no expertise in gold mining anywhere in the world. Instead Sasako became his media manager for misinformation and bogus claims.<br />
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Eleventh, but not the least. Sasako has a long history of manipulating government institutions for his own political benefits. Among other cases is this one. During his first term in parliament, the then Clerk to Parliament, advised Sasako that his travelling entitlement as an MP would be ceased because it wasn’t intended for MPs, who were living overseas. In this case, Sasako was living in Brisbane, but attending parliament meetings in the Solomon Islands. The Clerk to Parliament explained to Sasako that the travelling entitlement was intended for local and not overseas traveling. Sasako responded by asking the then Prime Minister of the government, which he was a senior minister, to remove and replace the Clerk to Parliament. The government obligated to Sasako's political request and he continued to abuse his traveling entitlement as MP for East Kwaio and North Brisbane until the end of his tenure.<br />
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There is an obvious difference between Sasako and myself. I can say with a degree of satisfaction and certainty that I have spent the past twenty years of my life fighting corruption, especially people like Sasako, in the Solomon Islands. My work has been well documented in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Foreign Correspondent documentary film, which based on my investigative reporting about “Logging and Corruption” in the Solomon Islands (1996).<br />
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One interesting fact about Sasako is this: he is very brave to tell lies and selling his writing skills to anyone and everyone for a few dollars. He is known in the Solomon Islands as a bully-boy of the local news media. But when I highlighted his past history of corruption, his answer was: “if there is any one single sinner that Jesus Christ came and died for him, it has to be Sasako”. Wow, what a hypocrite? While no one denies God's faithfulness, who forgives and forgets, Sasako should also extends this forgiveness to most of his former victims.<br />
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For public information, I will deal with Sasako's accusation that I was sacked by the Solomon Star for fabricating stories. The allegations and accusations weren't only false, but exposes Sasako's ignorance about the true facts of my case. And for Sasako and critics, here are the facts. My sacking was a badge of honor for me. Being an ethnic Polynesian from a minority group in the predominantly Melanesian country, I've always tried my hardest to report fairly and objectively because I've no ethnic loyalty to any Melanesian politician. I've often considered myself to be an honest, hardworking and non-compromising journalist. I'm among the first local journalist to take on a sitting Prime Minister and his powerful networks of crooks, without fear or favor. Interestingly back then the Prime Minister was a share-holder of the Solomon Star newspaper (this issue was highlighted in a speech/presentation by a former local journalist, Johnson Honimae, in an academic meet at Newcastle University, Australia, in 1992). I did not know about it until I left the Solomon Star newspaper. Interestingly, few weeks earlier and days prior to my sacking, the then Prime Minister personally appointed the publisher of the Solomon Star newspaper as the new Chairman of the country's Constituency Boundary Commission. Blatant corruption is not only restricted to politicians.<br /><br />Interestingly, the stories, which were the basis of my sacking were sanctioned by the news editor and editor for publication after facts-checking them with document and interviewing notes. If the Solomon Star publisher was an honest person, he would have sacked both the editor and myself. Despite the fact that the stories were based on hard evidence, the Publisher - under duress from the then Prime Minister - terminated my employment. My termination was typical of tongahiti (Melanesian black magic mentality) politics. I was used as a scapegoat. After three years of fending for myself, following the refusal by the Solomon Star publisher to provide legal assistance to me against multiple defamatory lawsuits by a former prime minister, a commissioner of police, a senior police officer, directors of the Honiara Casino, politicians and senior bureaucrats, I won the first case in the High Courts of the Solomon Islands in September 1997. It led to the withdrawal of five other defamatory cases against me. My lawyer at that time was Andrew Nori, (now deceased) who later turned rogue and became the leader of the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) in 2000 - 2003. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) paid for my legal defense.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><i><br /><b>The above article and the views expressed are my own and they are "Not" representative of the ethnic minority group of Rennell and Bellona Province, members of my immediate and extended family and anyone for that matter. I own the views and anyone wishes to challenge them, you are welcome to do so by writing to my blog: Pasifik Wantoks International.</b></i></span></div>
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Duran Angikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995099180710785602noreply@blogger.com3