American Samoa
The American Samoa government has announced that foreigners can now acquire or start a new limited liability company (LLC) in the territory. The announcement opens up opportunities for foreign companies and citizens to establish a business presence in American Samoa. The decision was made in recognition of the importance of foreign investment in the territory. The new policy means foreign companies and citizens can now take advantage of the benefits of LLCs, such as limited liability protection, while conducting business in American Samoa.
Northern Marianas (CNMI)
The US Air Force is stepping up construction at the Tinian North airfield, once used by the largest B-29 bomber fleet during World War II, and at the Tinian International airfield, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander of the Pacific Air Forces, said in an interview with Nikkei Asia. “If you pay attention in the next few months, you will see significant progress, especially at Tinian North,” Wilsbach said. The airfield “has extensive pavement underneath the overgrown jungle. We’ll be clearing that jungle out between now and summertime.” Added that it will be “an extensive” facility once construction is complete. Wilsbach declined to comment on when the airstrip will be operational.
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands parliament has passed the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill 2023, allowing the importation of medicinal cannabis. Minister for Health, Rose Toki-Brown, thanked Prime Minister Mark Brown and the Members of Parliament, who contributed to the Bill. The Bill sought amendment of the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004, and now enables controlled-type drugs to be imported if they have been or are to be prescribed.
Federated States of Micronesia
FSM President, Wesley W. Simina, has signed a regulation approving a new map that shows in full the extent of the maritime zones of the country, including its exclusive economic zone, as well as the vast extended continental shelf claims that are referred to as the Ontong Java Plateau, Eauripik Rise, Mussau Ridge, and the North of Yap Area. The amended regulation officially recognised the permanence of maritime boundaries and the continental shelf for the first time in the history of the Pacific region. These claims may be subject to overlapping claims by neighbouring nations and are subject to examination by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Fiji
Two local companies will be taking over ExxonMobil’s Fiji operations and assets, including all retail sites and terminals and all commercial arrangements. Punja & Sons Pte Ltd and Gecko Trucking Ltd will be acquiring all Mobil Oil (Fiji) assets through a jointly owned vehicle, Petro Oceania. The process is expected to take up to 12 months to ensure all conditions necessary for the transaction are completed.
French Polynesia
Paris 2024 organisers have insisted the surfing events at this year’s Olympics be held on the Tahiti site of Teahupo’o despite recent opposition from the International Surfing Association (ISA) on the construction of an aluminium judging tower. In October last year, residents of Teahupo’o protested plans by Games organisers to build a 14-metre aluminium tower that would allow up to 40 people to watch, film and judge the surfing at a famed break in front of the village. The ISA said it would not support the construction of the aluminium tower, suggesting the events could be judged from the shore.
Guam
Police in Guam are set to get body cameras. The Guam Daily Post reports Governor Guerrero signed off on several bills becoming law, including authorising the creation of a body camera program for uniformed officers. Governor Leon Guerrero said in light of CCTV and the public having cell phone cameras, the bill recognised the positive value of body-worn camera recordings in affecting the behaviour of those being recorded, and the added value in aiding investigations.
Kiribati
United Nations Special Rapporteur, Margaret Satterthwaite, has castigated the Kiribati Government for its treatment of judges and the country’s judicial crisis. Satterthwaite wants the government to indicate what steps it is taking to ensure the independence of the Kiribati judiciary, access to justice and right to a fair trial in the country. Radio New Zealand reported Kiribati has limited legal services available, with no Court of Appeal, following the suspension of five judges in recent years. Those suspended were four New Zealand judges and one Australian.
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands officially opened a new Embassy in Tokyo, Japan on December 9, 2023. Attended by President David Kabua, First Lady Ginger Kabua, and Jack Ading, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the opening of the new Embassy marked 32 years of diplomatic presence in Japan from when the RMI Embassy was officially established in 1991.
Nauru
A State of Disaster for the whole of Nauru was declared on December 12 for the purpose of managing and minimising the impacts of a 500-pound World War II unexploded ordnance (UXO) discovered in Aiwo on November 30. Australia Defence Force Army explosive ordnance disposal technicians worked with Nauru authorities to render the UXO safe and move it to a safe location. The cordon has since been lifted and people have returned home. This includes households in Aiwo within the first 140m, a government statement said.
New Caledonia
New Caledonia’s nickel industry has accumulated debts of about $1.5 billion Euro. Radio New Zealand reports this was disclosed during French Economy Minister Bruno Lemaire’s recent visit to New Caledonia. In the face of what he termed a “critical” situation, Lemaire hoped an agreement could be signed by the end of January. This would involve drastic reforms in terms of profitability, market adaptation and productivity from all nickel mining companies.
Niue
Expect more services from Telecom Niue in 2024, Telecom Niue Limited Chief Executive Officer, Anurag Tandon, has announced. “There are a few services which Telecom Niue is looking at bringing in the new year. Some of them being international roaming, upgrading the network to build redundancy in case of outage and taking care of the increasing data utilisation,” Tandon said. He also said the copper lines on the island will be replaced with fibre, to enable Telecom Niue to become a triple player service provider by providing voice data and Internet protocol television in collaboration with the Broadcasting Corporation of Niue to customers’ homes.
Palau
Another airline is expected to begin direct flights to Palau. Cambodia’s Angkor Air is expecting to begin flights between Hong Kong and Palau in February, adding to Palau’s list of flights. Nauru Airlines recently started flights from Australia, and Alii Palau Airlines started a weekly service from Singapore. United Airlines offers six flights from Guam and two from the Philippines weekly. China Airlines operates twice a week, and Air Niugini offers a weekly link, connecting Palau and Australia through Papua New Guinea.
PNG
Papua New Guinea has announced the extension of Visa on Arrival (VOA) privileges to all Pacific Island States and Territories. The entry requirements for VOA include an authentic passport with at least six months validity, a return ticket, and a completed arrival card. Qualified Pacific Islanders will be issued an Easy Visitor Visa for a 60-day stay per visit, a government statement said.
Samoa
Samoa Airways has been fined over US$1000 dollars for allowing a second foreign national in a month to board one of its planes to American Samoa without a proper permit. The fine stemmed from a New Zealand passport holder who was allowed to travel to the US territory without a permit. Samoa’s Minister for Public Enterprises, Leatinuu Wayne So’oialo, confirmed the airline has to pay a total of US$1,500 for both immigration breaches. The first incident last month involved Samoa’s former Associate Minister for Police, who bypassed the check-in desk in Apia using his diplomatic passport to enter American Samoa.
Solomon Islands
Breast cancer is the highest cancer killer in the Solomon Islands, according to Dr Andrew Soma, Head of Oncology at the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital (NRH). While handing over a new mammography machine at NRH, Dr Soma said the number of new cancer cases in Solomon Islands in 2020 was 122 (20.1%) and of these, 38 were breast cancer cases. Dr Soma said a study by local medical expert, Dr Michael Buin, found that 25.4% of deaths in women in Solomon Islands were caused by breast cancer.
Tonga
Tonga has launched an overseas mission to inform the Tongan diaspora about their land rights in the Kingdom. The ‘Toe Tala-tala-noa Overseas Program’ aims to raise awareness of land disputes that start when Tongan nationals living overseas claim inheritance rights in Tonga. A number of Land Court rulings have prevented overseas-based Tongans from evicting tenants. The program, organised by Tonga’s Ministry of Lands, targets the Tongan diaspora in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Tuvalu
Flight services to and from Tuvalu have resumed after being briefly suspended in December due to damage to the runway at Funafuti International Airport. Passengers were left stranded after Fiji Airways cancelled all flights to and from the tiny island nation indefinitely due to the state of the airport’s runway. The airline is the only international carrier that services Tuvalu.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu seasonal workers will no longer be allowed to extend their visa periods in Australia and New Zealand. The Vanuatu Daily Post reported the country’s Commissioner of Labour as saying the department is in the process of making policy changes. A directive was issued last year disallowing contract extensions and ceasing COVID-19 visas. This decision was made in collaboration with the Australian government.
