American Samoa
American Samoa is working to establish and record physical addresses. Talanei News reports that the absence of official physical addresses or location identifiers for streets, households, business, government and private facilities, limits access to federal programs, financial and banking services, essential services, business opportunities and effective disaster response capabilities.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands Ports Authority has lowered its landing fees. After Jeju Airlines threatened to pull out from the CNMI due to a 90% increase in airport landing fees, and pressure from Governor Arnold Palacios, the Authority decided to revert to the old rates.
Cook Islands
Cook Islands Parliament has passed a bill banning the manufacture, importation, sale, distribution, and advertising of imitation tobacco products like e-cigarettes. The bill also raises the smoking age to 21. Any breach of the regulations by individuals will result in a fine of US$67,000 or up to three months in prison, while businesses caught importing imitation tobacco products face a US$670,066 fine.
Federated States of Micronesia
Parts of the Federated States of Micronesia such as Yap Proper and Ulithi continue to experience drought, according to the US National Weather Service. Residents from islands across Yap State have reported taro patches drying up and coconuts drying out, and many reports of yellowing crops. In its Drought Information Statement dated 10 May, the Weather Service said locations with extreme to exceptional drought could see at least another month of below-normal rainfall.
Fiji
Former Fijian Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment and suspended Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho will serve two years. Bainimarama was found guilty of one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice in a case relating to the University of the South Pacific (USP), while Qiliho was found guilty of one count of abuse of office. Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo quashed the sentence that was handed down last month by Magistrate Seini Puamau. Lawyers for the pair are appealing the sentence.
French Polynesia
The minimum wage has increased in French Polynesia to US$9.20 per hour, French Polynesia’s Council of Ministers said in a release. This is an increase of 2.38% compared to the previous rate and it came into force on May 1.
Guam
Reconstructing military facilities on Guam that were heavily damaged by Supertyphoon Mawar last year may come with a price tag of US$10 billion, according to defence officials. “There’s no ability for the Air Force baseline budget to absorb the magnitude of the disaster that happened from this typhoon,” according to Lt. Gen. Tom Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection at the US Air Force. Miller said the Air Force has so far spent US$300 million on immediate requirements for repairs at the Andersen Air Force Base.
Kiribati
Kiribati’s sovereign fund, the Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund (RERF) has exceeded AU$1.523 billion. Vice President and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Teuea Toatu said that the RERF value is a record-breaking milestone.
This record surpassed the target written in the Government’s 20-year vision (KV20), which aims to increase the RERF value to AU$1.4 billion before the end of 2036. The RERF was created in 1956 to act as a store of wealth for the country’s earnings from phosphate mining.
Marshall Islands
SV Juren Ae will be Marshall Islands’ newest sailing cargo vessel. The government says the new vessel stands as a “pioneering prototype—a hybrid vessel not only for cargo transit, but also as a beacon of hope for a more environmentally sustainable future”. Minister of Transportation, Hilton Kendall urged Korea, Germany, and other stakeholders to commit to the US$150 million Pacific Blue Partnership initiative at the ship’s launch. This initiative aims to procure vessels similar to the Juren Ae in the near future.
Nauru
Two boatloads of asylum seekers intercepted off the Australian coast this month were reportedly being kept at sea rather than being sent immediately for offshore processing in Nauru. The Sydney Morning Herald reported four Vietnamese asylum seekers were intercepted by the Australian Border Force off the coast of Broome, as were 33 people of unknown nationality who arrived at Christmas Island after their vessel was damaged. About 64 people are currently on Nauru, with fewer than five assessed to be refugees, according to Australia’s Home Affairs data.
New Caledonia
New Caledonia’s power supplier ENERCAL told the local Congress it is now facing a “critical situation”. “For the past ten years, (consumers) do not pay electricity at its real price, because New Caledonia has decided to freeze the price of electricity for consumers and take care of the difference,” ENERCAL said in a release. Chairman Laurent Chatenay urged the Congress and the local government to make quick decisions and to settle a debt ENERCAL claims reaches US$162.2 million.
Niue
Niue’s Government launched a major extension to its maritime VHF network with island-wide VHF coverage, reaching 12 nautical miles offshore. Minister of Infrastructure, Crossley Tatui said the extension of this network was a significant and important project for maritime safety in Niue.
Palau
The Palau Paradise Express, a new non-stop flight service operated by Nauru Airlines, will fly between Brisbane and Palau’s commercial centre Koror, with the first flight to take place this month. Nauru Airlines will operate the flight until October 31, with eligible Australian, Pacific and Asian airlines invited to participate in a limited tender to operate the route through to October 2025. The new route complements
the Island Hopper flights between Brisbane, Yaren, Tarawa, Majuro, Pohnpei and Koror.
Papua New Guinea
BSP Financial Group Limited is budgeting K345 million (US$90 million) in capital expenditure over two years starting this year. Group Chief Executive Officer, Mark Robinson, said: “We’re making substantial investments in technology and leveraging data more effectively to gain a deeper understanding of customer needs and risks. Encouragingly, some of the steps we’ve taken are already yielding results, such as our ability to pre-approve loans, originated and processed entirely digitally.”
Samoa
The practice of using Samoan passports as collateral for rental cars, loans, or other business transactions has been officially declared illegal. Valavalatumanu Pese Sia’opo, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet, told Savali Newspaper that passports are government property, issued under the Immigration Act 2008. Valavalatumanu called upon businesses across Samoa to respect this directive and to seek other forms of security in their transactions.
Solomon Islands
Australia will contribute over SBD$18 million (US$2,115,000) to establish a new border management system, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, confirmed. The system will provide upgrades to Solomon Islands’ immigration operations by digitising visa processing, border entries and exits across the country, and improving processes for increased revenue collection. It is scheduled to be fully implemented by mid-2025.
Tonga
The Tonga Government is considering issuing Starlink a licence to offer broadband internet services in Tonga. Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni said Starlink had applied for a licence to operate in Tonga. Since the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai eruption damaged the submarine fibre optic cable in 2022, communications have been a major issue in Tonga, where internet services have remained slow and expensive.
Tuvalu
Tuvalu expects to take delivery of its new inter-island vessel, funded by the Asian Development Bank, before the end of the year. Finance Minister, Panapasi Nelesone told Pacnews the new vessel will replace the existing passenger and cargo ship, Manufolau, which is in an unserviceable state.
Vanuatu
Ernst & Young (EY) Australia have been appointed as voluntary liquidators of Air Vanuatu. This follows the airline’s cancellation of around 20 flights to and from New Zealand, Australia and Nouméa this month after reportedly being placed into administration. Minister of Finance and Economic Management, John Salong, said EY will provide a plan to the Government and shareholders offering options for a stronger airline in the future. Fiji Airways and Virgin Australia have stepped in by providing alternative flights to and from Vanuatu.