Unity the key for Vanuatu
LAST month’s Vanuatu report in these pages saw the Kalsakau Opposition ready to stymie the Salwai Coalition Government. However, in the wake of a Chief Justice ruling which declared the parliamentary sitting
Politics
Red flag day
Police seize freedom symbol ONE phone from the Indonesian Embassy in Suva was all it took for Fiji’s security apparatus to go into overdrive. Police officers descended on the Pacific Conference of Churches
Red flag day
Police seize freedom symbol ONE phone from the Indonesian Embassy in Suva was all it took for Fiji’s security apparatus to go into overdrive. Police officers descended on the Pacific Conference of Churches Secretariat
Problematic Panguna
THE MINERALS in Panguna are owned by the people of Bougainville as they shed blood over them and it is certainly possible Panguna mine, once a major producer and one of the largest open pit mines in the world will not
Problematic Panguna
THE MINERALS in Panguna are owned by the people of Bougainville as they shed blood over them and it is certainly possible Panguna mine, once a major producer and one of the largest open pit mines in the world will not
Nation under siege
THE pressure from a nationwide university student unrest, union unrests and vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill would not be as high if the economy were stronger. PNG’s economy is one
Nation under siege
THE pressure from a nationwide university student unrest, union unrests and vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill would not be as high if the economy were stronger. PNG’s economy is one
O’Neill survives vote
PNG PRESSURE Political turmoil, student unrest and strikes cripple economy. PRIME MINISTER Peter O’Neill has convincingly defeated the vote of no confidence in him to remain in office despite uncertainties
O’Neill survives vote
PNG PRESSURE Political turmoil, student unrest and strikes cripple economy. PRIME MINISTER Peter O’Neill has convincingly defeated the vote of no confidence in him to remain in office despite uncertainties
Full moon falling
Head of State avoids Cooks vote ‘THE work of the devil’ Clerk of Parliament John Tangi gave that explanation for an attempted vote-of-noconfidence in the government of the Cook Islands last month. According
Sweeney is Tuvalu CJ
PM dodges questions over conflict of interest CONTROVERSY surrounds the appointment in Tuvalu of its new Chief Justice as questions are being raised about the close links between the appointee and the island’s Prime
Fiji wins UN presidency role
HISTORY was made last month when Fiji’s ambassador to the United Nations Peter Thomson won the votes to become President of the upcoming 71st session of the UN General Assembly. He beat leading diplomat of Cyprus,
Solomons challenge
Auditor-General highlights lack of record keeping THE lack of public sector asset record keeping is a growing management issue for the Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands Auditor-General Peter Lokay said the asset
Game of thrones
Customary disputes divide Wallis and Futuna THE French state has effectively chosen sides in a long-running dispute over the monarchy in Uvea, despite a convention to stay out of local customary affairs in Wallis
Vanuatu steps up
GOVERNMENT and Opposition have both been on winning streaks in Vanuatu this month. And they have been appropriately complimented by Head of State Baldwin Lonsdale. In his attempt to open the First Ordinary Sitting of
Indonesia makes tactical move
West Papua human rights abuses continue JAKARTA’S diplomacy in the region is a sight to behold. With the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia’s independence movement and Vanuatu committed to allowing West
Indonesia is not Melanesia
LATE last week, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement rejecting the Solomon Islands Prime Minister’s comments on the issue of West Papua and the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). In his
Tuvalu court jails former PM
Japan, Taiwan interests named in abuse of office trial FOR the first time in Tuvalu’s 38 years as an independent nation, a former prime minister currently sitting as an opposition member-of- parliament has been
Restraint in the face of China
NEW Zealand has been quite restrained in how it has publicly approached the issue of China’s provocative territorial expansion in the South China Sea. Although Australia hasn’t been shy about taking what is
Australia’s elections and the Pacific
AUSTRALIAN voters go to the polls on 2 July, after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called a double dissolution of both Houses of Parliament on 8 May. Halfway through the lengthy 55-day electoral campaign,
O’Neill survives for now
Financial woes, legal wrangles, public protests mount against PNG leader IT has been a turbulent month in Papua New Guinea as students from four universities boycotted class and demanded for the Prime Minister, Peter
O’Neill survives impingement bid
THE long-running corruption saga engulfing the Papua New Guinea’s leadership came to a head in April when the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate (NFACD) locked horns with high-profile government
In search of a political identity
Guam at the crossroads for self determination ONE of the last colonies in the 21st century, Guam is an unincorporated US territory in search of a political identity. Its long quest for self-determination continues