Page 7 - Islands Business May 2023

Briefs Briefs

coastal fisheries and aquaculture sector. The project com-
ponents include strengthened policy and planning strategies
and improved food security and nutrition through farmed fish Samoa
supply. Visitors to Samoa’s shores in the first quarter of 2023 totalled
over 30,136, according to data released by the Samoa Bureau
of Statistics, showing arrivals beginning to get to pre-CO-
VID-19 pandemic levels. New Zealand, Australia, American
New Caledonia Samoa, and the United States of America constituted 84.7%
New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou says his administration of all visitors to Samoa while other countries rounded up the
needs another US$120 million from France this year to ensure remaining 15.3% during the reference period.
stability. Mapou gave the figure after recent meetings with
ministers and officials in Paris. The President said stability is
necessary because of the difficulties now being experienced Solomon Islands
and this applies to French territory’s civil and commercial Six political parties in Solomon Islands have been suspended
laws, the strategy for the nickel sector, but also the overhaul over their failure to comply with the Political Parties Integrity
of the entire electric power system. Act 2014. The suspended political parties are Youth All Urban
Rural Party, National Transformation Party, Pan Melanesian
Congress Party, United Democratic Party, People’s Progres-
Niue sive Party, and New Nation Party. The suspension is for three
Dalton Tagelagi has been re-elected premier of Niue beating months, and if the parties still fail to make amends, they will
Opposition leader, O’love Jacobsen by 16 votes to 4 during be deregistered.
the first sitting of the new assembly in Alofi. Tagelagi has
retained his ministers, Crossley Tatui and Esa Mona Sharon
Ainuu, and has appointed common roll member, Sonya Talagi, Tonga
to his Cabinet. This is the first time in the history of the Niue The by-election to elect a new People’s Representative to the
government that there are an equal number of male and Tonga Legislative Assembly for the Tongatapu 10 constituency
female members in Cabinet. Three members of this Tagelagi will be held on Thursday, July 13, 2023. This is to fill the seat
Cabinet are brand new MPs, according to Television Niue. vacated by the late former Prime Minister, Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa,
who passed away on 18 March this year.

Palau Tuvalu
Palau stands to receive US$890 million in economic assistance Tuvalu’s government has signed a Memorandum of Under-
from the US over the next 20 years, Palau President Surangel standing (MoU) with Sea Shepherd Global, a marine conserva-
Whipps Jr confirmed. The President said the total pledged by tion organisation based in the Netherlands, to combat illegal,
Washington was more than double the amount initially on the unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Tuvalu’s waters.
table. “The new agreement includes provisions for continued The MoU commits Sea Shepherd Global to send the Allankay,
assistance based on negotiations at that point. This will mean a 54.6-metre vessel, to support Tuvalu’s law enforcement ef-
we won’t have to solely rely on our Trust Fund for at least forts through at-sea patrols. According to recent research by
the next 20 years,” he said. The package includes $5 million the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, the annual loss due
a year for infrastructure and another $5 million a year for to IUU fishing in the Pacific is around US$600 million.
maintenance. The US has also pledged six years of funding at
$10 million a year to pay down most of Palau’s COVID-related
loans and $100 million for the Compact Trust Fund to keep it Vanuatu
growing.
Over 11 non-Ni-Vanuatu Special Envoy appointments of Vanu-
atu in foreign countries have been terminated. The announce-
ment comes in response to a recent Supreme Court decision
Papua New Guinea deeming the amendment to change the status of Special
Papua New Guinea’s State Enterprises Minister says around Envoys and not class them as Public Servants as unconsti-
US$56 million is needed to fix the problems of PNG Power. tutional. “It is important to note that the termination of
William Duma said the problems were a combination of aging Special Envoy appointments does not apply to those who are
infrastructure and incompetence at the State-owned entity, naturalised or indigenous citizens of Vanuatu,” Foreign Affairs
and the duplication of positions. The National reported Duma Minister Jotham Napat stated.
saying Cabinet had approved a rescue package, and as soon as
funding was available, it would be implemented. He said by
December, there would be ‘a better PNG Power’.

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