Pacific Region News

Opposition leads Marshall Islands polls

MAJURO, Marshall Islands — Early results from Monday’s national elections show that the opposition United Democratic Party is winning parliament seats long held by the governing party of President Imata Kabua.

Local media reports indicate the opposition already has secured four of the five seats that represent the Majuro capital area.

A final vote count is expected to take several more days.

Fiji jails first pedophile

SUVA, Fiji Islands — An Australian accountant has been sentenced to seven years in jail in the first Fiji court case involving pedophilia.

Mark Lawrence Mutch was found guilty by the Fiji High Court of two counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault involving schoolgirls between 1990 and 1997.

He was arrested when Australian police found photos of the girls on the Internet.

In handing down sentence, Justice Devendra Pathik said the case has sent shock waves throughout the country.

“This kind of activity must be nipped in the bud before it spreads like a cancer,” he said.

More seats in assembly sought

PARIS, France — French Polynesia President Gaston Flosse is lobbying the French government for an increase in the number of seats in the Territorial Assembly from the outer islands. But opposition parties want more representation from the populated Windward Islands group, which includes Tahiti and Moorea.

Opposition leader Emile Vernaudon said, “With 26,000 people, the outer islands currently hold 19 of the 41 seats in the territorial assembly. So a candidate is elected with only 500 or 600 votes.

“On the other hand, in the Windward group, a candidate needs over 5,000 votes to get a seat in the Territorial Assembly.

“So something is clearly wrong,” according to Vernaudon.

Kiribati joins FAO

TARAWA, Kiribati —The government has joined the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in an effort to obtain increased U.N. technical and scientific support to resolve agricultural problems.

Funds are needed, a government spokesperson said, to eliminate such problems as taro beetle destruction of root crops and rats eating young coconuts.

Diabetes case up in Tonga

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga —Tongan health officials say the incidence of diabetes in the Kingdom is rising, primarily due to poor diets and a lack of exercise.

Health Minister Dr. Viliame Tangi said the cost to government alone in treating the disease is now running into the tens of thousands of dollars a year. Many patients must be sent to New Zealand for diagnosis and treatment.