PACIFIC BRIEFS

Plane wreck spotted in West Papua

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A search and rescue team has located what is believed to be the wreckage of a military plane reported missing on Monday in the remote eastern province of Irian Jaya on the island of New Guinea.

The pilot of a plane belonging to a missionary organization was the first to report seeing possible debris near the town of Wamena, with mountain peaks of over 16,000 feet nearby.

The missing plane was carrying the provincial military and police chiefs, as well as the speaker of the local parliament.

A military spokesman said it was extremely unlikely that the plane was sabotaged by West Papuan separatists, who have only primitive weapons.

Efforts to reach the suspected crash site now are under way.

American Samoa faces higher taxes

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – Governor Tauese Sunia, in an address to the territory, said residents must be willing to pay more for current government services and gave hints of forthcoming tax increases.

He said the “dependent mentality” had to go, given that federal funding for the territory for the past decade has remained at $23 million a year.

Tauese said that amount is not enough to keep the government running at its current pace.

Tuvalu to buy shares in Air Fiji

SUVA, Fiji Islands – The government of Tuvalu is negotiating to buy shares in Air Fiji.

Tuvalu’s ambassador in Suva, Anale Sofoaga, said his government wants to acquire the shares to assure no interruption in the existing air service to Funafuti from Nausori International Airport outside Suva.

Air Fiji currently provides round-trip flights to Funafuti three times a week.

Diplomacy needed to disarm Papua separatists

JAYAPURA, Indonesia – Officials in West Papua are planning to use diplomatic efforts to disarm separatist rebels hiding across the border in Papua New Guinea.

A police spokesperson said the government is expected to ask PNG authorities to conduct sweeping operations on their side of the border and arrest any Indonesians found in possession of firearms or ammunition.

He said several West Papua separatists have stolen weapons from the Indonesian police and military recently, and then fled across the border.

Guam has 154,620 residents

HAGATNA, Guam – Unofficial estimates now place the U.S. territory’s population at 154,620, an increase of over 21,000 since the 1990 census.

A Census Bureau spokesperson in Washington said the final year 2000 Guam census tally will be released next September.