Pacific Islands Report

Malaita wants to become a republic

HONIARA, Solomon Islands—The Malaita Provincial Assembly has passed a motion requesting the national government to consider changing the Solomon Islands into a republic.
Former diplomat and assembly member Francis Saemala, who introduced the motion, said the country still remains under the English monarchy system, with Queen Elizabeth II the head of state.
The time has come for a Solomon Islander to be head of state, he said. “This will free us from the monarchy, its traditions, and rules.”

Pacific human rights in good shape

SUVA, Fiji Islands—The human rights situation in the Pacific is generally good, but steps should be taken to control potential problems developing in the Melanesian part of the region, said Lopeti Senituli of the Suva-based Pacific Concerns Resource Center.
Senituli called the U.S. State Department’s annual review of human rights practices in the region “fair and accurate.” But he said the reports indicate some problems in regions with rising levels of ethnic tension, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Precautions should be taken to prevent ethnic unrest from deteriorating further, Senituli said.

Niue airline deal grounded

ALOFI, Niue—The Niue government said its deal with Coral Air to bring tourists to the island is dead.
President Sani Lakatani backed a plan that called for Coral Air to acquire a turbo prop aircraft that would bring in tourists from Samoa, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tahiti and Tonga.
But the plan was slow to take off and Lakatani now has called off the dealbecause no lease of an aircraft has been made.
The New Zealand-based airline said if the deal is killed, it will sue the government for $20 million in estimated lost revenue.

Fiji seizes hotel from Nauru

SUVA, Fiji Islands—The government has taken the unprecedented step of seizing a hotel on prime waterfront land that is owned by the government of Nauru, Radio Australia reports.
The Grand Pacific Hotel, an 86-year-old building which in its day accommodated such guests as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and writer James Michener, today is in ruins.
The action follows several years of negotiations with the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust Fund, during which the Fiji Government threatened to repossess the hotel if the Fund did not reopen it. (Pacific Islands Report)