Pacific Islands Report

Kiribati earns over $400K
from passport sales

TARAWA, Kiribati – The government has earned more than $400,000 from the sale of passports to foreign investors since June last year.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said 30 new green-colored passports were sold to businessmen from Asia and more are expected to be sold in the coming weeks.

Radio Kiribati reported that each new passport costs a minimum of $15,000.

Tuvalu formally joins UN

UNITED NATIONS, New York – Tuvalu was formally admitted this week as the 189th member of the United Nations.

Located about 600 miles north of Fiji, Tuvalu is one of the world’s smallest countries, covering just 10.4 square miles. Its 9,000 people live on nine coral atolls.

At a flag-raising ceremony at UN headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the organization’s newest member state by praising its stability.

“At a time when many small states are embroiled in violent conflicts, Tuvalu has remained stable and serene,” he said.

It is the fourth smallest country in the world in terms of area – behind the Vatican City, Monaco and Nauru.

Pohnpei cholera death toll rises to 19

PALIKIR, Federated States of Micronesia – Health officials have reported four more cholera deaths, bringing the number to 19 since the epidemic began on Pohnpei in April.

The number of people treated daily for suspected cholera at island health facilities continues to “seesaw” said National health statistician Amato Elymore, climbing to 27 on August 30 but falling to 12 on Monday.

He urged island residents to practice hygienic safeguards, especially in the preparation of food, to prevent contracting the disease

Bougainville peace talks breakthrough

RABAUL, Papua New Guinea – Bougainville Affairs Minister Sir Michael Somare has agreed to take to the national government cabinet a proposal for a referendum on the island province’s political future.

Bougainville leaders, who fought a ten-year war of independence before agreeing to a cease-fire three years ago, call the decision a “breakthrough.”

The wording of the proposal, hammered out during several days of meetings in the northern city of Rabaul, does not rule out the possibility of independence.

The government and Bougainville negotiators also found common ground on issues of autonomy, disarmament and Bougainville’s future revenue raising powers, Radio Australia reported.