Pacific Briefs

Vietnamese garment workers to leave A. Samoa

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (PIR) — Vietnamese women who lost their jobs in American Samoa because of the closure of a controversial garment factory will start going home Thursday.

The Daewoosa Samoa factory was put in the hands of a receiver following major labor problems, which culminated in a riot late last year. One Vietnamese seamstress was stabbed in the face and lost her left eye.

The factory owner was found to be in serious breach of U.S. labor regulations.

Last month a local court ruled that all workers who wanted to go home should be repatriated at the expense of the employment agency that recruited them.

Tuna factory plans shutdowns

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (PIR) — The territory’s largest employer, the StarKist tuna cannery, will shut down operations next week for two weeks.

The cannery’s 2,300 workers also have been told that there will be another two-week shut down in April.

Management said the cannery is limiting production because there currently is a glut of tuna on the world market.

PNG impounds Taiwan fishing boats

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PIR) — Government fisheries officials have impounded four Taiwanese boats for alleged illegal fishing.

The longliners are licensed to catch yellow fin tuna, but were found with mostly shark fins.

The four boats will be taken from Alotau to Port Moresby under police escort and possible prosecution of owners and crew under the National Fisheries Act.

Tongan government criticizes media

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (PIR) — The government has criticized media reports alleging that senior Tongan figures and members of the royal family are involved in corruption and drug smuggling.

Government spokesperson Eseta Fusitua said the report by New Zealand Agence France-Presse journalist Mike Field is unethical.

“It’s such low level journalism,” she said. “It’s such trash. The media treats Tonga with such disregard.”

Fusitua said she would like to see journalists’ private lives exposed to the same level of scrutiny as Tonga’s leaders.

Ex-PNG defense force commander loses court challenge

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PIR) — Former Defense Force commander Jerry Singirok, who was fired for receiving secret payments from a supplier of military equipment, has lost a court challenge against his dismissal.

Last March Singirok, then a brigadier general, was found guilty of misconduct in office for accepting some $30,000 from J and S Franklin Limited.

Singirok maintained that the money was an unsolicited gift, but the National Court rejected his appeal.