The University of the South Pacific has published a special themed edition of the Journal of Pacific Studies focusing on peace and conflict. Edited by Shailendra Singh and Dr Desmond Amosa, the journal has attracted papers exploring conflict prevention …http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/region-latest-journal-pacific-studies-looks-peace-building-7818

SUVA (University of the South Pacific / Pacific Media Watch): The University of the South Pacific has published a special themed edition of the Journal of Pacific Studies focusing on peace and conflict.

Edited by Shailendra Singh and Dr Desmond Amosa, the journal has attracted papers exploring conflict prevention and peace-building from the political, education, arts, media, gender and civil society perspectives.

Singh is former head of USP journalism who is currently studying for a PhD at the University of Queensland. Dr Amosa, also a former USP academic, is now the dean for the Faculty of Business and Entrepreneurship at the National University of Samoa.

This special issue is a collaboration between USP’s Faculty of Business and Economics and the UNDP Pacific Peace Centre. The aim is to focus attention and stimulate research on conflicts in the region, looking at possible prevention and peace-building initiatives.

The peer-reviewed journal has published papers from keynote speakers at a USP seminar on peace-building, including Dr Levi Obijiofor (University of Queensland), Kalafi Moala (Taimi Media Network, Tonga) and Professor David Robie (AUT Pacific Media Centre). Other papers are from the University of Otago, University of Sydney and USP.

An editorial in the journal notes that while the Pacific region is regarded as peaceful compared to other parts of the world, conflicts are on the rise.

The four coups in Fiji between 1987 and 2006, the riots in Tonga in 2006, ethnic conflict in Solomon Islands in the late 1990s, sporadic tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea and rumblings in New Caledonia exemplify the nature of conflicts in our region, which is “Pacific” by name but not always so by nature, the editorial said.

It further comments that the Pacific has its own strong, if sometimes dormant, mechanisms for keeping peace. These traditional mechanisms are culturally entrenched, valued and respected; hence they should be studied and explored.

Finally, this issue also examines the role of the media in building a peaceful region. Peace journalism, a relatively new concept, is discussed as a potential way forward.

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http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/fiji-defamation-protections-regime-unwelcome-says-advocacy-group-7817http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/fiji-defamation-protections-regime-unwelcome-says-advocacy-group-7817

RAROTONGA (Pacific Freedom Forum / Pacific Media Watch): Fiji’s journalists have been warned to steer clear of the latest media-related decree and stick to ethical standards to guide their reporting of regime speeches and statements.

The warning comes in the wake of the country’s new State Proceedings (Amendment) Decree 2012, which grants Fiji’s regime leader and his ministers exemption from defamation suits over anything they may say in public or private.

Signed off on January 19 by the nation’s President, the regime issued a statement this week claiming the decree will strengthen public discussion and consultation in the lead-up to planned elections in 2014.

“Defamation and libel restrictions are a cornerstone of journalism ethics training and the practice applies whether a country has defamation laws or not. A leadership which protects itself but not its people from defamation suits cannot expect that to be welcome news. We urge and support our colleagues in Fiji to apply caution in interpreting this decree, and to resist any confusion with parliamentary privilege which is only applied by democratically elected leaders, only in their official capacity, and only from the Parliament floor,” said Pacific Freedom Forum chair Titi Gabi from Papua New Guinea.

“Of all the decrees introduced by the regime, this is the most blatant in its elitist protection of the regime leader and his ministers. The claim it will foster and open public debate because the media won’t be facing defamation lawsuits over any stories quoting the regime leadership is a farce. Along with the media decree, this one should be immediately revoked.”

“The best way to open public debate towards meaningful progress is to ensure the right to speak and be heard, to ask questions and to challenge ideas and policies, is to ensure everyone involved is able to openly do so. ” said PFF co-chair Monica Miller from American Samoa.

“This is yet another regime decree which adds to the current media and other decrees shaping what is expressed in public and who says it. We stand by those media colleagues in Fiji who will strive in difficult times to uphold ethical standards, especially as they seek balance and right of reply from individuals and groups who may soon bear the brunt of the latest edict”, she says.

Decree announced

Earlier PMW item 7815

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The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Fiji, His Excellency, Dr Hynek Kmonicek recently paid a courtesy call to the University of the South Pacific.10th February, 2012

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Fiji, His Excellency, Dr Hynek Kmonicek recently paid a courtesy call to the University of the South Pacific.

H.E. Dr Kmonicek who is based in Canberra, Australia, was in Fiji on an official visit from 1 – 5 February, 2012. He is a long serving diplomat and has also served twice as the Czech Republic’s Deputy Foreign Minister.

With academic expertise ranging from political history to Islamic and Hebrew studies, H.E. Dr Kmonicek has lectured at a number of universities around the world.

During his visit to the Laucala Campus in Suva, H.E. Dr Kmonicek met with members of the University’s Senior Management Team including the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Susan Kelly.

Welcoming H.E. Dr Kmonicek, Professor Kelly noted that the University was delighted by the Ambassador’s visit. She said that as the premier institution of higher learning in the region, USP is keen to engage further with the broader international community in the key areas of learning, teaching and particularly, research; adding that USP already receives very valuable support from the EU.

H.E. Dr Kmonicek was enthusiastic about potential research and staff and student exchange partnerships between USP and universities in the Czech Republic. He listed renewable energy, tourism, climate change and language teaching as some key areas for such partnerships.

The Ambassador agreed to work with USP to make contact with Czech universities, to explore mutual research interests and identify programmes that could be of interest to USP.

Professor Kelly thanked the Czech people for reaching out in this way, observing that USP students and staff would benefit greatly by collaborating with Czech universities, one of which, Charles University, is the second oldest in the world.

In addition to serving Fiji, H.E. Dr Kmonicek will serve as Ambassador to other countries in the region including Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.

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People in Fiji and around the region will now have the opportunity to learn the Chinese language by taking the Mandarin courses offered by the Confucius Institute at the University of the South Pacific. The University successfully launched the first Mandarin …10th February, 2012

People in Fiji and around the region will now have the opportunity to learn the Chinese language by taking the Mandarin courses offered by the Confucius Institute at the University of the South Pacific.

The University successfully launched the first Mandarin course at the new Confucius Institute building located at the Laucala Campus in Suva, on 3 February, 2012The Confucius Institute was established at USP following an agreement between the University and the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) with the approval of Hanban – the Confucius Institute headquarters.

About 70 students from various sectors like government departments, Chinese companies and tourist service providers are expected to take up the new course.

The new course focuses on basic daily social communication skills of Chinese Mandarin – listening and speaking. It starts with Chinese pronunciation, and includes the most practical communication tasks needed to meet the basic requirements of daily life in China.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor and President of USP, Professor Rajesh Chandra described the opening of the Mandarin course as the foundation for a concrete relationship between the Government and people of the People’s Republic of China and the University.

“USP needs to engage with the major players in the world and China is definitely one of them, so for us it is a very important development. We see this as the beginning of what should be a bigger partnership between China and USP,” he added.

Professor Chandra acknowledged the support provided by the People’s Republic of China, Hanban and BUPT towards the establishment of the Confucius Institute at USP.

Currently, there are four members based at the Institute: one local director, one Chinese director and two Chinese language teachers.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the proposal to establish such an institution in the Pacific initially came from the Pacific Islands Forum many years ago when it recognised China’s increasing presence in the Pacific and the lack of people in the region with conversational skills in the Chinese language.

The Confucius Institutes, which are aimed at promoting Chinese language and culture, are spread across 105 countries around the world.

Professor Chandra also highlighted USP’s plans to further engage with BUPT in the future.

He thanked those who attended the ceremony including the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency, Mr Huang Yong.

In his remarks, H.E. Mr Huang stated that the Confucius Institute at USP offers an opportunity for local people to learn the Chinese language and to better understand China. It also provides a platform for educational and cultural exchange.

“The friendly collaboration between China and Fiji has been booming in various fields and there has been growth in demand for Chinese language and cultural learning in the local societies,” he noted.

H.E. Mr Huang acknowledged the role played by USP in offering the Mandarin course. He also thanked Professor Chandra and other members of the University for contributing towards the establishment of the Confucius Institute.

The Directors of the Confucius Institute at USP, Professor Denggui Li and Ms Joan Yee said that the new course marks an important stage in the development of the Institute.

While congratulating the first cohort of students who were present at the opening of the course, both Professor Li and Ms Yee reminded them to work hard to learn the Chinese language and understand the Chinese culture and to become “messengers” between China and Fiji in the fields of economics, culture and education.

“The Confucius Institute at USP will be your Chinese home in Fiji forever,” the students were told.

The ceremony was well attended by delegates from the Chinese Embassy, representatives from secondary schools, members of the University’s Senior Management Team, staff and students as well as the media.

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Wellington locals will have an opportunity to see how military hydrography is carried out when HMNZS RESOLUTION lowers her gangway to the public this Saturday (18 February) from 1pm – 3pm.
Media Advisory
Monday 13 February 2012

Opportunity to Tour HMNZS Resolution

Wellington locals will have an opportunity to see how military hydrography is carried out when HMNZS RESOLUTION lowers her gangway to the public this Saturday (18 February) from 1pm – 3pm.

The ship will be berthed alongside Queens Wharf in Wellington Harbour for the duration of the 6th International Shallow Survey Conference, at which the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Matt Wray will be speaking. The conference will see around 200 international experts hosted at Te Papa discussing high-resolution surveying in shallow water (depths of less than 30m). The conference runs from 20 – 24 February.

“The crew of RESOLUTION are very much looking forward to showing the public around our ship and allowing people to discover the ins and outs of hydrographic survey,” said Lieutenant Commander Wray.

“It will also be an honour to speak at and support the international Shallow Survey Conference, which is being hosted in New Zealand for the first time.”
HMNZS RESOLUTION was commissioned in to the RNZN in 1997 and is the Navy’s principal hydrographic and littoral warfare support ship for surveying and charting the waters in and around New Zealand and the Pacific. The work the Ship and crew do allows the production of accurate charts, which are essential for safe navigation both on the open sea and on inshore waters. RESOLUTION is set to decommission from service this April, so opportunities to view the vessel before she retires are limited.

Her contribution to the safety of vessels navigating New Zealand’s waters has been immense, which was highlighted in 2011 when she confirmed that Lyttelton and Akaroa Harbours were safe for navigation in the immediate aftermath of the devastating February Earthquake. RESOLUTION finished the year by providing navigational safety for the search for uncharted remnants of war in Simpson Harbour, Papua New Guinea; and support to the NZ High Commissioner in the Solomon Islands where a number of WWII wrecks were located.

WHAT: HMNZS RESOLUTION open to the public
WHEN: Saturday 18 February 2012, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
WHERE: Queens Wharf, Wellington Harbour

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In an effort to assist those most affected by the floods and landslides, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) donated emergency relief materials to the Fiji Red Cross Society for distribution. The donation of 4000 x 10 litre collapsible water containers and 500 …
SUVA, 10 February 2012 – In an effort to assist those most affected by the floods and landslides, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) donated emergency relief materials to the Fiji Red Cross Society for distribution.

The donation of 4000 x 10 litre collapsible water containers and 500 Local Family Water and Sanitation (WASH) Kits were made in two batches from Friday, February 3 – Thursday February 9 2012. The 500 Local WASH kits contained a total of:

•1,000 x 10 litre collapsible containers
•3,000 bars of protex soap
•2,500 packets x 50 water purification tablets
•500 brochures with water purification tablet instructions
•500 ‘hand’ fliers with emergency messages
The Local WASH kits were then split up by Fiji Red Cross volunteers to make smaller kits so they could reach a larger number of communities and families. Fiji Red Cross Society also supplied the instruction materials in Fijian.

“When natural disasters happen and in particular floods, the issue of clean and safe water, as well as proper hygiene is always a concern for us. Outbreaks such as diarrhoea and skin infections often occur if water is not treated or purified. One of UNICEF programme areas focuses on proper hygiene and sanitation and the use of these Family WASH Kits will to some extent hinder the spread of disease and illness,” said UNICEF Pacific Representative, Dr. Isiye Ndombi.

In receiving the Local WASH Kits and water containers, the Fiji Red Cross National Board Liaison, Annie Rogers said “The Local WASH kits are a part of our overall humanitarian response to help those affected by the floods. Clean and safe drinking water is an essential need of the communities we are working with. As well as the WASH kit program we are also operating a NOMAD water pump in Ba to deliver safe drinkable water to communities. Fiji Red Cross is pleased to work with UNICEF in getting these essential items to communities that need it”

The Fiji Red Cross Health Team have began distributing WASH Kits (Water and Sanitation) in affected communities in Nadi, Ba, Sigatoka, Lautoka, Tavua and Rakiraki. Importantly, the content of the WASH Kits includes sufficient water purification tablets to provide clean drinking water for a family of 6 persons for a couple of weeks.

Funding support for emergency relief supplies was made possible to UNICEF from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

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10th February 2012 With the International Seabed Authority (ISA) granting Nauru Ocean Resources Incorporation (NORI), a Nauru registered exploration company, the right to explore for deep seabed minerals in the International Seabed Area (known as “the …10th February 2012

With the International Seabed Authority (ISA) granting Nauru Ocean Resources Incorporation (NORI), a Nauru registered exploration company, the right to explore for deep seabed minerals in the International Seabed Area (known as “the Area”), the country becomes the first Pacific Island nation to have secured such a licence.

With limited seabed mineral resources inside its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the licence gives NORI the right to explore an area beneath international waters, at estimated depths of 5000 metres.

NORI is owned by two Nauru foundations; the Nauru Health and Environment Foundation and the Nauru Education and Training Foundation. As a part of the licence application process, the ISA subjected the company to a rigorous screening of its history, financials and work practises.

Countries own the resources within their EEZs, the area of sea and ocean floor within 200 nautical miles as measured from a country’s shoreline, but the vast expanses of sea floor beyond countries’ EEZs is called the International Seabed Area, or simply, the Area.

The United Nations-created International Seabed Authority (ISA) administers the Area for the benefit of all nations, and is also responsible for the issuing of licences for exploration of mineral resources beneath international waters.

SPC/SOPAC’s Akuila Tawake, Team Leader of the European Union-funded four-year Deep Sea Minerals Project said, “Although the first licences are being granted for deep seabed mineral exploration in the Area, the ISA has yet to complete the regulations governing any future mining operations in the Area.

“The Deep Seabed Minerals Project, is drawing on the knowledge of Pacific Island Nations, and gathering information from scientific, environmental, legal and mining experts in developing the deep sea minerals regional framework, and the state of knowledge on marine minerals in the Pacific that are in the process of being established for use by the Pacific ACP Countries.”

Mr Robert Heydon, Vice-Chairman of NORI, said that Nauru is at the forefront of putting legislation in place, as well as taking precautionary measures to protect the environment.

He said that exploration of the Area’s mineral resources involves significant commercial risk, and while, “it is really good to have areas set aside for developing countries to utilise, there is little practical point if countries can not gain access to the technology and financial resources necessary to do the exploration and possible mining in the future.”

Until the mining begins, companies like NORI have their own exploration timeline to follow, that involves environmental studies as well as geophysical and geological surveys to map out the seafloor and pick up seabed samples to determine what sort of resources are present.

“Once we have determined the grade and abundance of mineral resources in NORI’s licence area as well as the seafloor characteristics, we can start designing trial mining equipment, which will be tested to ensure efficient operation at such depths,” said Mr Heydon.

According to Mr Heydon, “If everything goes to plan, mining could begin in five or six years time, but it won’t start until the ISA has regulations in place.

“At the end of the day, we can’t start mining for deep seabed minerals in the Area until the world is happy to commit to the ISA regulations.”

NEWSROOM: newsroom@sopac.org WEBSITE: www.sopac.org

Member Countries: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna

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Ross Robertson, Labour MP for Manukau East and Assistant Speaker, will attend the Justice for All (10 Year Review of the ICC) Conference in Sydney this week, in his role as President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).Ross Robertson
MP for Manukau East
Assistant Speaker

13 February 2012

MP to attend review of the ICC conference

Ross Robertson, Labour MP for Manukau East and Assistant Speaker, will attend the Justice for All (10 Year Review of the ICC) Conference in Sydney this week, in his role as President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).

“The International Criminal Court (ICC), governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. It is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. Its seat is at The Hague in the Netherlands,” said Ross Robertson.

“In 1998 the international community reached an historic milestone when 120 States adopted the Rome Statute, the legal basis for establishing the permanent International Criminal Court. The Rome Statute entered into force on 1 July 2002 after ratification by 60 countries.

“The main objective of the Justice for All Conference is the involvement of Pacific Island States that are not yet parties to the Rome Statute (e.g. Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu etc) following PGA’s successful work with Vanuatu which was the 120th country to ratify in 2011. It will also be an important opportunity to meet with Government and NGO officials of Indonesia and other key Asian Non States Parties,” Ross Robertson said.

Ross Robertson will chair the Asia-Pacific session of the Conference.

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Fiji floods earlier this month ... target of air assistance by French military in New Caledonia. Photo: Rotary Fiji

Pacific Scoop:
Analysis – By Graham Davis

The presence of a French military aircraft over western Fiji surveying the damage from the recent widespread flooding has again highlighted the close ties between France and the government of the Fijian dictator, Voreqe Bainimarama.

In stark contrast with Australia and New Zealand – which have shunned Fiji since Bainimarama’s coup in 2006 -  France has continued to engage with the regime and provide it with vital assistance.

The Fijian military especially values France’s willingness to give it an aerial reconnaissance and search and rescue capability it simply cannot afford.

French Defence Attache Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Bouyssou briefs the Fiji media. Photo: Fiji Times.

French military aircraft from neighbouring New Caledonia – like the Guardian 25F involved in the most recent mission – can be in Fiji in less than two hours.

And the French have a history of not merely picking up the phone when the Fiji military calls but picking up the tab. In this instance, six French officers flew the plane to Nadi, collected their local counterparts and spent several days over remote areas assessing the needs of flood victims.

The cost of around $100,000 officially came from the coffers of the French defence and foreign ministries and the government of New Caledonia.

But there is little doubt that this is all part of the overall strategy of France Incorporated to cement its ties with its neighbours and maintain control over its Pacific possessions – New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia to the east.

Independence vote
In the 1980s, Grubsheet covered the Kanak uprising in New Caledonia – known locally as Les Evenements ( The Events ) – in which the pro-independence movement succeeded in getting an agreement from white settlers for an independence vote sometime after 2014.

It came at a terrible price, including the eventual assassination of the main independence leader, Jean-Marie Tjibaou.

But the 1988 Matignon Accords – named after the palace in Paris where they were signed – diffused an explosive situation that at one stage, threatened all-out civil war.

Since then, France has poured hundreds of millions of euros into New Caledonia, with a special emphasis on developing the previously backward Kanak north and Loyalty Islands. It is also granted a high degree of autonomy to New Caledonia, altering its status within the French Republic from territory to “special collectivity” and holding elections for a local government headed by a president, Harold Martin – a Caldoche , as native-born white settlers are known.

Last year, a veteran pro-independence politician, Roch Wamytan, was elected President of the legislature – the New Caledonian Congress. Yet if anything, the prospects of an early pro-independence vote are receding, not growing, as the deadline looms for a referendum on whether to remain with France.

Under Matignon, that vote can take place anytime between 2014 and 2019.  But as the years have passed, there’s little agitation to cut the apron strings with “Le Metropole”.

The more cynical might say the Kanaks have been bought off with European largesse. Yet there can also be no doubt that when ordinary New Caledonians cast their eyes over the neighbourhood, they can readily see that independence is no guarantee that their lives will get better. Au contraire.

‘White town’
If anything, New Caledonia seems more European than ever, and especially what some locals refer to as ” La ville Blanche” – the “white town” -  Noumea, the largely European capital.

A vast new residential area between the city and the main airport, Tontouta, is being marketed to new arrivals from Europe, not just the French but other EU citizens. And not surprisingly, this has aroused widespread suspicion that France is trying to stack its “special collectivity” with white voters to stave off any independence vote indefinitely.

Grubsheet will never forget the comments of a visiting senior EU minister whose news conference we once covered at the French High Commissioner’s office in Noumea. Already bemused that the Fosters Lager in the supermarkets of Noumea came from far-away London, not its relatively nearby home of Melbourne, our Pacific hackles were raised when this person said: “Of course, this is Europe. We are in Europe”.

Small wonder that many islanders suspect that this mentality probably still governs much of French policy in the Pacific.

As a recent report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute underlined, France is one of only three powers to have a continuing direct territorial interest in the South Pacific – the others being the United States in American Samoa and New Zealand, with its constitutional ties with Niue, the Cook Islands and Tokelau. Australia has none.

Fiji friendly ... General Parianti, head of the French military in New Caledonia. Photo: Graham Davis / Grubsheet

France is also the second biggest military power in the region, according to the APSI report. It has around 2000 troops based in New Caledonia with naval and air support, and the ability to deploy many more, like the Foreign Legionnaires who regularly visit Noumea.

Beefing up
Paris is in the process of beefing up its military presence in New Caledonia. It’s strengthened its already close defence ties with Australia and isn’t coy about displaying them.

Kanak eyebrows, if not hackles, were raised a couple of years back when Australia’s then Pacific Islands Minister, Duncan Kerr, arrived in Noumea on a French military jet.

But France also realises that it needs good relations with its neighbour to the east, Fiji. And the French attitude to the repeated coups in Fiji over the years has been vastly at odds with the tough stance of Australia and New Zealand.

After Sitiveni Rabuka’s coups in 1987, the French provided valuable support. The Fiji military received a Squirrel helicopter, which they eventually managed to crash into the sea, along with a fleet of Renault trucks, which were a prominent feature on Fiji’s roads until the spare parts ran out.

Since the Bainimarama coup in 2006, the relationship has also been warm, with regular top- level meetings that are said to be routinely cordial and friendly. The French ambassador in Suva is a regular visitor to the Prime Minister’s office, in stark contrast to the Aussies, who haven’t been to see him for more than five years.

France has also enhanced its aid and cultural programs in Fiji, including a significant boost in the number of Fijians learning the French language at the Alliance Francaise in Suva.

Pacific power
It is, of course, all part of France’s determination to remain a Pacific power. The more friendly it is with Fiji and its neighbours, the less likely they are to agitate for the independence of French territories.

It will not have gone unnoticed in Paris that Fiji has been highly successful at the UN in doing damage to the Australians, in particular, by encouraging other Pacific countries to back anyone but Canberra in its fervent quest for a temporary seat on the Security Council.

France is also as concerned as the United States about China’s increased presence in the Pacific, and the more recent overtures of Russia, which is said to have gained a recent political foothold in Vanuatu,  New Caledonia’s closest neighbour.

There’s also an emotional attachment between the French and the Fijians that is little known and even less appreciated – the fact that it was France which first enabled an indigenous Fijian the opportunity to display the military prowess that has become arguably the most potent symbol of Fijian national pride.

Fijian and French hero - Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna. Photo: Grubsheet

In the Great War of 1914-18, a Fijian chief called Ratu Lala Sukuna wanted to fight the Germans on behalf of the British. But his colonial masters had a policy of not throwing indigenous Fijians into the conflict and Ratu Sukuna was refused.

Undeterred, he crossed the English Channel to France and was accepted. He joined the French Foreign Legion and fought with such valour and distinction that he earned France’s highest honours – the Medaille Militaire and the Legion d’ honneur.

Those medals are on display in the Fiji Museum and the story of Ratu Sukuna is known to every Fijian schoolboy. He went on – as Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna – to become one of the two most significant Fijian figures of the 20th century, along with his protege, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, the founder of modern Fiji.

France’s role in helping to create a Fijian hero is also not forgotten. There’s a sentimental link to the French in the Fiji military that survives to this day and is reciprocated.

While Australia and New Zealand have turned their backs on Voreqe Bainimarama, France has not. All of which means that he not only doesn’t mind sharing his own backyard with the Europeans, he’d actually prefer – as things stand – that they stay.

Graham Davis is a Fiji-born Australian-based journalist and publisher of Grubsheet.

Reporters Without Borders is concerned by a series of media freedom violations in Indonesia in the past few days. At the same time, it has learned of the death of Darma Sahlan , a journalist working for the weekly Monitor Medan , whose body was …Reporter found dead in Aceh, journalist arrested in West

PARIS (Reporters sans frontières / Pacific Media Watch):
Reporters Without Borders is concerned by a series of media freedom violations in Indonesia in the past few days. At the same time, it has learned of the death of Darma Sahlan, a journalist working for the weekly Monitor Medan, whose body was found in Lawe Two, in Aceh province (in the north of the island of Sumatra), on 5 February.

“We offer our condolences to Sahlan’s family and we urge the authorities to do everything possible to shed light on his death, and to not rule out the possibility that he was murdered in connection with his work,” Reporters Without Borders said. “They must also do what is necessary to guarantee the safety of journalists and freedom of information. We are very worried by the problems for journalists throughout the country and in West Papua in particular.”

Sahlan’s body was found in a ditch near his motorcycle. The cause of death is not clear. His wife told Serambi Indonesia that she thought he was murdered and that the body was then placed in the ditch where he was found. She said there were lacerations and other injuries on the body. She also reported that he had a heated phone conversation with someone a month ago about one of his stories.

The police are investigating his death. According to an autopsy, he sustained a blow to the head from a blunt object and injuries to the face. Skid marks were also found near the body.

Petr Zamecnik, a Czech journalist working for Fincentrum, was arrested on 8 February after photographing a pro-independence demonstration in Manokwari, in West Papua province. A local police spokesman said Zamecnik had entered the country on a tourist visa and claimed to be doing a report on places of interest to tourists but was unable to prove this. He has been transferred to the immigration authorities, who are to decide if he will be deported.

Andri Jufri, a young Indonesian journalist working for Kompas TV, was beaten up by members of a motorcycle gang as he was returning home on the evening of 5 February in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. He sustained injuries to the face and body, and his glasses, helmet and motorcycle were damaged. The VIVAnews website said Makassar’s gangs do not like journalists covering the illegal motorcycle races they organize.

Blocking Twitter accounts
The Minister of Communication and Information Technologies has meanwhile announced that anonymous and “offensive” Twitter accounts will be blocked. He gave no details but Indonesia’s Information and Electronic Law provides for sanctions for blasphemy, fraud, threats, pornography and gambling. Indonesia’s 55 million Internet users take a great interest in social issues including corruption and sectarian violence.

Indonesia is ranked 146th out of 179 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. In the troubled West Papua region, at least two journalists were killed, five were kidnapped and 18 were attacked in 2011. Foreign journalists who want to visit the region must apply in advance to the Information Ministry for accreditation, which takes time, and they must agree to be accompanied if they obtain it. Only three were allowed to visit West Papua last year.
ends

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