War heroes and heroines are East Timor's leaders. .. the former head of the armed struggle for independence, Xanana Gusmao, is prime minister. Photo: PMC archive

Pacific Scoop:
Analysis – By Agus Wandi in Dili

While talking to fishermen on Areia Branca Beach, hanging out with taxi drivers, getting lost cycling in Dili with its new street names, catching up with friends working for the United Nations there, having dinner with a Nobel laureate and coffee with a presidential candidate, it was clear that there is one common feeling among East Timorese – despite the misery of the past, despite the persistent problems of unemployment and poverty, the country is looking forward to a better future.

The country, which will elect a new president next month, however, is struggling to attract investment. It is also working hard to make the most of its oil revenues, foreign aid and other revenue sources to rebuild the nation.

Chinese investment is noteworthy — the most visible contributions being the Presidential Palace, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some other key buildings in the capital. But future investment needs to deal with human development and social capital, especially for East Timor’s youth. Read more »

PNG troops on parade alongside Australian soldiers. Photo: RAMSI

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

A former high-ranking officer with the PNG Defence Force says current problems faced by retrenched soldiers should be blamed on the Australian government and not Papua New Guinea.

And he urges former prime mi­nister Sir Mekere Morauta and former Defence commander Peter Ilau to speak out on the issue as they were party to the standing down of batch 1360.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the force’s standing down of batch 1360 came about at the recommendation of the Australian government under its Imminent Persons Group. Read more »

An ABC news report at the time of the Australian boy’s arrest in Bali. Video: NewsOnABC

Pacific Scoop:
Commentary – By Graham Davis

The decision by the Nine Entertainment Company to enter into a six figure deal with the parents of a 14-year-old boy arrested in Bali for drug possession is breathtaking, even by the lamentable standards of the Australian commercial media.

Never mind the egregious act of rewarding criminal behaviour, which may be in breach of Australian laws prohibiting offenders from benefiting financially. Incredibly, this is a deal that has come to light even before the court case against the boy has concluded and may well jeopardise the efforts of Indonesian lawyers to secure his early release.

All the normal conventions that ought to apply in this instance have been tossed to the winds in the blind pursuit of television ratings and magazine circulation. Read more »

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sa'ilele Malielegaoi with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the press conference today. Photo: Alex Perrottet / PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – by Alex Perrottet

West Papua’s self-determination failed to rate a mention at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting today in spite of a high profile protest for human rights yesterday and a public plea for a United Nations special representative.

The communiqué released tonight mentioned nothing of the fledgling and troubled Pacific colony ruled by Indonesia, despite the regional body’s heavy rhetoric so far on human rights and self-determination.

This did not, however, prevent the Forum leaders from considering French Polynesia in its bid for decolonisation.

Read more »

University of the South Pacific students walk to the AusAID lecture theatre to begin the candlelight memorial service for disaster victims in Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Photo: USP Journalism

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Minnie Edmanley and Zhiyad Khan in Suva

A candlelight memorial service to remember the victims of the recent disasters in Australia, New Zealand and Japan was held at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus in Suva last night.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Rajesh Chandra said the university was deeply saddened about the devastating loss of lives in Queensland, Christchurch and Japan.

“USP feels the pain and suffering in these three countries,” he said. Read more »

The Greater Sunrise oil field in the Timor Gap between the Timorese coastline and Australia. (Map: Timor Hau Nian Daben.)

East Timor has been standing up to the Australian oil company Woodside Petroleum over development of gas and oil fields in the Timor Sea. But the stakes are high for the country’s viability.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Nicholas Jones.

East Timor will lose more than revenue if a dispute with Woodside Petroleum over where gas from the Greater Sunrise field will be processed is not resolved, says an academic researching politics in the country.

“This is going to be seen internationally as a marker of East Timor’s capacity to engage with international investment,” says Damien Kingsbury, a professor at Deakin University’s School of International and Political Studies. Read more »

Press Release:
Pacific Islands Forum, Australia and New Zealand.

International election observers from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Australia and New Zealand congratulate the people of Solomon Islands, the Solomon Islands Government and the Office of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission on the orderly, peaceful and friendly conduct of the national elections on 4 August 2010.

Members of the delegations from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Australia and New Zealand were part of an international observer effort coordinated by the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNEAD). The international delegates observed polling in 330 polling stations in 29 of 50 constituencies. Read more »

Kopassus: The elite Indonesian commando force used against indigenous peoples of Timor Leste and West Papua. (Photo by Kopassus.)

Report – By PMC Newsdesk.

The United States has decided to re-engage with Indonesia’s elite commandos the Kopassus at a time when the special force is allegedly committing oppression, human rights abuses, and killings against West Papua’s indigenous peoples.

The Obama Administration this week agreed to “gradual and limited” engagement with Kopassus ending a ten year moratorium that prevented the US from giving assistance to the organisation. Read more »

Fiji's military leader and Prime Minister, Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama. (Photo by Selwyn Manning.)

Editorial – By Selwyn Manning.

UPDATED: Events this week in Fiji have seen a new pact forming where leaders of some Pacific island states have engaged with the military government of Fiji with Australia and New Zealand absent and outside the fold.

This week in Fiji, Pacific Islands leaders who gathered at the invitation of Fiji’s military government were urged to look outside the cabal of old traditional friends and seek new trade agreements and associations with economies further afield. Read more »

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum (pictured) is the Fiji military regime's Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Electoral Reform, Public Enterprises & Anti-Corruption, Industry, Tourism, Trade and Communications. (Photo courtesy of the Government of Fiji.)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Roland Koroi.

Australia and New Zealand media organizations are practicing ‘gutter journalism’ says Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Sayed-Khaiyum made the comments after articles were published in Australia and New Zealand over the weekend claiming the ‘recent’ removal of five Fiji Magistrates.

The Attorney General says this is not true and is typical of the negative campaign currently being waged by foreign media against Fiji.

“The word news means something that is new and you are trying to relay that information. What they are talking about is definitely not news. It’s something that happened over a period of time. It obviously is an example of how biased and partisan the Australian and NZ media organizations are. Read more »