Report Pacific Beat:
There are claims Fiji’s only remaining economic income, in the wake of the 2006 military coup, is from its struggling tourism industry.
The claim was made in a paper presented by the Lowy Institute, which has released its 2009 Pacific Islands Update report.
Just last month, the Governor of Fiji’s Reserve Bank claimed the global financial crisis has had a bigger impact on Fiji’s economy than any political developments.
Sada Reddy claimed the impact of the annulment of Fiji’s constitution and strict media censorship, had only a very minor impact on the local economy.
But Professor Ron Duncan of The Australian National University, the author of the Fiji Economic Performance and Investment report for the Lowy Institute, said the economy is in a terrible state
Prof Duncan said Fiji’s sugar and garment industries are both doing poorly right now.
“I think employment is down to around 4,000 or less in the garment industry,” he said.
“Exports are down because of the global economic crisis. Then there’s mineral water which was the main sales to the US, and of course that market’s in a bad way for many of these kinds of exports.” (20/10abc)
Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee has appealed the ban on Fiji taking part in next year’s Delhi Commonwealth Games, saying sport should not be part of sanctions directed at the interim regime.
Fiji was banned after being suspended from the Commonwealth for failing to hold elections this year.
Association president, Vidhya Lakhan, says the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation has set up a meeting with the Commonwealth secretary general in London next week.
Mr Lakhan said the Secretary-General will be asked to take a resolution to the Commonwealth Heads of Governments’ meeting in Trinidad in November, asking for Fiji’s athletes not to be punished because of politics.
He said his association is also writing to all Commonwealth Games Associations to have them solicit the support of their heads of governments at CHOGM in Port of Spain.
The management at a primary and secondary school on the Vanuatu island of Malekula sent 300 students home on Tuesday (October 20) following a protest by custom land owners.
The landowners closed down the school claiming the Government owes them 90 million vatu, or $USD940,000, in outstanding rent.
The Government is negotiating with the landowners to allow the children continue their studies.
The Director-General of lands, Russel Nari, said the government can’t release the money because the land is still in dispute and the issue is now before the land court.
Mr Nari said the government would pay it after the court confirms the true custom owners.
The present term is particularly important for many students because they have examinations which determine whether they can progress to higher classes next year.
An editor of a new book about the ethnic tensions in Solomon Islands says it details people’s personal struggles and triumphs.
The book, detailing how the Church of Melanesia responded to the people of Solomon Islands during the tensions, was launched last week. The civil unrest began in late 1998 when Guadalcanal militants began forcing Malaitan settlers off the island.
Titled Mission in the Midst of Conflict: Stories from the Solomon Islands, the book was co-edited by Father Charles Brown Beu, and is a collection of more than 20 people’s experiences.
“It’s basically about how the church organisation was able to contribute in helping the victims by supplying food and transporting them to Malaita, the people of Malaita,” Father Charles said
“And the other interesting thing that is reflected in the book is that while the men were fighting, the women from Guadalcanal and Malaita were helping each other secretly. And to me that was very important.”
He said a cross-section of people from Guadalcanal and Malaita, including church workers contributed to the book.