Pacific Islands Report

Man in attempted ammo smuggling charged

HONIARA, Solomon Islands—Police have charged a local resident with attempting to smuggle ammunition into the country, increasing fears of renewed ethnic tension.

The unidentified man, in his thirties, was arrested at Henderson International Airport and faces three counts of concealing and attempting to illegally import ammunition. He will appear in court on the charges Monday.

He is believed to be from Malaita province, home of the Malaita Eagle Force, which has been battling Guadalcanal’s Isatambu Freedom Fighters over land rights and jobs.

Ex-Samoa Cabinet ministers sentenced to die

APIA, Samoa—Two former cabinet ministers were sentenced to death by hanging Thursday by Judge Andrew Wilson, who upheld a jury’s verdict that they had plotted the murder of a rival member of Samoa’s government.

Former women’s affairs Minister Leafa Vitale, 57, and ex-communications minister Toi Aukuso, 68, were found guilty of planning the murder of Luagalau Levaula Kamu, who was shot in the back during a political meeting last July by Vitale’s son, Alatise, 34.

If the sentence is carried out, the two ex-officials would be the first people to be executed in the Pacific Island nation since it gained independence in 1961.

PNG citizens avoiding Census will be punished

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea—Persons who lie or refuse to give information to census officials will be jailed for up to six months or fined up to $380.

Census Director John Kalamoroh issued the warning, saying the penalties will apply to both foreigners and local residents.

“Whether you are white, black or Asian, we have to count you as residents of our country,” he said.

Kalamoroh stressed that under the law information collected in the census was “secret, private and confidential,” for use only to plan development for the country.

PNG’s tourism potential untapped

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea—The just-released 1999 Annual Report of the Tourism Promotion Authority has acknowledged that the country’s tourism industry is still largely undeveloped, but holds significant potential.

Minister for Culture and Tourism Andrew Baing, in presenting the report, told Parliament that PNG had the potential to compete with countries like Indonesia, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand if more emphasis was given to tourism development.

Figures for 1999 show a 13 percent decrease in visitors, with holiday travelers numbering only 19,610.

The primary cause for the decline in tourists, the report noted, is concern over the country’s law and order problems.