Fiji faces major ecological disaster
SUVA (Pacnews) — Fijian authorities will embark on a delicate salvage operation after an oil tanker ran aground in stormy seas near Fiji’s premier tourist islands.
The Great Theresa, carrying an unknown quantity of oil, ran aground on Tuesday after sailing from the Vuda terminal, just north of the international airport at Nadi.
The vessel had been heading for the Australian Pacific territory of Norfolk Island.
A Fijian naval commander has warned the island faces a major ecological disaster if the salvage operation goes wrong.
He says international experts will have to be called if there’s an oil spill.
Authorities are expected to offload the oil before any salvage gets underway.
The vessel’s eight Dutch crew were not injured in the incident and are still aboard the Vanuatu registered tanker.
PAGO PAGO (Pacnews) — Local leaders in American Samoa have been invited to express their opinions on a bill sponsored by Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin to change the system of electing American Samoa’s delegate to the U.S. Congress.
The bill calls for an election by plurality vote or election by simple majority.
At present, all elected positions in American Samoa including that of congressman, must gain 50 percent plus 1 of total votes cast.
The U.S. House Committee on Resources will hold a hearing on Faleomavaega’s bill in Washington, D.C. on July 17.
Committee Chairman James Hansen, R-Utah, has invited American Samoa’s Speaker of the House Matagi McMoore to attend the hearing or provide testimony.
PORT VILA (Pacnews) — Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Edward Natapei says Pacific island countries have to blame themselves for some of the poor economic performances and unresolved social and political problems in their countries.
Natapei, addressing the Forum Economic Ministers Meeting, said a number of these economic weaknesses—“fiscal management, inefficient tax and customs administrations, inefficient public service, lack of transparency and resistance to change”—are well within the Pacific islands’ control.
Natapei said a framework to help Pacific island countries achieve their economic potential was devised by Forum Economic Ministers Meeting but island countries continue to fall short of their commitments.
NOUMEA (Pacnews) — “Operation Whale” began this week in New Caledonia in a continuing effort to better understand the migratory movement of the marine mammals through the French Pacific territory, daily newspaper Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes reports.
In New Caledonia, whales spend some weeks each year south of the main island.
This year’s study is expected to provide information that will lead to regulations for whale watching, an increasingly important industry in New Caledonia, as well as in Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific island countries.
Another Pacific territory, French Polynesia, recently declared its exclusive economic zone a whale sanctuary. It also has introduced regulations for whale watching vessels in efforts to reduce disturbances to whales.
FUNAFUTI (Pacnews) — A senior Tuvalu government official has appealed to the country’s Immigration Department to consider other options in dealing with Fijians said to be working illegally here in the capital Funafuti.
This was after immigration officials issued a notice to at least five Fijian men and three families of Tuvalu descent residing in Funafuti to leave the country in the next available boat to Suva.
Secretary to government Panapasi Nelesone said he would rather the Immigration deal diplomatically with the issue, encouraging the illegal workers to apply for work permits.
The issue has been a bone of contention for ethnic Tuvaluans, who are contending the foreign workers are taking the limited number of jobs available.
