Archive _{- April 2002}

By Terry Tavita

APIA, Samoa (April 27, 2002 - Samoa Observer/PINA Nius Online)---The Samoan government has given special permission to allow villagers to go to court to try to get back land they lost in colonial times.

The villagers of Siumu claim that 1,700 acres of their land were "illegally purchased" during the settler land-grab of the mid 1800s.

Their lawyer, Leulua‘iali‘i Orlinda Woodroffe, compared Siumu village's land grievances to the land disputes that have brought havoc in the African state of Zimbabwe in recent years.

"The illegal takeover of Siumu lands 140 years ago is synonymous with the roots of the political and civil turmoil that is experienced in Zimbabwe today," she said.

"Indigenous people throughout the world are reclaiming their rights on their native lands because of the manner in which it was taken away during colonialism."

According to Mrs. Woodroffe, the government agreed that the matter will be settled in court...

By Brenda Sommer

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (April 30, 2002 – Pacific Daily News)---The number of suspected measles cases on island remains at 17, with four confirmed cases, according to local health officials.

"I am very encouraged no new reports have come in," said Dennis Rodriguez, director of Department of Public Health and Social Services.

"Hopefully, we have arrested this."

Three of those people have been hospitalized, Rodriguez said.

Public Health declared a state of public health emergency Friday after the agency discovered 16 suspected cases of measles.

The agency has had Public Health nurses visiting targeted areas door-to-door, assessing more than 800 residents and giving vaccinations if needed.

Rodriguez said nurses gave 101 vaccinations to people they visited during the weekend.

He has said he will not identify the targeted villages because he does not want to cause the public to panic.

The department held free...

TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO

PAPE‘ETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia (April 26, 2002 – Tahitipresse)---The Economic Restructuring Fund will allot US$ 14.7 million for the construction of ports and roads in French Polynesia, representatives of the French and French Polynesia governments announced after a meeting last Wednesday.

The road program will involve primarily the remote Marquesas Archipelago, located about 900 miles northeast of Tahiti.

A new road linking Nuku Hiva Airport to the main island settlement, Taiohae, 4.5 miles away, will be built for about US$ 2.7 million.

New docks in the Tuamotu Archipelago also will be built, for a total cost of US$ 3 million.

In addition The Economic Restructuring Fund will help expand Pape‘ete Harbor’s fishing facilities. This project will cost US$ 4.7 million.

The fund was created by France following the end of nuclear testing at Moruroa (Tuamotu Archipelago) in January of 1996.

Last year, the fund paid 40...

BANGKOK, Thailand (April 30, 2002 – Radio Australia)---The United Nations has again warned Pacific Island states that low-lying coastal areas face a growing threat from the effects of global warming and rising sea levels.

The executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Kim Hak-Su, has urged cooperation between the public and private sectors to combat the crisis.

Mr. Kim said the negative impacts of climate change are continuing to intensify in both Asia and in the Pacific region.

He told a three-day Bangkok workshop on the issue that sea level rise is threatening the very existence of some Pacific Island states.

The meeting brought together energy and conservation experts from the public and private sectors to discuss the Kyoto Protocol and its Asia-Pacific implementation.

For additional reports from Radio Australia, go to PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT News/Information Links: Radio/TV News/Radio Australia.