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By Harry Eagar

KAHULUI, Maui (The Maui News, Nov. 2) - Housing prices continue to skyrocket on Maui. The average price of a resale single-family house is up to $559,000, according to the Realtors Association of Maui, which has put the issue of affordability in focus.

Association President Colin Dunlop of Maui Isle Realty says past approaches have been unsatisfactory.

"They are feel-good projects," he says. "You did something for somebody, and you feel good."

But a large residue of unserved people remain - including Dunlop's children, who were born and raised on Maui but are not living here. His daughter, Dunlop says, would like to move back, but the high cost of housing is deterring her.

Average single-family prices during the first three quarters of this year are 13 percent higher than during the first three quarters of 2002, when the single-family average was $493,000.

The number of transactions is also way up, to 925 in nine months,...

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Nov. 4) - A preliminary study on rebuilding Tahiti's International Airport has been presented in Paris to French Polynesia's President, Gaston Flosse.

A final report is due at the end of December.

International Paris Airport Engineering is considering what should happen with Tahiti's airport facilities when ownership is transferred from the French State to the territory.

French Polynesia's government favors a complete reorganization, to handle larger aircraft.

The engineers favor moving and merging international airport operations with the domestic facilities handling Air Tahiti.

November 4, 2003

Radio Australia: www.abc.net.au/ra

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Nov. 4) - The Immigration Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Waigani, NCD, was broken into on Sunday night and a large quantity of passports, computers and documents were stolen.

The Department of Foreign Affairs rang The National newspaper to say that an official media statement on the incident was to be released but that was not forthcoming at the time of going to press.

The Immigration Office is located on the ground floor of the Somare Foundation Building.

Sources said there was no broken glass to indicate a "break and enter" and it appeared that a key was used to open the door to the building. The intruders then had access to the doors of the office where the passports and computers were located.

It is not known where the building security personnel were when the incident occurred.

November 4, 2003

The National: www....

KOROR (Palau Horizon, Nov. 4) — The administration started its signature campaign for constitutional amendments on Nov. 1, President Tommy Remengesau announced during his weekly press conference.

Remengesau said the charter change petition has been completed and will be circulated for signatures.

The proposed amendments call for a unicameral legislature, dual citizenship, one ticket for the candidates for president and vice president, and term limits for lawmakers.

Earlier, the president said he would spearhead a popular initiative for constitutional amendments, which he has been pushing since 2001.

Remengesau said he would make an appeal directly to the people due to the national legislature’s failure to act on the proposed amendments.

The provision on term limits was recently added to the petition.

Under the proposed amendments, lawmakers would be allowed to serve only three consecutive terms.

The Senate said it would still discuss...