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Araud says issue should wait until elections are completed

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, March 1, 2013) – France's Permanent Representative to the United Nations says it's not appropriate for the United Nations to be dragged into French Polynesia's local election campaign.

French Polynesian President Oscar Temaru has travelled to New York to campaign for the territory's re-listing on the UN decolonization list.

French Polynesia's opposition says there has been no referendum in favor of Mr. Temaru's move.

French representative Gérard Araud says it would be better to put the issue on hold until after French Polynesia's elections.

"There is no emergency: the territory is peaceful, the democratic institutions are working smoothly and properly," he said.

"We do not think that it is very appropriate to use the United Nations in an electoral campaign for French Polynesia.

"I think the French Polynesians are going to vote between...

Funds will go to vendors with rebuilding materials, not homeowners

By Alan Ah Mu

APIA, Samoa (Talamua, Feb. 28, 2013) – Victims of Cyclone Evan in Samoa must sweat for the help given them.

"It says so in the Bible," Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga told reporters this morning.

Faumuina referred to the Bible in that you eat from the sweat of your brow.

"That is why God gave us hands and legs," he said.

That was Faumuina’s response to a call by the Opposition for Government to re-build houses destroyed by the cyclone for free.

The occasion was his signing over today of 24 million tala [US$10.2 million] for cyclone victims.

Of that 5 million tala [US$2.1 million] goes to Samoa Housing Corporation (SHC) to lend out to families who lost homes in the disaster.

Chief Executive Officer of SHC, Mata’utia Rula Levi, if a...

Tongan King’s Visit To New Zealand Lacked Organization Local Tongan council chair says visit lacked protocol, planning

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Feb. 28, 2013) – The Tongan Advisory Council chairman in New Zealand says he’s appalled that proper protocols weren’t observed when the King of Tonga visited the Auckland University of Technology on Wednesday.

The Council’s Auckland-based chairman, Melino Maka, says the head of state arrived with no traditional Maori welcome to give proper respect for the king’s visit.

He says it was embarrassing that the king’s visit was so poorly organized and acknowledged, and he wants a review of what happened to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

"I’m really, really, disappointed because that’s not the way you handle a state visit. To come into or to enter into a state institution that actually acknowledges the Treaty of Waitangi and just ignore some of the basic fundamentals of Maori culture...

Department announces 8 revenue-generating initiatives

By Jonas Cullwick

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post, Feb. 28, 2013) – Vanuatu’s Ministry of Education, Youth Development, Sports and Training (MoYDST) intends to raise Vt178.067 million [US$1.9 million] towards government’s revenue target this financial year.

The ministry’s plans for achieving this figure were put to the Government’s recent Revenue Forum held in Port Vila. Members of non-state actors were also called in after the two day seminar to hear the government’s revenue raising initiatives and to assist with ideas to achieve these aims.

As Parliament prepares to meet in two weeks’ time to debate government’s budget estimates for 2013 during its First Ordinary Session for the year, government ministries, departments and cooperate organizations have been polishing up their plans for managing their revenue and expenditure budgets.

The Ministry of Education, Youth Development, Sports...