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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (January 7, 1999 - Post-Courier)---Six green turtles were saved from cooking pots and set free in a major operation in Port Moresby yesterday.

Yesterday's operation involved personnel from the Defense Forces sea element, police, National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC).

The turtles were confiscated from local people at Taikone, near Vabukori, National Capital District and released in the sea at Basilisk Passage outside the harbor.

The exercise was triggered after a tip from a Taikone resident.

The officers said the turtles were caught at Bramble Cay, a protected uninhabited island in the Torres Strait.

They were brought to Port Moresby a week ago on a ship allegedly owned by a logging company.

It was alleged that the ship's captain from PNG (his identity is being withheld) had gone to the island with some companions and caught the turtles.

A senior officer...

BUKA, Papua New Guinea (January 7, 1999 - The National)---The signing of the agreement on the formation of the Bougainville Reconciliation Government (BRG) did not take place here yesterday as expected.

Acting administrator for Bougainville John Siau said in a statement released here that the signing had to be aborted to allow further consultation among all the parties involved.

Mr. Siau said Bougainville Affairs Minister Sam Akoitai would still travel to Bougainville today to meet with former Bougainville Transitional Government and rebel leaders.

Mr. Akoitai will travel to Arawa on the same day to meet the chiefs and rebel leaders.

Resistance and rebel factions held separate meetings here yesterday to nominate their representatives to the Bougainville Constituent Assembly.

Meanwhile, Mr. Siau has appealed to the people of Bougainville to continue with their community and business activities while the Government and the Bougainville leaders...

By Cookie B. Micaller

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands (January 7, 1999 - Saipan Tribune)---To deal with the projected decline in revenue collections, the financially-troubled government has begun implementing a 13.4 percent cut in the second quarter allotment to departments and agencies, but lowered the budget slash for the Public School System (PSS) to help it cope with the growing needs of the education sector.

While the rest of the agencies received a uniform reduction in the quarterly allocation, the amount for PSS was reduced by only nine percent to avert a potential disruption in its operations.

The reduced spending level for each department and agency took effect beginning Jan. 1 in line with the revised revenue estimates for Fiscal Year 1999. In the past, all government offices received 25 percent of their total budget every quarter.

Because of the economic slump that has substantially pulled down revenue collections, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (January 6, 1999 - PACNEWS/SIBC)---Members of the public in the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, were barred from the courtroom appearance of a group of men who allegedly belong to a Guadalcanal militant group.

People were locked out of the Honiara Magistrates Court as the 21 Guadalcanal men were brought in under heavy police and prison security.

All 21 men are charged with unlawful assembly while one of them also is charged with being in possession of marijuana and ammunition.

The men are alleged to be members of a Guadalcanal militant group said to be responsible for threatening and attacking the residents of Guadalcanal, and damaging their homes and cars.

The group was allegedly formed to support demands by Guadalcanal province for compensation by the national government.

The demands, first voiced by Guadalcanal Premier Ezekiel Alebua late November, have created tension between the Guadalcanal people and people of...