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By Richard Dinnen

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (March 30, 2001 -- Radio Australia)---The government has appointed an Australian consultant to manage the privatization of two key government owned enterprises.

The announcement comes as the government's much discussed privatization program begins to take effect.

Canberra-based consultant Mike Hutchinson has been hired to sell Papua New Guinea Telecom and Post PNG. The two cumbersome organizations have long been a drain on the public purse without reliably serving the country's communications needs.

Hutchinson is a former director of Australia Post and the overseas Telecommunications Commission. He also managed the Australian government's privatization of telecommunications provider Telstra.

The PNG government is committed to privatization, but the electorate is suspicious and trade unions are openly hostile.

For additional reports from Radio Australia, go to PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT News/...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (April 1, 2001 - Post-Courier/PINA Nius Online)---Police in the South Pacific region must interact to promote law and order among the island nations, says Papua New Guinea Police Minister Jimson Sauk.

Sauk made his comments at the closing of the three-day Australasian and South West Pacific Region Police Commissioners' Conference in Madang last week.

Mr. Sauk said the theme of the conference, "Civil Unrest, Policing Beyond 2000," was appropriate in view of recent and current social and political unrest within the region.

He said although such matters were treated internally, it was important that the commissioners discuss these issues and look at possible resolutions.

Mr. Sauk said apart from the topic of civil unrest, he was glad that plans were being made to set up mechanisms to investigate corruption, which is a major issue in PNG.

He said that he hoped their recommendations and resolutions would be implemented in...

JAKARTA, Indonesia (March 31, 2001 – The Jakarta Post/Kabar-Irian)---Two outspoken legislators from Irian Jaya called on the House of Representatives to drop the bill on special autonomy in Indonesia's troubled easternmost province as it failed to fully accommodate the Irianese people's aspirations.

Alex Litay of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Simon Maori of the Golkar Party said that all the legislators from the province would resist if the House went ahead with its plan to debate the controversial bill.

"We will have to conduct a campaign of protest until the bill is dropped from the House's agenda," Alex said at the House's plenary session here on Friday.

He said the bill was opposed by local politicians in Irian because they were not involved in its drafting and it was regarded as failing to accommodate the province's aspirations.

"The issue of Irian Jaya will never be solved if the government forcibly inserts its...

APIA, Samoa (March 31, 2001 - Samoa Observer/PINA Nius Online)---A Forum Fisheries Agency official died while attending the regional fisheries conference at Apia's Kitano Tusitala Hotel.

The agency's United States Treaty Manager, 54-year-old Felix Panjuboe, was found dead in a conference center room, according to FFA director Feleti Teo.

"Director of Laboratory Services at Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Dr. Faleniu Asaua, performed a post mortem examination. In his opinion, the deceased died from acute heart failure," Mr. Teo said.

A small service was held by conference delegates in honor of Mr. Panjuboe.

His body was later flown back to Honiara, accompanied by Forum Fisheries Agency Deputy Director Barry Pollock and another staff member.

Negotiations for renewal of the multilateral treaty between the United States and the 16 Pacific Islands Forum States are among the issues being discussed at the 13th Annual Treaty Consultation Meeting.

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