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MARSHALL ISLANDS–U.S. COMPACT NEGOTIATIONS DELAYED AGAIN

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (March 29, 2002 – The Marshall Islands Journal)---Marshall Islands and U.S. Compact of Free Association negotiators have agreed to the second delay of the next round of formal negotiations on Compact funding.

The talks have been put off from the first week of April to the end of April or early May, according to U.S. officials who say the reason for the delay is that the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has told the State Department negotiating team that it needs additional time to review the RMI’s funding proposal submitted earlier this month.

The RMI issued a funding plan to the U.S. seeking $1 billion over 15 years.

Meanwhile, Marshall Islands and U.S. negotiators held three days of technical discussions in Washington, D.C. this week on various Compact subsidiary agreements. The meetings aimed to move five agreements closer to approval as part of the overall...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

April 4, 2002

[SEE: http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2002/April/04-04-19.htm] 

It’s really absurd that Finau Latu constantly writes letters on how the Tongan Government is corrupt. He seems to have a lot of pent-up aggression towards the Tongan Government. Why? Is it simply because he’s upset that his thoughts and points of views can only be heard via e-mail?

What is it Finau? Why can’t you simply just let go of your petty rambling and move away from Tonga to the utopian paradise that welcomes all (even the media). I think it’s completely ridiculous that you have so much hate against the Government that you’re writing your personal angst to the Editor in hopes to be heard. Well Finau, let me be the first to tell you, you’ve been heard and now it’s time for you to say good-bye.

It seems to me that you’re not speaking for "the...

By Fili Sagapolutele

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (April 2, 2002 – Samoa News)---The Senate rejected a controversial bill last week that would limit the High Court's jurisdiction on matai title succession, including disputed claims to matai titles.

The bill was sponsored by Senator S.E. Sala and introduced in January last year.

This is the Senate's second rejection of the measure in the last two years.

During his tenure as a House member, Sala introduced a similar bill during the 26th Legislature, which was also rejected by the House at the time.

According to the bill, "In the event a disputed claim exists, the decision of a matai successor will be returned to the family [which owns the title] until a person claiming matai succession may file a written claim of succession to a matai title with the Territorial Registrar without a counterclaim or objection."

This new provision repeals the whole section of the current law on disputed claims on...

MELBOURNE, Australia (April 4, 2002 – Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat)---A land dispute threatens reconciliation between indigenous Kanaks and other islander communities.

Conflict over land at Saint Louis in Nouméa has revived a power struggle between two traditional leaders of the area, and damaged reconciliation efforts in the aftermath of the 1998 Nouméa Accord for New Caledonia.

Over the last three months, there have been clashes between Kanaks from Saint Louis, on the outskirts of the capital, Nouméa, and Wallisians who have settled in the area from the French Pacific territory of Wallis and Futuna.

This week, a senior police officer was shot and seriously wounded as protests flared again among young people at Saint Louis. The shooting came after police fired tear gas, in a vain attempt to break up a demonstration by young people who had blocked the main road into Nouméa.

The head of the mobile police squad, Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marie Garrido, was...