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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, April 27) - Fiji’s leading fishing company says many Chinese-based ventures have packed up and gone home after their license applications were rejected.

Graham Southwick, the managing director of Fiji Fish Marketing, says the government’s tuna licensing committee rejected more than 60 out of the 84 applicants this time through.

This follows the industry calling for a crackdown on licenses after complaints that foreign operators weren’t meeting joint venture standards or following strict criteria on catch levels.

Mr Southwick says the mainly Chinese-based boats couldn’t fulfill the requirements.

"They are entitled to appeal but they are so far short of the criteria that it’s not like they were within cooee of it, and of course, it was never their intention to do the job properly or to invest properly or to be here for a long period, which is what would be required. So, not having that intention, they basically packed up...

RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (Cook Islands Herald, April 26) – Six recent college graduates from the Cook Islands say they now face a major problem: how to repay their student loans.

The six students who graduated from Waikato University last week were all from the Outer Islands.

Corina Mose, of Aitutaki, has just returned from her graduation ceremony. She completed her Bachelor of Social Sciences last year. The six graduated from a range of different degree courses. They were all studying using student loans.

Corina said between ten and twenty students from the Cook Islands started at the same time she did. She was very proud that the Outer Island students did so well academically. Four of the students were from Aitutaki, one was from Mangaia and the other was New Zealand born.

"We all worked really hard," she said.

Fay Lewis of Rarotonga graduated from the Bachelor of Social Science Honors Degree at Massey University. She was the only Cook Islander...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Pfnet, April 27) - The Diocesan Bishop of Malaita, Rt. Rev. Terry Brown, visited Sa'a in Small Malaita recently to attend the Board of Governors meeting of the new church school, the Charles Eliot Fox Memorial High School, at Sa'a in Small Malaita.

During his visit, Rt. Rev. Brown held talks with the landowners, ensuring them of the confidence the Church of Melanesia have in them as landowners in securing land for the school.

He also encouraged the parties involved to resolve their internal disputes themselves and to work together with the church authorities in acquiring the piece of land for the school.

Prior to the Board meeting, rumors circulating Small Malaita in particular Sa’a was that the purpose of the Diocesan Bishop’s visit was to "close down the school and transfer it to other parts of the Diocese of Malaita".

However during talks with the landowners, Rt. Rev. Brown said he was happy to see the agreement signed by...

By Christine Banian

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, April 27) – Papua New Guinea governmental agencies responsible for the development of infrastructure services have been urged to travel into Bougainville to help restore services on the island.

This is the challenge from the Chief Ombudsman, Ila Geno, who was in Buka last week on one of the commission’s external relations programs.

Bougainvillians have suffered enough from the 10-year crisis and are trying to rebuild their lives but cannot do that without basic services, Geno said.

"My officers have traveled here and witnessed first-hand what the people of Bougainville are experiencing and crying for," he said.

The visit here was to raise awareness about the roles and functions of the commission.

"We want to let the people know that the commission is concerned about their welfare and they are not being forgotten," Geno said.

The Ombudsman said for the PNG government to...