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‘STOP N SAVE’ SUPERMARKETS TO CHANGE HANDS IN PNG

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Oct. 6) – Papua New Guinea supermarket chain Stop ‘n’ Shop will change ownership at the end of the year in a K20 million (US$6.9 million) deal.

Port Moresby Stock Exchanged-listed pharmaceutical company City Pharmacy has agreed to buy the merchandise division of Steamships Limited.

The Stop ‘n’ Shop chain has five supermarkets in Port Moresby — Boroko, Waigani, North Waigani, Erima and Rainbow Estate — and in Western Province, it operates the Kiunga Family Store, Progressive Traders and Tabubil Traders.

A phased handover is expected this month with the final handover expected by Christmas.

Steamship Limited managing director David Cox yesterday advised the Port Moresby Stock Exchange that contracts were executed on Monday for the sale of the Steamships’ merchandise division to City Pharmacy for the price of about K20 million "subject to conditions...

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Oct. 5) – The Fiji military says up to 7,000 illegal Asian immigrants have entered Fiji in the past two years.

The Fiji military also expressed concern about alleged corruption in the Registrar-General's Office because it claimed many illegal immigrants possessed certificates identifying them as Fiji nationals.

In a security briefing to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa told Radio Australia that bribery was leading to documents being falsified.

"People who were clearly physically Asian in origin, were coming away with certificates identifying them as Fiji nationals," Lt-Col Rabukawaqa told Radio Australia.

He said Fiji then provided them with statements saying they did not have criminal records.

Lt-Col Rabukawaqa said corruption investigations had estimated that 7,000 Chinese had arrived in Fiji in the past two years with a correlated increase in prostitution, illegal gambling...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, Oct. 5) – A Guadalcanal tribal chief has accused Solomon Islands Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza of interfering in land allocations in the Solomon Islands that are outside his purview.

Chief Michael Liliau of Tandai, an area located in the northwestern part of Guadalcanal island, said yesterday he was surprised to learn that Sir Allan had made a directive to the Department of Lands to subdivide a piece of crown land at White River to certain people of his liking.

"This piece of crown land is outside the town boundary and according to Government policy, it should be returned to original landowners," Liliau said. "But a letter that I’ve sighted written by the department of lands stated the plot had been subdivided into five blocks and allocated to certain people of Sir Allan’s liking. These people include Victor Ngele, Member of Parliament Siriako Usa and Dominic Bua, Anna Bako and Basil Tavake, Mathias Veloa and Joseph Anea."...

Editorial

Fiji Sun

SUVA, Fiji (Oct. 5) – The successful prosecution of a small player in the agriculture scam may well represent a breakthrough for the police and prosecutors in Fiji. However, the minor official sent to jail for three years for defrauding the Government of nearly FJ$36,000 (US$21,400) is very clearly small fry. This scam, remember, accounted for between FJ$16 million and FJ$30 million (US$9.5 million and US$17.8 million) of public funds depending on which version one wishes to believe. In fact the true amount may never be known. What is known is that a number of people made large fortunes by defrauding the public.

What is also known is that these people could not have done this without the co-operation if not encouragement and involvement of others in high public positions. So, whichever way one looks at it there is still a long way to go before the big players are brought to justice. There is ample anecdotal evidence of massive abuse of public...