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Six men wielding machetes confront police

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Sept. 3, 2008) – Solomon Islands police and the Regional Assistance Mission have stepped up their presence on the remote Weather Coast of Guadalcanal in the wake of a machete attack on a New Zealand police officer yesterday

Constable Chris Renata is recovering in Honiara hospital after he was confronted by six men wielding machetes during a routine visit to a medical post.

The deputy special co-ordinator of RAMSI, Dr Jonathan Austin, says the attackers appear to be part of a hard core group still being sought over crimes committed prior to the arrival of RAMSI five years ago.

Dr Austin says a bigger effort is now being made to arrest them.

"And we have early this morning sent down a large team. The investigation will be led by Solomon Islands police, some of whom are from that area, know the language, know the villages, and they will be supported by...

53 cases reported thus far

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Sept. 3, 2008) - Medical authorities have confirmed a national dengue fever outbreak exists.

Sources close to the Health Ministry said divisional teams had been activated after a marked increase in cases reported at hospitals and health centers throughout the country. It is understood that more than four cases of dengue per day have been reported at public and private health facilities over the past few weeks.

Interim Health Minister Dr. Jiko Luveni said as of Friday, 53 suspected cases of dengue had been reported throughout Fiji.

[PIR editor’s note: According to Pacific Islands Report records, ten Pacific nations have reported dengue outbreaks this year: Tonga, French Polynesia, Yap, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Palau, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Kiribati. The World Health Organization last month raised concern about the growing threat of dengue in the Pacific. Of particular concern are New...

National government wants restructure

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Sept. 3) - The Government wants to chop the legislative powers of provincial governments.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Puka Temu announced this during his keynote address to the 2008 National Development Summit at the PNGIPA (PNG Institute of Public Administration) yesterday.

"Cabinet is not proposing to do away with the entire provincial government system but to do a review and restructure of the current system. We want to make it leaner and more effective," Temu explained to the Post-Courier after his address yesterday.

Temu said Cabinet spent more than four hours on Monday discussing the proposed restructure and development of the National Strategic Framework. The Government wants a restructure of the current political system, he said.

Temu said that department heads and the ministers had to work out the type of political structure that would bring effective...

Major disaster feared as rains continue

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Sept. 3, 2008) - Lae City is bracing for a major disaster at any time now.

A village is already under water and three others are being divided by the flooding Markham River as incessant rain batters the city and surrounding areas.

Markham, one of the country’s biggest rivers, Busu, Yalu, and Bumbu rivers, all emptying into the Huon Gulf, are flooding and are threatening this industrial city and nearby villages, gardens and lives.

The flooding Yalu River is eating into one side of the low bridge on the Highlands Highway.

The Bumbu River flowing through the city, from one end at Taraka in the north and emptying into the sea at Yanga village is flooding and the waters are threatening to burst their banks.

Many banana patches along the banks are already under water while the Busu -- ranked in the top five as one of the fastest flooding rivers in the world...