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April arrivals down nearly 20%

By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa

KOROR, Palau (Palau Horizon, June 1, 2009) – The tourist arrival for the month of April was down by almost 20 percent, the statistic of the Palau Visitors Authority shows.

The statistic shows that the total number of visitors for the month of April was 5, 329, a 19.54 percent decrease compared to the 6, 623 number of tourists that came in April of 2008.

The number doesn’t show improvement from last month’s arrival where the statistic shows a decrease of 11.86 percent.

The decrease from March through April went up by 7.68 percent.

Yumie Morishita, PVA’s Marketing Manager said the global economic recession is still the number one contributing factor why tourist arrival continues to go down.

She said the number is expected to go down until end of this year especially with the effect of the present global outbreak of H1N1 flu.

Morishita said they will continue to...

Overloaded boat capsized in rough seas

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, June 2, 2009) – Fourteen people were saved from almost certain drowning last Friday when the RAMSI police boat, the Jackpot and its crew mounted a rapid and impromptu rescue after coming across one of the survivors just before nightfall struggling in high seas about two miles from Savo.

The Captain of the Jackpot, John van der Lem, said he sounded the alarm just before 6pm last Friday when the Jackpot discovered a youth, attempting to swim to the island in order to get help for the rest of the 13 passengers that had already been spread out across a vast distance by big waves and a strong wind.

All 14 passengers from the over-laden banana boat, which capsized in high seas mid afternoon after leaving Honiara around noon were eventually rescued.

"It was touch and go as to whether we would find them as the light was fading fast.

"We immediately called out the helicopter...

Says he’ll speak out about media crack-down

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, June 1, 2009) – The president of the Pacific Island News Association says he’ll speak out about Fiji’s crack-down on media freedom when he attends an international media conference there next month.

The Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development will meet in Nadi at the invitation of Fiji’s interim government.

Joseph Ealedona says it’s better to use an opportunity like this than stay away in protest.

"Media organisations should have meetings there, we shouldn’t run away from the problem. I think its good AIBD is having a meeting there. It is there that we will raise our concerns to the interim regime on the ground. It’s not good staying outside and criticising."

As head of Papua New Guinea’s National Broadcasting Corporation Joseph Ealedona can attend the conference while media restrictions may prevent Fiji’s broadcasters being...

Bill encourages companies to train, retain Palauans

By Bernadette H. Carreon

KOROR, Palau (Palau Horizon, June 1, 2009) – The Senate on third and final reading approved the proposed measure which will provide tax incentives for employees hiring and retaining citizen employees in certain skilled professions.

The measure said that tax incentives can be given to establishments that will hire Palauans.

The aim of Senate Bill 8-23 is to encourage companies to hire Palauans since there are many jobs requiring specialized skills being filled with non-citizens, in part because training and retaining Palauan workers may be more expensive than hiring ready-trained foreign labor.

The tax incentive will provide additional incentives for Palauans to learn skills necessary for various jobs, by bolstering their employment opportunities at the end of the training , "Eligible Employer" means an individual or a corporation engaged in a business, employing one or...