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‘Rebel’ Samoa for Real accused of sabotaging government’s work

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, April 2, 2014) – The President of the Samoa Hotels Association, Tuala Oli Ah Him, has branded a private sector group as rebels who are sabotaging the industry.

He says the Samoa for Real group is a small minority which doesn't own hotels trying to stir up trouble.

But the group has had 67 participants, many of them hoteliers, at workshops with world tourism experts, who acknowledge the low levels of hotel occupancy in 2013, which many call a crisis.

A representative from Samoa for Real, Nynette Sass, says they are just concerned about their businesses, and responding to the Prime Minister's call for operators to do more for themselves.

Tuala says his association held a meeting some months ago and the group could not come up with any grievances.

"I think these people don't know what they're talking about. They need to stop...

Chaudhry trial for breaching Exchange Control Act begins

By Vuniwaqa Bola-Bari

SUVA, Fiji (Fijilive, April 2, 2014) – Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's defence counsel QC Peter Bodor this morning called for no case to answer in his trial at the High Court saying there was insufficient evidence from the State to charge his client.

Chaudhry is charged with three counts of breach of the Exchange Control Act.

State Counsel QC Clive Grossman, a Hong Kong Criminal defence Barrister told the assessors that the Exchange Control Act ensures the country’s safety that Fiji residents only bring in Foreign Currency that was needed.

"To ensure that the best can be done where Fiji residents has funds overseas, they are bound to bring back to Fiji these funds," Grossman told the assessors.

Chaudhry’s first count was Failure to surrender Foreign Currency where he breached Section 4 of the Exchange Control Act, the court heard.

The court heard...

Increases coming from resource extraction, infrastructure investment

By Jemima Garrett

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, April 2, 2014) – A new report says Pacific economies will grow by up to five per cent this year, driven by an increase in infrastructure expenditure.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released its annual Asian Development Outlook report on Tuesday which predicts economic growth across the region will reach 5.4 per cent, up from 4.8 per cent in 2013.

However, the report warns more effort is needed to reduce the divide between rich and poor.

ADB Principal Pacific economist, Emma Veve, says while much of the increase will come from resource-rich Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste, there is good news for the smaller South Pacific countries as well.

"A lot of [growth] is infrastructure expenditure, both government funds and also donor funds, but some of the countries have also received windfall revenue gains from their...

Dwindling of industry to impact government revenues

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, April 2, 2014) – The country faces a challenging future in terms of its economic growth given the dwindling forestry industry as more natural forests are being logged out.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) economist Milovan Lucich who is looking after Nauru, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu sounded the alarm during last week’s ADB Pacific business media summit in Sydney, Australia.

He said with Solomon Islands relying heavily on logging as its main revenue earner for over many years now, it would affect its revenue when logging stops.

"With the declining logging industry slowly affecting Solomon Islands, it would affect the country’s economy in few years time," he said.

Currently logging is the third largest revenue earner for the country.

Mr Lucich therefore highlighted the Solomon Islands government needs to prepare and look at other industries to support...