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PALAU VISITORS AUTHORITY Koror, Republic of Palau

News Release November 23, 1999

KOROR, Republic of Palau (November 23, 1999)---The Republic of Palau has been recognized as one of the best destinations in the world by two major North American media.

A & Top 10, weekly magazine style television series, ranked Palau as the No.4 exotic destination in the world on the October 24th show. Palau has long been known as a spectacular dive destination, but is now gaining recognition for its other growing activities such as kayaking and hiking.

In addition, the October 1999 issue of National Geographic Traveler included Palau in the cover story, "50 Places of a Lifetime---The World’s Greatest Destinations." This piece has been in the works for 18 months and began with hundreds of nominations from the National Geographic Society’s correspondents, travel writers and travel authorities. The results represent choices by a group with more than 1,500 years of...

By Isaac Nicholas

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (Dec. 1, 1999 – The National)---Papua New Guineans will not be asked to pay more next year to fund Government operations but they will be asked to be more careful of wastage.

That was the official word from Prime Minister and Treasurer Sir Mekere Morauta yesterday when he handed down his year 2000 budget.

To a hushed Parliament, which for the first time observed the budget speech without any interference, Sir Mekere said his Government plans to spend K3.495 billion (US$ 1.293 billion) next year.

Of that amount, about 60 percent will be spent on only six priority areas of Government -- health, education, infrastructure maintenance, law and order, agriculture and revenue generation.

After debt repayments, other recurrent expenditure will receive just under 30 percent of the total allocation.

All the money to fund the 2000 budget will come from existing local revenue sources and pledges made by...

By Neles Kebadabi Tebay

ABEPURA, Irian Jaya (December 2, 1999 – Jakarta Post/Kabar Irian)---In former days, the Papuans said they were the owners of the forest under the customary adat rule, which has an economic as well as religious meaning to them. The forest was seen as a source of food, a shelter in time of ethnic wars and a place to communicate with ancestral souls. To Papuans, the meaning of the forest is embodied in their saying that "The forest is our mother."

Now many forestry concessionaires have invaded the Papuans' ancestral land. Companies with their head office in Jakarta have divided the forests in the province. The authorities and business people who are non-Papuans have become owners of the forest/land. The local inhabitants, who are the true owners of their land, have now become mere guardians of the forest/land, which belongs to other people.

If a mine is discovered in a forest concession, the company wishing to exploit the mine must pay for...

December 1, 1999
Samoa News

DISREGARD FOR OLD SAMOAN WORDS DISMAYS SCHOLAR

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (December 1, 1999 – Samoa News)--- The Samoan language is changing and not everyone is happy about it.

Reverend Timoteo Uelese, Principal of the Samoa Bible School at Tafuna, is one of those who has concerns.

Uelese laments the dying off of Samoan terms coined by the LMS missionaries and their Samoan counterparts as they translated the Bible over 100 years ago.

"I see many of the terms coined by those extraordinary individuals in Avao village in Savaii being overlooked," he told the News. "The phrases and words were inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit, but they are falling by the wayside because people, especially educators and members of the media, do not care to research the Bible to find out about them."

Referring to the translators of the 19th century, Uelese said when they were in need of a new term for the unSamoan words in...