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By Robert Matau

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Jan. 7) - Political and traditional leaders in Fiji have rejected a proposal to have a non-indigenous President.

Ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase said he supported the current constitutional requirement that the Great Council of Chiefs choose the President.

The current President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, was chosen by the council when his predecessor, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, was asked to step down by the military in the aftermath of the 2000 civilian takeover.

Qarase said any change to the selection procedure would require wide consultation because it would involve constitutional amendments.

"It is a sensitive issue and involves ethnic and racial questions and is not a decision that can be reached at off the cuff," he said.

Citizens Constitutional Forum director Reverend Akuila Yabaki said the time was right for Fiji to have a non-Fijian president.

However, Rewa chief, Ro Filipe Tuisawau said...

News Release

Federated States of Micronesia Department of Youth and Civic Affairs Colonia Yap December 27, 2007

Governor Anefal has communicated to all branches of government, agencies, and transmitted Proclamation No. 2008-02, which designated January 18, 2008 as a Dengue clean-up day. In the proclamation, Anefal referred to the previous outbreak of the Type I Dengue virus that resulted in over six hundred medical cases and no deaths.

While the Type I Dengue virus is no longer a threat, the recent induction of Type II of the virus "poses a health hazard" to the welfare of the people of the entire State as one of its known symptoms is internal bleeding which could be fetal. The Type II Dengue virus, which is propagated by the Aedes Egypti mosquito, has to date caused two deaths in Yap State.

In an unprecedented effort to control this outbreak of the Type II Dengue virus, Governor Anefal calls for an organized State-wide clean-up and removal of any...

Editorial

PNG Post-Courier

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (Jan. 7) - In today’s Post-Courier, we report the plans of senior government members to change the laws to make it easier for our soldiers to be dispatched overseas on peacekeeping duties with the United Nations.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Puka Temu confirmed it is in the works to be considered. He said the thinking was for our military people to be used for peacekeeping in the Pacific region, primarily.

That will require legislative amendments, officers told our staff.

Once the changes have been made, and this could happen in the next sitting of Parliament, our soldiers may be subject to being sent to trouble spots overseas.

The concept is not new.

Many have talked about the need to make better use of the training that our military people receive.

Many spend all their career in the Defence Force doing drills and waiting for something to happen, or being occasionally...

By Frank Rai

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Jan. 8) - A total of 40 detainees were believed to have escaped from the Lae police cells over the weekend.

They included suspected rapists, murderers and car-jackers amongst others.

The incident was the first for the New Year and the fourth in the last four months.

It was the largest single breakout so far.

Police sources said yesterday the escapees may have been leaving the cells since last Friday afternoon.

They were not aware until one was caught jumping from the roof of the police cell building on Sunday afternoon.

Lae Metropolitan Superintendant Nema Mondiai was not available for media briefing but the sources said the detainees escaped through the cell roof by using a hard object to break through the rotten timbers and iron roof.

By yesterday afternoon police have yet to release the exact number of escapees.

Police attributed the breakout to the...