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REGIME TO DISSOLVE QARASE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Daily Post, Mar. 5) - A lack of financial returns since its inception in 2004 is one the reasons the Fiji Interim Government, through the Native Land Trust Board, will dissolve the operations of the Vanua Development Corporation (VDC).

VDC is the Native Land Trust Board's business arm.

The dissolution was confirmed by NLTB's acting General Manager Joveci Tuinamuana while speaking on Fiji Television's vernacular program Viti Nikua.

[PIR editor’s note: The Vanua Development Corp., an initiative of recently deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, was set up within the Native Lands Trust to generate revenue and to manage landowners’ investments.]

Tuinamuana said VDC faced imminent closure after it failed to produce any financial returns since its establishment in 2004.

The corporation was set up to finance the operations of the NLTB and reduce the poundage it deducts from lease...

News Release

March 5, 2007 will mark a Historic point for education in the Kingdom of Tonga. The Ministry of Education will start Tonga’s first Inclusive/Special Education classroom at Ngeleia Side School and Ngeleia GPS.

The Pilot Classroom will begin its first full day of class on March 5, 2007. Parents are ecstatic and grateful that children with disabilities will now be recognized and supported through their educational careers. For many parents, this will be the first time their child will attend school with their peers, wearing a school uniform

The P.R.I.D.E. Project is funded through the European Union and NZaid, partnering with the Ministry of Education in Tonga. Malakai Kaufusi, Senior IE/SE Project Officer states that, "The Pilot classroom will give us quality information so when other special education classrooms open in other schools we will know what will work best for the families in Tonga. The key to the success of these classrooms will depend on...

SUVA, Fiji (Fijilive, March 6) – A media executive says he has been warned not to make any comments which the Fiji Military Forces regards as defamatory against the institution.

Fiji Daily Post general manager, Mesake Koroi was detained twice at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks last week.

Koroi is the cousin of ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and the newspaper has been accused of reporting anti-military and anti-interim regime articles.

"The decision to make my intentions known in the papers is mine alone and nobody else’s. I can confirm that I was taken in for writing reports in our daily newspaper by soldiers who stopped me at the Nausori Bridge before I was taken to meet Major Neumi Leweni. We had a brief discussion and I was warned not to make any more comments," Koroi said. "I was never assaulted and they treated me well when I was in military custody."

Land Force Commander Colonel Pita Driti said Koroi was detained because of the ‘continued...

Editorial

Pacific Daily News

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Mar. 5) - Once again, Guam Public School System employees' payroll checks were shorted by their employer, the government of Guam, on payday. The school system was only given enough money by the administration to make net payroll, which meant payroll deductions for loans, mortgages or other payments were not made.

Superintendent Luis Reyes was planning on abiding by the law and not releasing any paychecks last week unless gross payroll was met, but acting Governor Mike Cruz signed an executive order requiring paychecks to be released, even if that meant only paying net payroll. Reyes is calling on Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco to step in and enforce the public law that gives public schools priority funding over any other GovGuam agency so the school system has enough to make full payroll.

First, it's embarrassing that an agency director has to ask the attorney general's office to force the executive branch...