NEWSPAGE 20 January
2010

(Photo: FIFO)

NEW ZEALAND: Tahiti’s FIFO Film Festival features some of New Zealand’s best

(Photos: Janice Ikiua)

SAMOA: Mum may be deported from Samoa without sons
Source: Janice Ikiua via NewsWire

A Porirua mother faces deportation from Samoa back to New Zealand without her two young children, who she says are with her estranged husband.

Elwynn Taotua Lennie (27) says she has not seen sons Qlevedon (2) and Ephraim (1) since New Year’s Eve.

“Their father was only supposed to take them for a couple of days, but he has not returned them,” says the worried mother, from a village near Apia.

With her visa running out soon, she could be deported back to New Zealand as an overstayer.

“I’m all by myself and I miss my boys heaps - I just want to bring them home.”

Miss Lennie left New Zealand in March, stayed for three months in Samoa and returned to New Zealand after separating from her husband, Pat Arasi (26), leaving her youngest son with his family.

“His family wanted Ephraim and kept asking me to leave him, so I did,” she says.

“I then returned to Samoa in October to pick him up and give their father time with the kids before coming back to New Zealand.

“I needed to get the kids out, but was trying to be civil when letting him take the kids before New Year’s Eve for [what was intended to be] a couple of days.”

She says Mr Arasi has obtained an extension visa for the boys to stay longer in Samoa.

Her New Zealand passport and those of the children, birth certificates and personal belongings are no longer at a house where she was staying.

Miss Lennie contacted police in Samoa and was told to get back with her husband.

Grace To’o, of Porirua, godmother to Qlevedon and Ephraim, contacted Peter Noonan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Wellington and asked for his help.

“I fear for Elwynn,” says Miss To’o. “She’s doing everything on her own. I just needed to get help for her. We just want them home.”

Miss Lennie says she got a phone call from Fran Mu at the New Zealand High Commission office in Samoa, and was advised it was a civil matter.

“They could not help me in terms of the children, but they would be able to get my passport back.”

Although she expects legal action will be needed, she has no money to fund it.

A cousin of Miss Lennie, Jenny Taotua, says she has spoken to lots of people seeking help, but “it’s like we’re playing the waiting game now”.

A representative of Victim Support in Samoa, which is helping Miss Lennie, says the group is going to lobby on her behalf “to make sure we can have a positive outcome”.

NewsWire sought comment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but got no response because staff is busy with relief efforts after the earthquake in Haiti.

NewsWire has not been able to reach Mr Arasi for comment.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - DESPERATE TO BE REUNITED: Elwynn Lennie with Qlevedon.

Photo 2 - MISSING HIM: Elwynn Lennie with younger son Ephraim.
 

(Photo: Australia Broadcasting Corporation)

AUSTRALIA: Kangaroo meat hope for Pacific obesity
Source: Australia Broadcasting Corporation

Pacific Island countries which import fatty cuts of meat could help combat the obesity epidemic in the region if they replaced those cuts of meat with kangaroo.

That's according to the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, which says at the moment the only real market for kangaroo meat in the Pacific is Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and a few upmarket hotels in other island countries.

The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia executive officer John Kelly told Radio Australia's Pacific beat program that kangaroo meat is a healthier alternative to lamb flaps.

"It's less than 2 per cent fat, half of the fat that is there is polyunsaturated so it's good for you anyway," he said.

"It's also been shown to be high in a compound called conjugated linoleic acid which does a whole lot of good things for you but importantly it actively reduces blood pressure."

Photo Caption: The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia says kangaroo meat is a healthier alternative to lamb flaps.
 

(Photo: Wirtland)

NAURU: Virtual state proposes to acquire physical territory from Nauru
Source: Wirtland Press Release

Internet community “Wirtland” (www.wirtland.com), which positions itself as the first internet-based sovereign country, has announced a plan to legitimately acquire real land from one (or even several) world's countries. If realized, it will be the first case of peaceful formation of a new country “from a scratch”.

According to official press release, Wirtland approached the government of Nauru with a formal proposal to transfer a piece of its territory to Wirtland. Nauru, one of world's smallest island nations situated South Pacific, has vast barren terrain left over after several decades of phosphates mining. “Proposal for Monetization of Unused Land by cooperation between Republic of Nauru and Wirtland” is intended to utilize a piece of Nauru’s barren terrain left after mining. According to the Proposal, “Republic of Nauru officially assigns a piece of its territory, of any quality and size, to Wirtland. Nauru will have a major stake in future sales of land from this territory, agreed in contract”. In his letter addressed to the President of the Republic of Nauru, Chancellor of Wirtland underlined his hope that “such a plan, if realized, will make a positive effect on the economy of Nauru”.

Thereby the virtual state would take hold of official territory, which later would be offered for sale to people willing to become citizens of new country. The quality and size of territory do not matter: Wirtland will remain virtual community, as no buyer will physically move to Nauru. However, presence of defined territory is a necessary condition for diplomatic recognition of Wirtland by international community, according to Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States. According to Article 1 of Montevideo Convention, to have sovereignty, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, and a government. Wirtland hopes that peaceful acqusition of even a small piece of territory by virtual community will become a unique historical precedent and will open the door towards full official recognition of Wirtland, legitimization of Wirtland passports and other documents issued by virtual state.

For a partner country such as Nauru, the result of the barter deal is possibility to make money out of otherwise useless land. Nauru’s official reaction is not known. Wirtland reserves right to approach other governments with similar proposal.

Wirtland describes itself as an experiment into legitimacy and self-sustainability of a country without its own soil. Founded in 2008, Wirtland represents people from all five continents. Wirtland issues plastic ID cards, mints its own gold and silver coins. Wirtland's population is around 1,000 people. Republic of Nauru is an island nation situated in the South Pacific. Nauru's population is around 10,000.
 

(Photo: Tongan Football Association)

TONGA: OFC U-20 Player profile: Vaisioa Niupaku
Source: Oceanina Football Confederation Press Release

Tonga U-20 Women’s goalkeeper Vaisioa Niukapu is a multi talented young sportswoman proudly focusing her natural sporting ability on football.

Niukapu’s first taste of football came in her final year of primary schooling in the Tongan Football Association's (TFA) 2003 Primary Schools competition where she represented Nukualofa Primary school.

She continued her academic and football education at Tonga High School where she also participated in variety of other sports including athletics, tennis and netball. Niukapu credits these other sporting interests with having a great impact on her physical and mental toughness.

Despite all these other sporting interests, Niukapu remained most passionate about football and is determined to fashion a career in the beautiful game. She nominates popular England football star David Beckham and highly respected female international players Martha Vieira da Silva (Brazil) and Mia Hamm (USA) as her favourite footballing role models.

Niukapu first gained national representative selection as goalkeeper for the 2006 OFC U-20 World Cup Qualifiers tournament in Samoa, an event where Tonga won silver. Being multi-skilled, the following year she gained her second national cap in the OFC Women’s Championship Papua New Guinea 2007 as a defender, a position she retained in the 2007 South Pacific Games hosted by Samoa (where the Tonga also won the silver medal).

These exposures undoubted gained her much needed experience which no doubt will come in handy as she prepares for OFC U-20 World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand.

After only recently rehabilitating from a knee injury, Niukapu has passed her physical fitness test with flying colours and will be a key contributor as Tonga’s first choice goal keeper. In the 2009 TFA Major League competition Niukapu kept an admirable record of averaging less than one goal conceded per match.

Bio
Profession: Athlete
Full Name: Mele Vaisioa Niukapu
Nickname: Sioa
Date of Birth: May 8 1990, (age: 19)
Place of Birth: Ha’apai
Height: 174m
Playing Position: Goalkeeper
Current Club: Kaimai Glamour Girls
Football Years: 7 years
Favourite Soccer Star: Martha Vieira da Silva.

National Team
2007 - OFC Senior Women’s Qualifiers
2007 - South Pacific Games
2006 - OFC U-20 World Cup Qualifiers

Special Awards
2006, 2007, 2008 - TFA Scholarship

Photo Caption: Niupaku during a trainee session (front in yellow).
 

WORLDWIDE: Faleomavaega meets Japanese PM to discuss US-Japan relations
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

The Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, along with Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) and Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), visited Japan last week to hold discussions on U.S.-Japan relations with some of the country’s key leaders. The Members visited Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at his residence and held talks with Cabinet Minister Mizuho Fukushima, who serves as Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety, Social Affairs and Gender Equality, as well as with Rep. Tomoko Abe, a member of the Social Democratic Party, the second largest party in the ruling coalition. In addition, the group met Koichi Takemasa, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Much of the discussion in the meetings focused on alliance relations, including the planned relocation of a significant portion of American troops on Okinawa’s main island to a new base on that island, as well as to Guam. Faleomavaega and Cao also visited Hiroshima to view ground zero of the 1945 nuclear bombing of the city and the adjacent Peace Museum.

“Prime Minister Hatoyama’s government represents the first significant change in Japanese politics since the early 1990s. Our two countries share a close economic, political and security relationship, and 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, which has helped provide stability throughout the Asia Pacific region. Despite certain disagreements about basing issues, I believe that the bilateral relationship remains vibrant and strong. My visit to Hiroshima, meanwhile, reaffirmed my commitment to helping realize the ultimate goal of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT): a world finally free of the scourge of nuclear weapons,” Faleomavaega said.

“In 2006, the United States and Japan agreed on a ‘roadmap’ to strengthen the bilateral alliance. In the aftermath of last year’s electoral victory by the Democratic Party of Japan, the new Hatoyama Administration called for changes in the agreement regarding the planned relocation of the Futenma Marine Air Station, currently in Ginowan, Okinawa, to a less densely populated location on the main island. The move from Futenma was to be the first part of a planned realignment of U.S. forces in Asia, designed in part to reduce the footprint of U.S. forces on Okinawa by redeploying U.S. Marines to new facilities in Guam,” Faleomavaega added.

“The goal has been to start construction on Guam by 2010 and to complete the relocation of 8,000 marines and their 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to Guam by 2014. On February 17, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Tokyo to reaffirm the plan with the previous Liberal Democratic Party-led government by signing the bilateral ‘Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Japan Concerning the Implementation of the Relocation of the III Marine Expeditionary Force Personnel and Their Dependents from Okinawa to Guam.’ That agreement stipulated that of the estimated $10.3 billion cost of the facilities and infrastructure development for the relocation to Guam, Japan would provide $6.09 billion, including up to $2.8 billion in direct cash contributions (in FY2008 dollars). The United States committed to fund $3.2 billion plus about $1 billion for road construction. The relocation to Guam has important economic, social and environmental implications for Guam, as well as for those from the region seeking jobs created by the construction, operation and maintenance of the planned facilities.”

“Last week, in a meeting held in Hawaii between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the new Japanese Government’s Foreign Minister, Katsuya Okada, the two sides agreed to shelve the Futenma issue until May and start talks on deepening the bilateral alliance. On January 19, 2010, the day marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Security Treaty, the Japanese and U.S. governments released a joint statement proclaiming that ‘the U.S.-Japan Alliance plays an indispensable role in ensuring the security and prosperity of both the United States and Japan, as well as regional peace and stability. The Alliance is rooted in our shared values, democratic ideals, respect for human rights, rule of law and common interests. The Alliance has served as the foundation of our security and prosperity for the past half century and the Ministers are committed to ensuring that it continues to be effective in meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century.’ The joint statement also notes that the two countries ‘endorse ongoing efforts to maintain our deterrent capabilities in a changing strategic landscape, including appropriate stationing of U.S. forces, while reducing the impact of bases on local communities, including Okinawa.’”

“On the same day, Prime Minister Hatoyama issued an additional statement noting that, ‘The U.S.-Japan security arrangements continue to be indispensable not only for the defense of Japan alone, but also for the peace and prosperity of the entire Asia-Pacific region. Under a security environment in which there still exist uncertainty and unpredictability, the presence of the U.S. Forces based on the Treaty will continue to function as a public good by creating a strong sense of security to the countries in the region.’”

“As Chairman of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over U.S.-Japan relations, I will be following developments affecting the bilateral relationship closely, including basing issues affecting Okinawa and Guam, and will hold an oversight hearing on these matters in the near future,” Faleomavaega concluded.