NEWSPAGE 22 March
2010

(Photo: Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network)

(Photos: TS09 / Le Samoa Post)

SAMOA: Samoa title, Oli Filimaua's ticket to New Zealand
Source: eventpolynesia.com

Oli Filimaua the mandatory challenger for the Samoa welterweight title has an offer to fight in New Zealand in September, but first he needs to win next Tuesday’s main event of the Samoa Pro Am Fights against the title holder Ionatana Pula.

According to Teleiai Edwin Puni of Event Polynesia, Samoa Pro Am Fights promoter, “There are only three senior welterweight boxers locally. For Filimaua to make a career out of boxing, he needs to fight overseas.”

“At the moment Pula is standing in the way of Filimaua clocking in his first professional fight in New Zealand and Filimaua knows that,” said Teleiai.

Tuesday’s ten rounds by three minutes contest between the veteran champ Pula of Tanugamanono and Filimaua, the new kid on the block from Fagalii and Fa’ala, promises to be a toe to toe explosion of different fight styles.

Pula comes into the fight as the more experienced with nineteen pro fights and the heavy puncher of the two. Filimaua has the advantage of being twelve years younger with a pro record of five fights, winning four with one draw.

According to Filimaua, “After winning my last fight in December, I approached Event Polynesia to discuss my ranking and challenge for the Samoa Welterweight title.”

Teleiai said, “Pula’s return from New Zealand last year made it possible to lock gate this exciting match up. Pula had not defended his title for a while due to the lack of a credible challenger. Filimaua has the merits and has put his hand up.”

Ale Vena Ale, Secretary General of the South Pacific Boxing Incorporated has confirmed that Event Polynesia’s request for the Samoa Welterweight Title to be contested had been granted. The fight will also be sanctioned and officiated by SPBI.

While the heavyweight division had always been the main event attraction of most boxing promotions, Manny Pacquiao ‘Pac Man’ of the Philippines have changed all that by making the light divisions the money fights.

Pacquiao is the current World Boxing Organisation welter weight champion. Has a pro record of fifty six (56) fights, fifty one (51) wins thirty eight (38) by way of KO with two (2) draw and three (3) losses. His last four fights, against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Angel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, have earned him the bragging rights to the title ‘The Greatest.’

There you have it Pula and Filimaua, lighter boxers can change the landscape of world boxing.

Tickets to the Samoa Pro Am Fights now sold at JP Fitness (Vaimea), Hennies Sports Bar (Fugalei), Maroon Boy’s Corner (Apia). Group discounts available by contacting Event Polynesia office (+685) 28802.
 

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Oli Filimaua and Miss Samoa NZ assisting Tsunami Samoa 2009 (TSO9) Appeal last year.

Photo 2 - Ionatana Pula fighting Ray Musson in New Zealand.
 

(Photos: Australian Government / Earth Negotiations Bulletin)

AUSTRALIA: PIFS Secretary General signs MoU with Australia
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Foreign Minister of Australia, Mr Stephen Smith covering Australia’s annual membership contribution to the Forum and as well as its annual contributions to the Secretariat’s Work Programmes for 2010 to 2011.

Australia’s assistance to the Forum Secretariat is delivered under AusAID and has been substantial with over $50 million provided since 1988. The funding extended under this new MoU for 2010 and 2011 amounts to $10 million.

“My staff and I are very grateful to the Government and people of Australia for their continued support of the work of the Secretariat which allows us to be able to extend services for the benefit of the citizens of Forum member countries and deepening of our regional cooperation,” says Mr Slade.

“This financial assistance will enable the Secretariat to implement Leaders’ decisions on the key pillars of the Pacific Plan which address economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security. It will also assist the Secretariat to coordinate and contribute to regional efforts on addressing emerging priorities such as dealing with climate change and the global economic crisis as well as pursing the Millennium Development Goals.”

Mr Slade will today attend a meeting of the Cairns Compact Core Group in Sydney. The Forum Secretariat is coordinating the implementation of the Compact endorsed by Forum Leaders in August last year.

Mr Slade says: “One of the priorities from the Forum in Cairns last year is the Cairns Compact which the Forum Secretariat has been implementing together with other stakeholders in the past several months. The Cairns Compact Core Group meeting in Sydney will hear the progress so far in the implementation of the Compact.”

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Foreign Minister of Australia, Mr Stephen Smith.

Photo 2 - Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade.

(Photos: Redhead Productions & Brett Wagner)

HAWAII: Breakout short film "Chief" releases on DVD
Source: Hastings & Pleadwell Press Release

CHIEF, one of the most successful short films to come out of Hawaii, releases this week on DVD. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, where it was hailed “one of the 10 must-see short films of Sundance” by IndieWIRE, CHIEF screened at film festivals around the world, winning awards along the way.

“CHIEF proves that people everywhere -- from Nashville, Tennessee, to Siena, Italy - have an appetite for contemporary Pacific Island culture depicted in the movies,” says writer/director Brett Wagner. “This DVD release opens that door even further, making the product of Hawaii’s filmmakers, actors, and environments available to everyone who’s been waiting to see it.”

CHIEF is the first Hawaii-made short film to premiere at Sundance. It went on to win:
• Best Dramatic Short at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival
• Audience Award: Best Short at the Hawaii International Film Festival
• Audience Award: Best Short at the Maui Film Festival
• British Academy of Film and Television Award of Excellence
• “Best of the Fest” Honoree at the Nashville Film Festival

Following its latest festival screening, a sold-out opening night show at Tahiti’s Festival International du Film Oceanien (FIFO), the filmmakers are releasing CHIEF on DVD, with 90+ minutes of bonus materials:
• In-depth interviews with lead actor Chief Sielu Avea, writer and director Brett Wagner, producer Dana Satler Hankins, and members of the creative team.
• A behind-the-scenes featurette showing how the filmmaking process unfolded over the course of its 16-day production on Oahu.
• Commentary tracks from Brett Wagner, Sielu Avea, and cinematographer Paul Atkins.
• Deleted scenes, with commentary.
• Scenes from the premiere of CHIEF at the Sundance Film Festival.

The CHIEF DVD is available exclusively at www.CHIEF-MOVIE.com for $11.99 plus shipping and handling.

Filmed in the jungles, waters, and urban nightscapes of Oahu, CHIEF tells the story of a highly ranked chieftain from Samoa who flees his village after the drowning death of his young daughter, and winds up a taxi driver in Honolulu.
 

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Lead Actor, Chief Sielu Avea (as Semu in CHIEF).

Photo 2 - Writer/Director of CHIEF, Brett Wagner.
 

(Photo: Republic of China (Taiwan) Government)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: New Ambassador presents credentials to ROC President
Source: Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)

The new Ambassador from the Solomon Islands to the ROC, Victor Samuel Ngele, presented his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of March 18.

Ambassador Ngele offered his credentials in a ceremony that was held at 10 a.m. at the Presidential Office Building. Ambassador Ngele was escorted by Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Protocol José María Liu. Also witnessing the event was Presidential Secretary-General Liouyi Liao and Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang.

After the ambassador submitted his credentials, President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed a warm welcome to Ambassador Ngele on assuming his new position here. The president remarked that the Solomon Islands, with a population of 580,000 people, was an important South Pacific battleground in World War II. The diplomatic alliance between the two countries has remained strong ever since the two sides established formal ties in 1983. In addition, bilateral cooperation in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and community development have yielded concrete results, the president said.

President Ma furthermore noted that he previously visited the Solomon Islands in 1997 in the capacity of an academic. He said that the warmth and hospitality of the people of the Solomon Islands made a deep impression on him. In mentioning a trip that he will make to South Pacific allies at the end of this month, the president said he looks forward to visiting the Solomon Islands again and hopes that bilateral cooperation projects will continue to grow. He said he hopes to see even closer cooperation, thereby further solidifying the alliance.

Ambassador Ngele said he is deeply honored to take up his position in the ROC, adding that the alliance between the two nations has steadily grown and the bond between the two has become increasingly stable since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He commented that this is the result of both countries embracing the common values of democracy and rule of law. Ambassador Ngele said that Taiwan has been his nation's closest friend and the government and people of his country are looking forward to the president's visit. He also expressed his hope that both countries will continue to maintain friendly ties in the future.
 

Photo Caption: Ambassador Ngele presenting his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou.
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Programme)

WOLDWIDE: Samoa Voyaging Society to be Environment Ambassadors
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Programme Press Release

Crew members of the Va’a Gaualofa from the Samoa Voyaging Society are Environment Ambassadors to celebrate the Year of Biodiversity.

While sailing on the open ocean, battering the elements of Mother Nature as part of their voyage, the crew will also be documenting their findings and working to help promote nature conservation and good environment practices.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Programme (SPREP) and the Coral Reef Initiative for the South Pacific (CRISP) are working in partnership with the Samoa Voyaging Society to help spread regional awareness about protecting our environment.

Over the next few months, it is planned that seven of the Va’a Gaualofa crew will sail to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Tokelau as part of a Pacific voyaging expedition.

“We are happy with this relationship as I see the va’a and the crew as a really great opportunity to communicate the work that is being done in Marine Protected Areas with CRISP as well as to promote nature conservation during this year of biodiversity,” said SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer, Caroline Vieux.

“It’s a different way of communicating and sharing the work done by CRISP and the need to protect and save our natural resources.”

During the Pacific voyage the Va’a Gaualofa crew will act as observers by documenting all rubbish, oil spills or any forms of marine life that they sight upon a geographical information system. They will take images of their sightings and mark their findings on a map to explain and show their results while the va’a is docked in the different harbours throughout the region.

The crew members will also carry out a visual survey asking the question - “What has nature done for you today?” to people they meet during their regional voyage, hoping to record the survey to video camera, the results of which will be downloaded to a website.

The third activity carried out by the va’a crew is that of an interactive environment learning exhibition to be shown at each stop they make.

CRISP have produced short educational videos about Marine Protected Areas, Coral Gardens and safe Aquarium fishing practices filmed throughout the Pacific region. These short awareness films will be on show during an interactive learning exhibition at each stop that the crew makes.

As part of the interactive learning exhibition the crew will share the findings of their voyage sightings which will have been documented as well as carry out their visual survey of “What has nature done for you today?”

“We’re really excited to be able to support the crew of Va’a Gau’alofa and know that they will be good Environment Ambassadors for our region. There are some great activities they are to carry out during their voyage and we are sure that both the crew and those who visit the interactive survey will learn so much more about nature conservation and hopefully think twice about what they can do themselves to protect and manage our natural surroundings.”

Last week at SPREP in Apia, Samoa the crew members of the Va’a Gau’alofa underwent a one day environment orientation to help strengthen their knowledge of our Pacific environment.

Karl Steffany aged 25, is an excited member of the crew that will be sailing as part of this voyage -

“I learnt that I had to be more aware of my environment and protect it, how fragile our environment is and how you damage it without being aware of it such as the ways we dispose of our waste. I am looking forward to sharing it with other people, I will try to be the best ambassador I can to convey the message of good conservation and being environmentally friendly.”

He is joined by fellow crew member; Koleni Apulu aged 20 who are hoping his role as an Environment Ambassador and va’a crew member will help him in his career.

“I look forward to sailing this month, I want to be a professional sailor. I learnt so much from SPREP about the environment that I will take with me when we sail. I now know about turtles becoming an endangered species and other different things that I want to share.”

Siaosi Asofolau is another 20 year old crew member who will be leaving Samoa to visit another country for the first time. He is looking forward to voyaging through the Pacific on the Va’a.

“I learnt so much from the programme and I now know of good ways to protect the environment and learnt so many different things. I can’t wait to give good environment messages to people.”

Caroline Vieux who worked alongside SPREP’s Education and Social Communications Adviser Ms. Seema Deo during the environment orientation, was pleased with the outcome of the training.

“I was surprised in a good way as I found the crew very interested,” said Vieux.

“They learnt about Invasive species, marine species and general good environment practices and I found that the crew had a lot of questions, based upon things they found interesting as well as queries from their own personal lives and from working in plantations. I was really impressed and look forward to seeing their work as Environment Ambassadors.”

CRISP and SPREP are funding 6,000 USD as part of the partnership between the Samoa Voyaging Society and the crew of Va’a Gau’alofa. It is hoped that this will be the start of a successful relationship that will flourish as the Va’a travels with Environment Ambassadors sharing awareness on nature conservation.

Photo Captions: Crew members of the Va’a Gaualofa from the Samoa Voyaging Society are Environment Ambassadors to celebrate the Year of Biodiversity.