NEWSPAGE 23 June
2010

(Photo: Martin Seras Lima / International Rugby Board)

(Photo: Samoa Government)

SAMOA: Parliamentary Updates
Source: Government Press Secretariat Press Release

Prime Minister travels to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The Hon. Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has travelled to the United Arab Emirates to accept the invitation from the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs for a meeting between the UAE and Pacific Countries which will be held in Abu-Dhabi, UAE on the 23 - 24 June 2010.

This meeting will further create good relationship Pacific nations and the UAE. Other issues like, country developments and politics will also be looked at. It has been confirmed that members from other Pacific countries like, Palau, Vanuatu, Solomon, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru will be participating in this meeting.

The Hon. Prime Minister is travelling together with the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Aiono Mose Pouvi Sua and His Excellency Aliioaiga Feturi Elisaia, Ambassador for Samoa to the United Nations.


Samoa Parliamentary Officers for work attachment in Australia

Cabinet has approved three officers from the Legislative Assembly’s Department to be attached to Tasmania’s Parliamentary Office from the 3rd - 15th July 2010.

This attachment is a great opportunity for the three officers to experience and learn more about Parliamentary work in order to improve their skills and knowledge in performing their duties as parliamentary officers. The Samoa Legislative Assembly’s Department has a very close relationship with the Tasmania Parliamentary Office.

The officers who will be attached to Tasmania are:
• Aliki Lavea
• Ezethanie Tofilau
• Elisapeta Talosaga


41st Conference of Presiding Officers and Clerks

Cabinet has approved the participation by the Hon. Speaker of the House, Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Leiataua and Clerk of the House, Fepulea’i Attila Manutoipule Ropati of the 41st Conference of Presiding Officers and Clerks of Australia and the Pacific, to be held in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia on the 3 - 9 July 2010.

This is a meeting held every year for the Speakers and Clerks to discuss issues that will help develop their services in performing their duties in the Parliamentary Offices.

The participants will return to Samoa on the 11th July 2010.


Patients referred overseas for treatments

Cabinet has approved referring of fifteen patients for the month of May and June 2010 to New Zealand for further investigations and treatments.

There are eight males and seven female patients. The youngest patient is eleven years old and the oldest is sixty five. Various diseases affecting these patients include: heart related diseases; renal stones, cancer, eye disease and mandibular fracture.

The Government of Samoa continues its policy of patients’ referral overseas for treatments if they cannot be treated in Samoa. All costs for further diagnosis and treatments are paid for by the Government of Samoa.
 

(Photo: Australia-Pacific Technical College)

AUSTRALIA: APTC supports training aspirations of fa'afafines in Samoa
Source: Australia-Pacific Technical College

APTC Samoa recently hosted a visit from delegates participating in the Samoa Fa'afafine Association conference on vocational training. Delegates spent two days discussing health issues, human rights and educational opportunities for young people and school dropouts.

As part of the conference program the group of about 30 delegates visited APTC and the Institute of Technology at the National University of Samoa.

Julie Kean, Country Manager for Tourism and Hospitality, spoke to the group about the range of APTC programs offered in Samoa and the criteria for entry into APTC.

One of the delegates present was an APTC graduate in Hairdressing who was able to share experiences with the rest of the group. Tanumafili Okesene talked about studying in Fiji and living away from home for an extended period.

Julie told those present that APTC has been pleased to provide training to quite a number of fa'afafines over the past two years.

Photo Caption: Samoa Fa'afafine Association delegates with Julie Kean during their visit to the
APTC Samoa Campus.
 

HAWAII: Annual catch limits among key issues to be addressed by fisheries scientists
Source: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Press Release

The group of scientists who advise the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council are meeting from June 22-24, 2010, at the New Otani Hotel, Honolulu, to make decisions that could have significant impact on the amount of fish that fishermen can catch in the US Pacific Islands. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will consider methods to set annual catch limits (ACLs) for species caught in the exclusive economic zone waters of the Western Pacific Region, which span 3 to 200 miles offshore of Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam and 0 to 200 miles offshore of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and eight US Pacific Remote Island Areas.

The need to set ACLs for all species in federal fisheries (both targeted and non-targeted stocks) by 2011 was established by Congress in the 2006 reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Species that are exempt are those managed internationally and those that are considered ecosystem species, i.e., species that are not caught or targeted. The SSC is expected to provide recommendations regarding the criteria for determining the status of the stocks as well as the maximum sustainable yield for each species. The biggest challenge for the scientists is to meet these objectives for the thousands of fish species that are part of the coral reef ecosystems of the US Pacific Islands, especially as the scientific data on the vast majority of these species is limited or lacking. Another hurdle is addressing species that inhabit waters that fall under the jurisdiction of both the federal government and the state/territorial government.

Currently, there are two fisheries for which ACLs have been set. The main Hawaiian Islands bottomfish fishery, which is managed jointly by the federal government and the State of Hawaii, and the longline caught bigeye tuna fishery, which is managed by the federal government consistent with the measures of international regional fishery management organizations, such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

Other major agenda items to be considered by the SSC and the Council include Hawaii longline catch limit for bigeye tuna and trip catch limit for swordfish, Hawaii bottomfish essential fish habitat and total allowable catch, American Samoa longline limited entry program, marine national monuments, aquaculture management and WCPFC transshipment measures. For more information or the agendas, visit www.wpcouncil.org or email [email protected]; ph. (808) 522-8220, or fax (808) 522-8226.
 

(Photo: Tongasat)

TONGA: IRENA and Tonga collaboration on 2010-2020 Tonga Energy RoadMap
Source: Emirates News Agency

IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) and the Kingdom of Tonga will hold an official signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Thursday to mark a successful collaboration on the 2010-2020 Tonga Energy RoadMap (TERM).

As a result of this partnership between IRENA and the Pacific nation, Tonga will progress from almost 100% dependent on imported diesel for electrical generation, to having a very ambitious energy plan that will stretch to its outer islands by 2020.

The Kingdom currently relies on imported diesel for electricity; in 2009, 19 per cent of Tonga's GDP and 25 per cent of its imports consisted of diesel purchases. Now, with the crucial assistance of IRENA, Tonga has developed the 2010-2020 Tonga Energy RoadMap (TERM), which aims for 50 per cent reduction of diesel importation accomplished through a range of renewable technologies, including wind and solar, as well as innovative efficiencies.

"Tonga was one of the first nations to become a member of IRENA. In June 2009, just a few days after I was elected, Tonga was the first Member State to come to me for assistance", recalled IRENA Interim Director-General H l ne Pelosse.

Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Pilolevu Tuita (Patron of the Tonga Energy Road Map) said, "The Kingdom of Tonga has a deep understanding of the importance of renewable energy and energy efficiency. For the sake of stable and equitable development in the Kingdom, we urgently need to reduce our dependence on imported diesel and improve access to electricity in rural areas," IRENA's wide range of expertise has been invaluable in developing the Tonga Energy RoadMap. IRENA helped deliver the Off Grid component of the TERM, as well as giving essential guidance on policies and finance mechanisms. IRENA will use the TERM as a blueprint to develop a toolkit for similar small islands.

The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, with 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited. The Kingdom stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometers (500 miles) in a north-south line. .

Photo Caption: Patron of the Tonga Energy RoadMap, Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Pilolevu Tuita.
 

(Photo: New Zealand Defence Force)

WORLDWIDE: Air Force praise well equipped yachties after successful S&R off Niue
Source: New Zealand Defence Force Press Release

The crew of an Air Force Orion aircraft from No 5 Squadron have successfully located a yacht after a distress beacon alert was received by the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre (NZRCC). The Orion crew launched from Auckland Air Force Base during the early hours of yesterday morning and arrived on station just before 10am.

The Orion crew found the vessel on its first pass of the search area some 75 nautical miles from Niue. The yacht TAR BABY II, a 12m sloop was adrift and had lost its mast. The two people on board were both alive and well.

After successfully locating the TAR BABY II the Orion crew advised the NZRCC who have directed a fishing vessel into the area to assist . The Orion crew, after refuelling in Niue, returned to maintain overwatch of the stricken vessel until the rescue vessel was expect to arrive - around now.

"This is a text book search and rescue , where appropriately prepared and equipped mariners have activated emergency equipment after getting into a predicament beyond their control, and SAR assets (in this case an RNZAF Orion) have been able to respond quickly and efficiently. It highlights the benefits of being appropriately equipped, as the aircraft was able to transit directly to the satellite pinpointed distress location, and utilising on board sensors was able to localise the yacht within minutes. The sensors on the P-3K Orion (and the soon to arrive upgraded P-3K2 Orion) are optimised for this type of search," said Wing Commander Nick Olney, Commanding Officer of No 5 Squadron, RNZAF.

Photo Caption: Photo taken of the TAR BABY II from the RNZAF P-3K Orion shortly before rescue.