NEWSPAGE 17 January
2011

(Photo: Statistics New Zealand)

NEW ZEALAND: Raising awareness about 2011 Census among Pacific people

(Photo: Samoa Government)

SAMOA: Parliamentary Updates
Source: Government Press Secretariat Press Release

Chief Executive Officer for Ministry of Health appointed

Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of Palanitina Tupuimatagi Toelupe as the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Health.

The position was advertised for expression of interest for a period of one month. Seven applications were submitted and only six were shortlisted for the interview after proper assessment of applications by the panel.

The recommendation of the most favourable candidate was submitted to cabinet for their final approval. Palanitina has now been re-appointed and will be the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Health for the next three years.

Mrs Toelupe was appointed to this position since 2005. She has been working for the Ministry of Health for 14 years before moving to the Ministry of women in 1998. She became Assistant Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of women in 2000 - 2005.

She hails from the villages of Vailele and Safune, Savaii and has two children.


Ministries acknowledged

Cabinet acknowledges and wishes to thank all the Government Ministries and Corporations that continued to work during the Christmas and the New Year holidays.

These Ministries and Corporations continued to offer their services for the public while all the other Government Ministries and Corporations were on holidays.

This special acknowledgment goes out to the:
• Ministry of Police and Prison,
• Ministry of Health,
• Samoa Fire & Emergencies Services Authority,
• Radio 2AP,
• Samoa Shipping Corporation,
• Samoa Port Authority,
• SamoaTel,
• Ministry of Works, Transport & Infrastructure,
• Samoa Water Authority,
• Electric Power Corporation,
• Ministry for Revenue (Customs),
• Airport Authority,
• Ministry of Agriculture (Quarantine)
• Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Immigration)


Purchase of new motors for flake ice machines to store fish

Cabinet has approved the purchase of a new generator and three new motors for flake ice machines to store fish from commercial Alia fishing vessel operators.

Commercial fishing has a huge contribution to the economy of the country. But it all depends on the storage of fish and the need for adequate ice for the storage of the fishermen’s catch.

Government plays a big role in this development by installing ice machines in Alias docking locations at Salelologa, Asau, Mulifanua and Apia. The intention is for the fishing vessel operators to better preserve their catch so that it meets the safety standards for exportation overseas.


Reappointment of Leaupepe Va’aaoao Peleseuma Ropati as Public Trustee

Cabinet has approved the reappointment of Leaupepe Va’aaoao Peleseuma Ropati as Public Trustee for the Public Trust Office in the next three years.

The position was advertised for public interest. Only one application was received namely that of the incumbent Leaupepe. The application received was assessed by the panel.

The decision by the panel to reappoint Leaupepe was made after an interview.

Leaupepe has held the Public Trustee position for the last six years. Prior to being Public Trustee, Leaupepe has worked in the Public Trust office since 1993. The applicant’s long employment record and experience in the Public Trust office prompted the panel’s decision.

Leaupepe is the holder of two University degrees; Bachelor of Social Science majoring in Politics and Social Science from the University of Waikato and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the South Pacific. He is admitted to practice law in Samoa and Fiji. He also holds five matai titles.
 

AUSTRALIA: Samoan tsunami survivor escapes deadly Australian floods
Source: Agence France-Presse via The Vancouver Sun

Elielia Faiga'a hoped she would never see a tsunami again after surviving Samoa's deadly waves, but she was forced to endure the terror of another terrifying "wall of water" in Australia.

Unprecedented floods sent a powerful torrent of water barrelling into several towns west of the Queensland capital Brisbane, sweeping away more than a dozen lives along with homes, boats and cars as they rocketed downstream.

"I didn't think I could experience a second tsunami in my life," Faiga'a told AFP from Goodna, a suburb of the badly hit town of Ipswich, on Friday.

Faiga'a has been in Australia from her native Samoa since November to visit her brother, who has lived in Goodna with his five children since 2007.

The 39-year-old was not to know that Ipswich would be in the path of deadly floods that struck the Queensland town of Toowoomba with huge force on Monday and quickly ripped eastward towards the town.

"On Tuesday, I was home. An old man, a neighbour, told us the level of the Woogaroo Creek, less than 100 metres from the house, was going up quickly," she said.

"He was there in '74 so he advised us to leave quickly," she added in reference to deadly floods which struck the area in 1974.

By late afternoon, the water had risen so rapidly the family evacuated.

"We didn't pack anything. I told my brother we only had to save the children," she said.

"In Samoa, in 2009, we had been warned of a tsunami, we had packed few things and took them to the mountain. But this time, we didn't take anything, so we have lost everything."

The devastating flood, described as an "inland tsunami", flooded about 3,000 of Ipswich's homes and businesses and prompted a report that a bull shark was seen swimming in the main street of Goodna.

Faiga'a said the house her brother had rented was destroyed, with the dirty floodwater reaching to the roof, adding that he had no insurance to cover his family's possessions.

However, the family managed to save an Xbox console, a child's scooter and a plastic coconut tree "to remember where we come from".

"That's all the clothes I have left," she said, gesturing to her mud-spattered white T-shirt, shorts, flip-flops and sunglasses.

"In Samoa, we lost friends and family," she said about the September 2009 tsunami which struck the Pacific nation, killing 143 people.

"Here nobody died in the neighbourhood, but still, I couldn't imagine to experience another tsunami in my life, although this one is much different."

"In 2009 we could see some waves, here, the water went maybe 15 metres high in minutes."

Goodna has fared badly in the flood disaster which stretches across a vast area of northeast Australia with houses destroyed or damaged, debris tossed onto roof tops and residents forced to throw away piles of waterlogged belongings.

"We'll have to find a new house but we don't want to live in this place, Goodna," Faiga'a said, though she admitted it was close to the biscuit factory where her brother works and the children's school and that the neighbours were kind.

"I was supposed to go back to Samoa next month, but I can't leave my brother like that, as long as he has not got a new home, and his kids need me," she said.

"What gives me hope . . . it's all the people who put their hands together, that's the best for me. I will tell this when I'm back in Eva (in the Samoan capital Apia)."
 

(Photo: Associated Press)

HAWAII: Breaking a bag habit takes time
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser

Some supermarkets in Maui and Kauai counties are hoping more customers will get into the habit of bringing reusable bags, as stores and shoppers experienced the first week of the new ban on plastic shopping bags.

For now, many retailers are absorbing the higher cost of providing paper bags.

"Paper bags are more expensive. It's three or four times more (than plastic)," said Rod Sueoka, manager of Sueoka Store on Kauai.

Beginning last Tuesday, no business in Maui County, including restaurants, may provide nonbiodegradable bags to customers at checkout. Businesses are required to provide recyclable paper or reusable bags for sale or at no charge.

In Kauai County, all commercial businesses, including restaurants and takeout food businesses, are required to replace plastic with recyclable or biodegradable bags. Businesses that fail to comply with the new law face fines of up to $1,000 a day.

Sueoka's, a family-run business in Koloa, provides paper bags at no charge for customers who don't have a reusable bag. So far, a lot of customers have not brought bring their own reusable bags. Sueoka said he hopes they will get into the habit of bringing them to lessen the cost for retailers.

Kilauea Town Market charges its customers 19 cents for each thick, paper bag — a couple cents more than the wholesale cost to the retailer — since the ban took effect. A couple of customers have been bringing in some of their old plastic bags to carry out their groceries, said store manager Rosie Morimoto.

Her advice to customers: "You have old tank tops at home, sew the bottom together," she said, recommending converting cotton tops to hold items.

Retailers have heard a number of customers say they miss the plastic bags because they would reuse them to line small trash containers in their bathrooms or to pick up after their dogs during walks.

On Maui, shoppers at Ah Fook's Supermarket, a family-run market at the Kahului Shopping Center, receive a 5-cent credit when they use a reusable bag. Shoppers who do not have a reusable bag are charged a nickel for a paper bag. Though most customers are aware of the ban, they still forget to bring reusable bags, general manager Raymond Hew said.

Like Sueoka, Hew hopes more customers bring reusable bags to lessen the paper bag cost to retailers.

Gary Hanagami, executive director of the Hawaii Food Industry Association, said, "If a consumer is going to need paper, it's going to cost the retailer more. It will then be passed on to the consumer."

Incentives like the 5-cent credit at Ah Fook's and reusable bags sold at discounted prices are being offered by retailers to help change consumer habits.

"Our retailers understand there's an environmental problem, especially on the neighbor islands because we don't have HPOWER," Hanagami said.

At the family-owned Pukalani Superette in Makawao, Maui, 95 percent of the customers are aware of the new law, but a majority "have not got into the habit of bringing (reusable bags)," said store owner Myles Nakashima, anticipating that it will take a few months for customers to adjust to the new law.

For Pukalani customers, shoppers who spend $20 worth of items can buy a reusable bag for 50 cents. If the total is under $20, reusable bags can be purchased for 99 cents, 26 cents more than the wholesale cost to the retailer.

Nakashima suggested customers leave 10 reusable bags in their car, as customers have told him they left their bags at home after putting away groceries. "I got a dozen of them in my car," he said.

Paper bags are provided at no charge to Pukalani customers who don't have reusable bags. But the free paper bags will likely be temporary, as the store plans to eventually charge customers because of the higher cost for paper bags. "I don't think we'll be able to keep this up," Nakashima said.

Photo Caption: Mayla Sagucio, a cashier at the Big Save Store in Lihue, packs a customer's purchases in a reusable bag as store manager Lagrimas Villon looks on.
 

(Photo: Sergeant Corrine Buxton / Royal Air Force)

TONGA: Royal Tongan Marines commence security duties At Camp Bastion
Source: UK Forces Afghanistan

Troops from the Tongan Defence Force have deployed for the first time to Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan. The Royal Tongan Marines have commenced security duties with ISAF troops at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province.

The Tongan troops are serving with the Camp Bastion Force Protection Wing, where they guard the base perimeter and assist with manning the entry control points. Flight Sergeant Morgan Price from the RAF Police said “Camp Bastion is the main logistics hub and airhead for ISAF in Helmand Province. An insurgent attack on Camp Bastion has the potential to affect operations far beyond the base. It is therefore vital that the security of Camp Bastion is assured through stringent search measures”.

Prior to deploying to Afghanistan, the Tongan troops undertook an intensive period of training at RAF Honington in Suffolk. It provided an ideal introduction to working alongside the RAF Regiment and RAF Police who make up the nucleus of the Camp Bastion Force Protection Wing. On arrival in Helmand, the Tongans completed further training to familiarise them with the conditions at Camp Bastion and hone their specialist skills. Flight Sergeant Price said “I am extremely proud to serve with the Royal Tongan Marines. It is a testament to their ability to take on board the search techniques taught that they have already found and confiscated a number of concealed prohibited items. Their professionalism, commitment and enthusiasm is second to none”.

Tongan Royal Marine, Lance Corporal Taniela Akauola said “I really enjoy working alongside the RAF Police, already we are working as a good team. Today, I found a sim card hidden in a head bandage, searching is my favourite and we can challenge ourselves to see who can find the most prohibited items”.

To mark the start of their duties at Camp Bastion, the Tongans paraded in front of their National Component Commander, Commander Satisi Vunipola and the Commander Bastion, Group Captain Guy van den Berg. At a short ceremony the Tongan troops sang their national anthem and performed the Sipi Tau, the traditional Tongan war dance. Commander Vunipola said “It is good that after training hard, the Royal Tongan Marines are undertaking their duties here at Camp Bastion as part of the ISAF mission to create a secure and stable future for the Afghan people”.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Royal Tongan Marines perform the Sipi Tau, the traditional Tongan war dance.

Photo 2 - The Tongans work alongside the RAF Police to man check points, and check incoming passengers.
 

(Photo: Oceania Football Confederation)

WORLDWIDE: OFC hail in a new President, Executive
Source: Oceania Football Confederation Press Release

Unity and solidarity were the themes of the 21st OFC Ordinary Congress in American Samoa today as the Confederation voted in a new President and Executive Committee.

Papua New Guinea's David Chung, who has been Acting President since November last year, was elected unopposed to take the reigns of OFC for the next four years after Fred de Jong and Frank van Hattum of New Zealand graciously withdrew their nominations for the presidency.

In the presence of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, the OFC Executive was also elected with representatives from Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu all earning their place on the committee.

The meeting began with good news from the FIFA President who announced that extra profits from the 2010 FIFA World Cup would be distributed across the region for development purposes.

"I can confirm a special bonus of USD $2.5 million to add to the USD $5 million that the Confederation was projected to receive from FIFA during 2011. This is on top of a bonus given to each Member Association of USD $300,000."

Papua New Guinea's David Chung, who has been Acting President since November last year, was elected unopposed to take the reigns of OFC for the next four years after Fred de Jong and Frank van Hattum of New Zealand graciously withdrew their nominations for the presidency.

In the presence of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, the OFC Executive was also elected with representatives from Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu all earning their place on the committee.

The meeting began with good news from the FIFA President who announced that extra profits from the 2010 FIFA World Cup would be distributed across the region for development purposes.

"I can confirm a special bonus of USD $2.5 million to add to the USD $5 million that the Confederation was projected to receive from FIFA during 2011. This is on top of a bonus given to each Member Association of USD $300,000."

Formal proceedings followed with President Blatter stressing the significance of the occasion.

"It is a very important Congress for you today because OFC passed a difficult time at the end of last year with allegations regarding OFC members," he said, referring to the FIFA Ethics Committee hearings against former President Reynald Temarii of Tahiti and Tongan executive member Ahongalu Fusimalohi.

Presidential candidate and former All White Frank van Hattum was also given an opportunity to address the Congress before voting commenced.

"Having observed the desire of many of you to see a unified and transparent organisation, and the belief that a new president will get support and advice from a strong, accountable executive, let me be the first to congratulate our newly unopposed president as I respectfully withdraw my nomination," said van Hattum, following the announcement that Fred de Jong had also chosen not to stand. "I thank you for the privilege of addressing you and good luck Mr. President."

In his acceptance speech, President Chung acknowledged the support of the Member Associations and FIFA.

"I thank you for entrusting me with the position of OFC President for the next four years," said the Malaysia-born Chung. "I am truly humbled. You can be rest assured that I will do everything possible to promote unity, solidarity and transparency.

"And to the FIFA President, we are indebted to you for your continued support. In return, I can say that on behalf of all Member Association Presidents we are behind you 100 percent."

The 48-year-old, who has served as the PNGFA President and joined the OFC Executive in 2004, also paid tribute to former President Reynald Temarii before closing with reference to the theme of solidarity.

"Finally, I conclude by reminding everyone that through our combined efforts we will use the game to help our communities and leave a lasting legacy for the young people of the Pacific."

With his election as President, David Chung also becomes a FIFA Vice-President with immediate effect. He will be officially presented to the Congress of FIFA on the 1st of June.

Meanwhile, the OFC Executive Committee sees three new members in Dr Sahu Khan (Fiji Football Association), Toetu Petana (Football Federation Samoa) and Honourable Ve'ehala (Tonga Football Associations). They replace the outgoing Claude Fournier (New Caledonia) as well as former members Mr. Temarii and Mr. Fusimalohi.