NEWSROOM 25 March
2009

(Photos: Oceania Media Ltd. / Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat)

NEW ZEALAND: Forum focuses on partnership in Pacific education
Source: Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs Press Release
 

(Photo: Tauapai Laupola)

SAMOA: Corporal Gloria Sala graduates Warrior Leader Course
Source: Tauapai Laupola

Corporal (CPL- E4) Gloria T. Sala has graduated Warrior Leader Course Class 07-09, with 298 other soldiers on Thursday, 19 MAR 09, at XVIII Airborne Corps Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. With the completion of the WLC, CPL Sala will go before the E-5 board next month.

Warrior Leader Course (WLC), formerly Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC), is the first course of study in the US Army Non-Commissioned Officer Education System. Students are taught basic leadership skills and are graded on Physical Fitness Training, Individual Skills Training, Drill and Ceremony, Land Navigation and a written examination. The course ends with a Situational Training Exercise (STX). This course is a requirement for the rank of Sergeant.

CPL Sala is currently assigned as a Human Resources Specialist with the 22nd MOBILE Public Affairs, Ft Bragg, NC. She joined the United States Army in June 2006, after graduating from Samoana High School. CPL Sala, Gloria is the daughter of Fitu Sala of Fagasa and Ane Taase of Auto, AS.

After the graduation, CW5 Kokolua Yandall hosted a luncheon for CPL Gloria Sala, and all those who attended the graduation.

CPL Sala thanked Missionary Mana’omia Tauanuu, wife Seela and all Samoans that attended her graduation. “I wish my parents were here so they can reciprocate the love and support you have shown during this milestone of my military career.” These sentiments were echoed in a telephone conversation with CPL Sala’s mother, Mrs Ane T. Sala in Fagasa AS; she is humbled by the support of Missionary Tauanu’u and the military Leadership at Ft Bragg for standing in on their behalf and it is such a blessing knowing that their daughter is supported and taken care of by other Samoans in the military.

Joining Missionary Mana’omia Taunuu and wife Seela at the graduation is: Command Segeant Major Charles Tobin, CW5 Kokolua Yandall, SSG Burgie & Rina Perofeta, SPC Justin Talalotu, Taua Mana’omia, Rosa & baby Vainuupo Fanuaea & MAJ Tauapai Laupola.

Send congratulatory messages to CPL Gloria Sala at [email protected]

Photo Caption: Picture taken after Corporal (E-4) Gloria Sala of Fagasa & Auto, AS graduates Warrior Leader Course (WLC), Thursday, 19 MAR 2009, Ft Bragg, North Carolina. WLC is a requirement for the rank of Sergeant. CPL Sala is the daughter of Fitu Sala of Fagasa and Ane Taase of Auto. L-R: CW5 Kokolua Yandall, CSM Charles Tobin, CPL Gloria Sala,
SPC Justin Talalotu, Seela Mana'omia & Reverend Mana'omia Tauanuu of the Ekalesia Kerisiano Amerika Samoa Ft Bragg & Fayetteville.
 

(Photos: Getty Images / Nuclear Street)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Congressman Faleomavaega opposed to MOX shipment
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release
 

Congressman Faleomavaega has announced that he strongly opposes the shipment of plutonium mixed-oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel in the South Pacific. In a statement he made on March 18, 2009 on the House Floor, Faleomavaega expressed his strong objection to the shipment of MOX nuclear fuel that left the port of Cherbourg France on March 6, 2009 bound for Japan. The shipment of 1.8 tonnes of MOX nuclear fuel, enough to produce 225 nuclear weapons, was scheduled to travel via the Cape of Good Hope, the Southern Ocean, the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand and the south-west Pacific Ocean.

The latest shipment is part of an ongoing process involving several major countries with nuclear programs that are committed to utilizing recycled nuclear fuel. Using a procedure known as “reprocessing”, plutonium and uranium are chemically extracted from highly radioactive products contained in spent fuel from commercial reactors. Most of the extracted plutonium along with the nuclear waste will eventually be returned to the country that provided the spent fuel. Since 1999, several major countries in Europe have been transporting MOX energy fuel to complement shipments of spent fuel from commercial reactors in Japan.

“The unnecessary and unjustifiable transshipment of nuclear waste and nuclear materials demonstrate once again the imperialistic behavior of these major countries often at the expense of others. At this critical point in history when the global community is confronted with tough decisions concerning energy resources for future generations, it is important to remind ourselves of the lessons of the past,” said Faleomavaega.

“In 1995, I accompanied Mr. Oscar Temaru, the current President of French Polynesia, on the Green Peace Warrior which took us to Moruroa to protest French nuclear testing. At the time, while the world turned a blind eye, the newly elected President of France, Jacques Chirac and the French government broke the world moratorium on nuclear testing and exploded 8 more nuclear bombs at the Pacific atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa in Tahiti. Adding insult to injury, President Chirac stated that nuclear explosions would have no effect on the ecological environment.”

“History shows that for some 30 years, the French Government detonated approximately 218 nuclear devices at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in Tahiti. About 10,000 Tahitians are believed to have been severely exposed to nuclear radiation during French nuclear testing.”

“Our own U.S. government also contributed to this grim history of nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Indeed, one may argue that it was the U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands that set the precedent for France to follow suit and use the Pacific Islands as testing grounds for nuclear weapons. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States detonated 66 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands including the first hydrogen bomb, or Bravo shot, which was 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Acknowledged as the greatest nuclear explosion ever detonated by the U.S., the Bravo shot decimated 6 islands and produced a mushroom cloud 25 miles in diameter. It has been said that if one were to calculate the net yield of the tests conducted in the Marshall Islands, it would be equivalent to the detonation of 1.7 Hiroshima nuclear bombs every day for 12 years.”

“Such was the magnitude of the devastation that threatened the Marshall Islands. In addition to the annihilation of the surrounding environment and ecological system, the U.S. nuclear testing program exposed the people of the Marshall Islands to severe health issues and genetic irregularities for generations to come.”

“I am inspired by President Obama’s recent decision concerning the storage of nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. As a U.S. Senator in 2007, Barack Obama wrote in the Las Vegas Review- Journal that ‘states should not be fairly burdened with waste from other states.’ Moreover, ‘every state should be afforded the opportunity to chart a course that addresses its own interim waste storage in a manner that makes sense to that state,’” Faleomavaega explained.

“The same principle should guide the international treatment of nuclear waste and nuclear materials. I support the idea of a moratorium on all international shipments of nuclear fuel and nuclear waste until the international community has in place an agreement to ensure the protection of our oceans and the environment, economy and population of coastal and small island states. Such an agreement must include mechanism for prior notification and consultation of en-route states before shipment of all hazardous and radioactive materials, environmental impact assessments, a satisfactory liability mechanism and protection from terrorism attacks.”

“Until such system is in place, Europe, Japan and all nuclear states, must keep their nuclear materials and nuclear waste in their own backyard, and not endanger the lives of others,” Faleomavaega concluded.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Workers at Cherbourg, France loading containers of mixed-oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel for sea transport to Japan.

Photo 2 - The Pacific Heron, which has security features that enable her to transport MOX fuel and plutonium dioxide. She is fitted with fixed naval guns and has other additional physical protection systems, only some of which are visible from the outside.
 

FIJI: Pacific Blue plans to increase Fiji flights
Source: Fiji Times

Pacific Blue airlines will increase its flights to and from Fiji from June.

The airline currently has two flights from Fiji going to Sydney and Brisbane daily but from June there will be an additional two flights to Adelaide and Melbourne, on a daily basis.

The airline said this follows the demand for existing Pacific Blue connecting services via Sydney and Brisbane.

Virgin Blue group chief executive, Brett Godfrey, said: "We are very pleased to commit aircraft to the Fiji market where we see continuing opportunities to stimulate the market with more direct flights and affordable fares.

"We welcome the chance to provide a further boost to tourism to a destination that has attracted consistent demand in terms of our existing services."

He said the new non-stop flight will be a major boost for Fiji tourism as it will provide a brand new pool of potential visitors from Adelaide. Mr Godfrey said will be the first time an airline will offer a direct service from South Australia to Fiji.

"The new service offers a more convenient non-stop flying option to Fiji for the people of Adelaide and Melbourne.

"As a South Pacific neighbour, Fiji is a highly attractive holiday option, in particular when people are looking to travel closer to home for short breaks, something we have seen a strong trend towards in recent months."

Mr Godfrey said the strategy dovetails with Tourism Fiji's to target visitors from new source markets and offer non-stop flights and affordable fares combined with excellent accommodation deals to this beautiful country."

Tourism Fiji Regional Director Australia Paresh Pant has roundly applauded the Pacific Blue Airlines announcement to begin non-stop services between Adelaide and Fiji and Melbourne and Fiji from 04 June 2009.

Mr Pant said that while announcement would play a major role in enabling even more Victorians and South Australians to visit Fiji, the airline’s decision spelled particularly good news for the national tourist office’s aspirations in South Australia.

“The new Pacific Blue Adelaide-Nadi service is in fact the first ever direct air service between South Australia and Fiji and is very timely given that South Australia has always represented a latent source of visitor arrivals for the destination,’ he said.

”The new services will undoubtedly accelerate our steadily growing visitor numbers from Australia,” he said.

Mr Pant said the national tourist office was already planning a series of key industry seminars in both states.

Australian visitor arrivals to Fiji in 2008 grew for the third year running with last year’s figures surpassing the 2007 total by a healthy 18 per cent.

A total of 233,801 Australians visited Fiji in the 12 month period January to December 2008 adding a further 35,581 on top of the 2007 total.
 

TAHITI: Kiwi dance showcased in French Polynesia
Source: Voxy News Engine

Two New Zealand School of Dance students have been invited to perform in Tahiti next month.

Emmi Coupe and Florian Teatiu will perform in two gala performances at Papeete's Cultural Centre alongside Tahitian performers from dance academy L'Ecole de Danse Annie Fayn. This is the fourth such visit NZSD has made to Tahiti since 2005, as part of its professional relationship with school director Annie Fayn.

"It's vital that we maintain and build on our strategic ties within the Pacific" says NZSD Director Garry Trinder. "This initiative was forged several years ago by former NZSD Associate Director Wendy Wallace and we are delighted that the relationship with L'Ecole de Danse Annie Fayn continues today. These ongoing visits to Tahiti showcase our dancers and choreography internationally whilst potentially attracting more French Polynesian students to train at the New Zealand School of Dance."

Florian Teatiu is a former student at L'Ecole de Danse Annie Fayn, and is now studying at the New Zealand School of Dance as a result of the 2005 visit. He is now in his third and final year at NZSD, majoring in contemporary dance.

"Going back to Tahiti is a great opportunity for me to share the knowledge I have gained over the last three years at the New Zealand School of Dance," says Florian. "I will be able to show the dancers and the general public in Tahiti that dancing can be a real career."

Emmi Coupe is a classical ballet student at the New Zealand School of Dance and is currently in her second year of training. She is also excited about the chance to present New Zealand dance internationally.

Three starkly different works will be presented in Tahiti, displaying the range of choreography and the quality of training available in New Zealand.

Shona McCullagh's work Love is a highly sculptural contemporary duet, performed to music by Georgy Sviridov. This piece will be performed alongside a new neo-classical duet danced to music by George Gershwin, which has been created by former Royal NZ Ballet dancer Anne Anderson. Florian will also perform a poignant solo choreographed by Michael Parmenter, called Rhapsody.

Head of Contemporary Dance at NZSD, Tiina Alinen, will accompany the students to Tahiti. "We're very proud to present New Zealand choreographers internationally, particularly ones of this calibre. This visit will also provide us the opportunity to see what the dance community in Tahiti is creating."
 

(Photo: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: SPREP supports Earth Hour
Source: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

Vote Earth, by turning off your lights for one hour on Saturday March 28 beginning at 8.30 pm local time, wherever you live in the Pacific.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) supports Earth Hour, an initiative of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), and is pleased by the commitment from those in the Pacific who are gearing up towards ‘flicking the switch’.

Over 1,750 cities, towns and municipalities in over 80 countries have committed to “Voting Earth” during Earth Hour this year. Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea have already embraced Earth Hour as an expression of global solidarity in voting for immediate action to reduce carbon emissions - the major cause of climate change. SPREP encourages all other Pacific islands to also take a stand.

“We in the Pacific face immense climate change impacts if greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly reduced,” says Kosi Latu, Acting Director of SPREP. “We will also have problems in adapting to climate change and require resources and support. We know the emissions from the Pacific islands region are miniscule in global terms, but the region is nevertheless taking momentous steps towards reducing those emissions.”

A Pacific-wide renewable energy project will reduce fossil fuel emissions from Pacific islands by 33 per cent by 2015, but there are also other initiatives underway at the national levels in the Pacific islands.

Latu added that there is an urgent imperative to reduce global carbon emissions and that SPREP will continue to support the Pacific Islands in their efforts to secure a more ambitious reduction target through international negotiations. A series of international meetings are being held this year in the lead up to the 15th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December this year.

“We call on all those in our member countries, who are in a position to do so, to join in this initiative and make a stand for the future of the planet. We hope the World will listen to our call and take our requests for a larger global carbon emission reduction target seriously,” said Latu.

Photo Caption: Acting Director of SPREP, Kosi Latu.