NEWSROOM 17 June
2009

(Photo: Smokefree Oceania)

NEW ZEALAND: Pacific people and swine flu

(Photos: Rugby League Samoa / Samoa Observer)

SAMOA: British Amateur Rugby League Association arrive in Samoa
Source: Rugby League Samoa Press Release

Second Leg of the Pacific Island Tour (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji)

The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) Touring Party arrived in Samoa on Monday from Tonga.

The BARLA Tour of the Pacific Unions of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji kicked off with its first leg of their tour in Tonga last week with a win over the Tonga National Team.

This is one of the biggest single team touring parties to ever visit Samoa with a total of 37 people including 28 players and 9 management.

This is the 2nd International of the SamoaTel International Rugby League Series of Rugby League Samoas International Calendar Series 2009. The first was the Papua New Guinea Kumuls Test in early March where the local Toa Samoa surprised the rugby league world by beating the 5th ranked Kumuls at Apia Park.

The Tour is led by Mr. Mick Turner - who is a Lifetime Member of BARLA having played, managed and coached in all levels of English rugby league for years. Mr. Turner is the Managing Director of Europe renowned Ravensport.

The Team is captained by BARLA Player of Year 2009 - John McMullen from Wigans St Judes.

BARLA plays two matches in Apia:
i. Patrons XIII v BARLA Selection on Wed 17 at Marist Stadium Lotopa
ii. Toa Samoa v BARLA on Sat 20 June - International Match
iii. BARLA departs for Fiji on Mon night 22 for the final leg of their PI Tour

A Welcome Ava was held at Hotel Kitano Samoa yesterday afternoon, followed by a Press Conference with the two teams.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - The Unison team.

Photo 2 - Captain and BARLA Player of Year 2009, John McMullen.

Photo 3 - Team and management in Samoa.
 

(Photo: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Faleomavaega congratulates Dr. David Ga'oupu Palaita
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega has offered his personal appreciation and congratulations to Dr. David Ga’oupu Palaita. On May 15, 2009, Dr. Palaita received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Comparative Ethnic Studies with a focus on Pacific Islander Studies from the prestigious University of California at Berkeley. Dr. David Ga’oupu Palaita previously received his Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies from UC-Berkeley in 2005. Also, he holds two Bachelors of Arts in Geography and American Ethnic Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dr. Palaita is a notable individual that has distinguished himself by participating in the various student body organizations and working with the faculty at each university. David has remained a staunch volunteer in many afterschool programs while working with at-risk youth. He was an instructor at UC-Berkeley and was a teaching assistant at the University of Washington.

Dr. Palaita is currently working as an assistant professor at the City College of San Francisco in California. He is the son of Tavita Konesane Palaita of Afono and Ofu and Vivian Tutogi Palaita of Pago Pago and Fagatogo in American Samoa.

“The accomplishments by Dr. David Ga’oupu Palaita are a testament of his personal determination and is a great of example of the perseverance of our Samoan youth. He has excelled in education and has obtained numerous degrees in the various fields of studies from prominent universities,” Faleomavaega said. “His academic excellence and success outside of the classroom has proven such immovable discipline that he attained while achieving his many degrees. It is very tough and demanding for one to obtain a doctorate degree and it gives me great pleasure to witness one of our own accomplishing such great feats in academics, particularly in the social sciences.”

“David remains a great role model for our Samoan youth and the rest of our Pacific Islanders. I want to acknowledge the great support of his parents and family and, importantly, the many educators who have played a vital role in David’s education. Again, I want to congratulate David for his accomplishments and I wish him the best in his future.” Faleomavaega concluded.

Photo Caption: Dr. David Ga’oupu Palaita.
 

(Photo: Conservapedia)

FIJI: Despite demands Fiji reiterates ban on church annual conference
Source: The Christian Post

Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean says “the ban” on the annual conference of the largest Church “will stay,” unless the Church rids itself from politics, Christian leaders say it is “unacceptable.

As the Church face a possible five year ban, Christians leaders have sought help from various sources.

Last month, Fiji interim government imposed a ban on the Church for holding its anticipated an annual ‘Bose Ko Viti’ conference after a senior Methodist church minister, Reverend Manasa Lasaro, angered them when he used a sermon to call for peaceful protests to restore democracy. The comments landed Lasaro in custody. He was held for two days before being released. Army officers say his conduct is still under investigation.

Soon after that a joint statement issued by the military and police followed, accusing the church of trying to bring instability to the country.

The crackdown follows information that "inciteful issues are going to be discussed at the conference", police spokeswoman Ema Mua confirmed to the FijiLive website.

The statement said the Methodist Church could not hide its involvement in politics and part of the agenda for the August conference focused on the current political situation.

Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama told FijiLive that he has supported his military council’s decision to ban the ‘Bose Ko Viti’ next August because of political influences in the church.

“Basically the conference will happen once they remove politics not only from their agenda but from the church too,” he said, reiterating the stance he made when the Church leaders met him on 2 June.

Meanwhile the church is adamant on its stand, Laraso said, "We were asking the military regime to consider the stand of the church in relation to bringing democracy back into the country through general elections.”

"We are not going to back away. We stand by those very high principles, those moral and spiritual and ethical principles," he told Voice of America radio.

Australia's Uniting Church has described the move as "entirely unacceptable", and has called on its Pacific partners and Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to act.

Reverend Dr Kerry Enright, National Director of Uniting World - the international branch of Australia's Uniting Church said, "We have said to the Prime Minister, particularly and to these other churches, can you exercise whatever influence you can with the Fiji government to persuade them to step back from banning the annual conference and to enter into open and respectful dialogue with the Methodist Church as soon as possible."

Reverend Tavaki Topou, a representative of the Tonga Methodists in New Zealand told Radio Australia that he denounces the cancellation of the conference.

Topou said, “Well I'm not surprised that this has happened because the way the head over there, Bainimarama, has conducted himself since the coup I knew that something like this was going to happen. I mean the fiasco with the Pacific Forum and everything else. So I'm not surprised.”

“Nothing's going to happen in Fiji that he doesn't agree with. So they just need a lot of prayer and support at this time,” he added.

Chantelle Khan, director of Fiji’s Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA) said, “One of the things to recognise is the freedom inherent in the practice of multiculturalism [and] multi religious states is the discussion of the church of its own internal affairs and future direction.”

“So we’re not very happy with this particular decision. We’re also aware the new Methodist leadership needs to be acknowledged and with this change in leadership ECREA is hopeful that the discussions on the future of the church will provide a sense of unity for its members.”

Fiji's military seized power in a bloodless coup in December 2006. Its grip on the country was strengthened last month when President Josefa Iloilo abolished the constitution after a panel of senior judges ruled that the army government is illegal.

Commodore Frank Bainimarama heads an interim administration that, despite strong international objections, has since ruled out democratic elections before 2014.
Commodore Bainimarama says he plans to stamp out official corruption and enhance the rights of Fiji's ethnic Indian minority before elections can be held.

An intolerance of dissent and widespread censorship of the media have led critics to describe Fiji's military strongman as a dictator.

The Methodists are Fiji's biggest and most influential religious group. About a quarter of the country's population of just under a million people are Methodists. The military, stung by the church's opposition, appears willing to confront a challenge from such a popular institution.

Photo Caption: File photo of Fijian Christians.
 

TUVALU: Cuban doctors inaugurate new health services in Tuvalu
Source: Cuba Headlines

Cuban doctors have inaugurated a series of new health services in Tuvalu, as part of Cuba's contribution to human development in the South Pacific region.

In a letter for the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, the three doctors offering their services in Tuvalu, one since October 2008 and the others since last February, say they have attended 3,496 patients, and saved 53 lives.

They have assisted 76 labours, and done the first 11 caesarean sections and 47 surgeries ever in that country.

Doctors Livan Rojas, Ileana del Valle, and Rolando Garcia stressed in the letter that they have opened ultrasound and abortion services, as well as specialized consultations on hypertension, diabetes, and chronic diseases in children.

In addition, they are making the first steps for the implementation of the family medicine model, and for that, they have visited the nine islands comprising the country.

As part of the aid to train local staff, the specialists have developed nine courses on primary health care, and how to deal with seriously ill patients, among other subjects.
 

WORLDWIDE: Sustainable land use is crucial to the Pacific

Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Community Press Release

Pacific Island countries and territories must sustainably use and manage their scarce natural resources as environmental threats like land degradation grow in the region.

‘The Pacific needs to embrace sustainable development through a holistic approach such as ecosystem-based management. This approach would address interactions among land resources, water, air, biota and human activities, in order to meet the priority challenges of desertification and drought, sustainable mountain development, prevention and mitigation of land degradation, sustainable development of coastal zones, deforestation, climate change, rural and urban land use, urban growth and conservation of biological diversity,’ said SPC Land Use Policy Advisor Inoke Ratukalou.

Ratukalou made the comments as the Pacific joins the rest of the world in marking World Desertification Day on 17 June.

In line with the theme of the day — ‘Conserving land and water; Securing our common future’, Ratukalou says desertification in the Pacific occurs in the context of land degradation.

Traditional land use in the Pacific is undergoing rapid changes.

‘This transformation is mainly due to new “opportunities” for land use afforded by an expansion of the market economy such as hotel developments, mining, and urban housing coupled with and related to a slow breakdown of the traditional agriculture-based land use system due to population pressures, urbanisation and social and economic changes,’ Ratukalou said.

The expansion of commercial cropping into marginal lands, cropping on fragile soils without conservation measures in place, deforestation and burning of grassland are also causing land degradation, lower crop and pasture yields and growing food insecurity and rural poverty.

These trends will continue into the future unless there is systematic and long-term planning and policy development.

Sustainable land management has been proposed in the Pacific; this will involve balancing of land development and conservation, which over the long term can maintain or enhance environmental quality, provide adequate economic and social rewards, and provide sufficient sustenance to everyone.

Sustainable land management, or integrated land resources management, considers technical, physical, sociological, economic, and political issues in making land use decisions to achieve the most efficient and non-destructive long-term use of resources.

In other words, it is a package of technologies that, individually or in aggregate, contribute to sustainable land management.

‘This system can only be sustainable if we empower communities to make good, informed decisions to sustainably develop and manage their resources,’ Ratukalou said.