NEWSROOM 08 July
2009

(Photos: Massey University)

NEW ZEALAND: Communal learning boosts Pasifika, Maori maths

(Photos: U.S. Navy)

SAMOA: Opening Ceremony for Pacific Partnership 2009 in Apia
Source: U.S. Embassy Press Release

Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires Robin L. Yeager
At the Opening Ceremony for Pacific Partnership 2009
July 2, 2009

On behalf of the United States Government and the U.S. Department of State, it is a pleasure for me to welcome the USNS Richard E. Byrd and her crew, partner nations and partner NGO’s to Apia, and to celebrate the commencement of the Pacific Partnership 2009 Mission to the Independent State of Samoa. This project has been in the works actively here in Samoa since December 2008, and in fact, in long-range planning since well before that.

The motivations for Pacific Partnership are easy to understand. As was said recently by the new Assistant Secretary for East Asian/Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell,

“There should be no doubt that the United States itself is a Pacific nation”

We have well over 7000 miles of Pacific coast, 40,000 miles of Pacific tidal land, and more than 50,000 citizens who live at or close to the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Pago Pago. We’re proud to include among our countrymen the people of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Particularly poignant as we greet the ship's arrival today, we recognize that thousands of Pacific Islanders, including natives of Hawaii and the U.S. Territories, and many Samoans are serving in the U.S. Military, including their Commander in Chief, the first “Pacific President" of the Unites States, Barack Obama--I'd go further and say, the first "Polynesia" U.S. President.

As a Pacific nation, we share with others common concerns. We are working together in areas of energy, disaster management and warning and biodiversity. We all participate in an increasingly interconnected global economy. Supporting basic developmental needs like health and education is a top priority in the Pacific islands, a concern we also share. The United States partners with Pacific nations through many mechanisms. Since 1966 over 12,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers in the Pacific region. Today 40 volunteers are living and working here in Samoa, and those same program areas, health and education, have been identified as the core project areas for the coming years.

Today, we are presented with the opportunity to strengthen our partnerships in health and education even further. The U.S. military’s Pacific Command has embarked on its 4th Annual Pacific Partnership program, an initiative to provide humanitarian assistance to the Asia-Pacific region. In the next 3 months, the USNS Richard E. Byrd will bring health and engineering assistance to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, the Kingdom of Tonga, Republic of Kiribati and the Independent State of Samoa. The engineering projects will focus on schools and health facilities.

On behalf of the Embassy and the U.S. contingent of Pacific Partnership 2009, I'd like to express our immense gratitude and respect to the people and government offices, the NGOs, villages, and individual volunteers in Samoa who have been true partners in the process of designing and planning this project. From our perspective, it's already been a productive learning experience, one that has expanded our relationships and deepened our appreciation for the Fa’a Samoa.

Assistant Secretary Campbell concluded his remarks, “While the small size and populations of many Pacific Island countries make it seem sometimes they are overlooked, our ties are deep, and … I look forward to the opportunity to strengthen those ties with our many friends in the Pacific. In every regard -- geopolitically, militarily, diplomatically, and economically -- Asia and the Pacific are indispensable to addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the 21st century.

Faafetai Tele Lava.

Background:

The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Partnership is the dedicated humanitarian and civil assistance mission conducted by, with and through partner nations, non-governmental organizations and other U.S. and international government agencies to execute a variety of humanitarian civic action missions in the Pacific Fleet area of responsibility. This year Pacific Partnership will travel to Oceania, including Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. The Richard E. Byrd serves as the enabling platform for U.S. and partner nation military and non-governmental organizations to coordinate humanitarian civic assistance efforts.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - The USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) sits pier side during Pacific Partnership 2009’s stop in Samoa.

Photo 2 - Capt. Andrew Cully, Pacific Partnership 2009 mission commander, greets Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, prime minister of Samoa, during the opening ceremony kicking off Pacific Partnership 2009’s arrival in Samoa.

Photo 3 - U.S. Navy Cmdr. Joseph Yang, contingency dental officer-in-charge, of San Diego, Calif., and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Augustine Godinet, dental technician from Leone, American Samoa, perform a dental examination for a local woman at the Sataua Clinic during a Medical Civic Action Project (MEDCAP) held during Pacific Partnership 2009.

Photo 3 - Seabees of Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 renovate the assembly hall at the Sasina Primary School during a Engineering Civic Action Project (ENCAP) held in support of Pacific Partnership 2009. The Sasina Primary School provides education for children first through eighth grade and acts as a community meeting hall when school is not in session.

(Photos: Australian High Commission)

AUSTRALIA: Australia’s NAIDOC WEEK: 5-12 July 2009
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

Australia will celebrate NAIDOC Week on 5-12 July 2009 featuring this year’s theme: Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth.

The theme encourages Australian communities to acknowledge the status of our Elders as leaders and role models for our youth. Closing the Gap is about addressing the disparity between the life opportunities of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

"This is an annual event that recognises the uniqueness of indigenous Australians", said High Commissioner Matt Anderson. "The week is a celebration of the survival of the cultures of both Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, whose cultures extend back more than 50,000 years,"

To celebrate NAIDOC Week this year, the Australian High Commission will have on display in its foyer the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. Callers to the High Commission placed on hold will hear indigenous music.

The first celebration of 'Aborigines Day' in 1955 was a result of the long history of struggle for Australian indigenous people. NAIDOC week is now celebrated by all Australians.

The Aboriginal flag is divided horizontally into equal halves of black (top) and red (bottom), with a yellow circle in the centre. The black symbolizes Aboriginal people and the yellow represents the sun, the constant renewer of life. Red depicts the earth and also represents ochre, which is used by Aboriginal people in ceremonies. The flag has been adopted by all Aboriginal groups and is flown or displayed permanently at Aboriginal centres throughout Australia.

The Torres Strait Islander flag stands for the unity and identity of all Torres Strait Islanders. It features three horizontal coloured stripes, with green at the top and bottom and blue in between - divided by thin black lines. A white dhari (headdress) sits in the centre, with a five-pointed white star underneath it.

The colour green represents the land, and the dhari is a symbol of all Torres Strait Islanders. The black represents the people and the blue represents the sea. The five-pointed star, which is also an important symbol in navigation for the seafaring Torres Strait Islander people, represents the island groups. The colour white of the star represents peace.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - The Aboriginal Flag.

Photo 2 - The Torres Strait Flag.

HAWAII: Filipino war veterans honoured in Hawaii

Source: The Inquirer

Filipino veterans were among those honoured in the United States’ July 4 celebrations in Hawaii over the weekend, online editions of Hawaiian dailies reported.

About 140 Filipino veterans, many of them in their 80s and 90s, where honoured in a private reception sponsored at the Hale Koa Hotel by the Hawaiian House of Representatives’ Filipino Caucus and a local bank, reports said.

Among dignitaries present at the gathering were by Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the United States Pacific Command, and Zambales Representative Antonio Diaz, reports said.

The honourees included former guerrilla fighter Salome Calderon, 84, of Angono town, Rizal province, who was a member of a Filipino intelligence team that spied on Japanese military positions, making it easier for the Allied forces to pinpoint targets during the liberation of the Philippines.

At the team’s secret headquarters in Angono’s town proper, the then 17-year-old Calderon guarded intelligence reports to be transmitted to US General Douglas MacArthur’s staff and took care of children whose fathers left to join the guerrilla forces in the hinterlands.

“My position was not in the field, but I was always on the battle front because intelligence work is a very delicate position, because any little mistake could put lives in danger. Because of our reports, the US knew where to bomb, and that saved civilians from becoming casualties,” she was quoted as saying by the Honolulu Advertiser (www.honoluluadvertiser.com).

Another veteran, Artemio Caleda, 85, served in the advance infantry unit sent to surround the forces of Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita in Ifugao. He recounted the difficult jungle combats and how he and his comrades got sick of malaria and dysentery.

“We did it not for the benefits that were promised to us, but to defend our country. It was the US and multinational presence that made us a target, but it was up to us to defend our freedom and democracy,” he said.

The veterans each received certificates and commemorative medals from Hawaii's congressional delegation and the state legislature.

They thanked the US federal government for including long-deferred benefits payments to Filipino veterans in President Barack Obama's stimulus package but complained that many of the veterans in the US and the Philippines have yet to receive their checks after five months of waiting.

The veterans also lobbied for the passage of the proposed Family Reunification Act of 2009, set for hearings in the US Congress later this month, which would reunite veterans, who are either US citizens or residents, with their children in the Philippines who have languished for years on the visa waiting list.

Inouye and fellow Hawaiian senator Daniel Akaka are among the co-sponsors of the bill.

Of the 30,000 surviving Filipino World War II veterans, about 7,000 are US citizens residing in the US. Many have filed visa petitions for their children who remain in the Philippines.

The bill, if enacted into law, would exempt some 20,000 children of veterans from the quota on immigrant visas for humanitarian reasons.

In 1941, over 200,000 Filipinos were drafted into the United States armed forces and fought during WW II. In 1946, the US Congress passed the Rescissions Act, which authorized a $200-million appropriation to the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines, provided that their service is not deemed part of the active military or air service of the United States.

It took the US Congress more than four decades to acknowledge that Filipino WW II veterans had served in the US armed forces. The Immigration Act of 1990 included a provision that offered the opportunity to obtain US citizenship.

Last February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) authorized the payment of benefits to the 30,000 surviving Filipino veterans: $15,000 for US citizens and $9,000 for non-citizens.
 

(Photo: TVNZ ONE News)

TONGA: New Zealand increases aid to Tonga
Source: TVNZ ONE News

The New Zealand Prime Minister is pledging more financial support for Tonga, as it prepares for democratic elections and struggles to cope with the economic crisis.

John Key received a warm pacific welcome on his first Priministerial visit to Tonga but it was straight down to business with a meeting with the king of Tonga.

It was the serious issues that were the focus of the meeting, such Tonga's slow and tortuous transition from ruling monarchy to parliamentary democracy.

"Change is inevitable and I think we can manage it quite successfully," says Tongan Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele.

Three years ago, pro democracy supporters rioted through the streets of Tonga, destroying three quarters of the buildings. Eight people died, and hundreds were arrested. Tonga is still rebuilding.

New Zealand is helping with that, with Key announcing a boost in aid and funding for Tonga.

New Zealand has upped its aid to Tonga, from $12 million to $16 million over the next two years.

Some of the money will be spent on paving the road to democracy in the kingdom next year.

Two and a half million will go into strengthening the Tongan police force following the deadly 2006 pro-democracy riots which ransacked the capital.

Key says aid is vital to the developing country.

"We see that as an important step towards ensuring safety and security is paramount here," says Key.

Concerns about the economy are paramount among locals though.

The Prime Minister's confident there is a way out.

"We are affected rather badly, but I think with a greater diligence and will greater prudent management we will be able to come out of it," says Sevele.

He is hoping to not only grow the small nation's economy, but to also ensure political change happens peacefully.

Key will visit Samoa before flying to Niue and the Cook Islands today.

Photo Caption: Tongan Prime Minister Feleti Sevele with John Key.

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: Visualising the vulnerability of the Pacific Islands

Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

It’s been said that a picture can tell a thousand words. With this in mind, the opportunity for Pacific islands communities to share their climate change impacts with the rest of the World is presented.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has launched a Climate change photo competition so people world wide can visualise what Pacific islanders are up against.

Our Century’s challenge is Climate Change and in this instance, our Pacific response is about showing the World how the Pacific is being affected.

“At SPREP we recognise the importance of sharing images of what climate change means for the region. The Pacific is the most vulnerable region to climate change but has contributed the least of all to its causes,” said Espen Ronneberg SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser.”

The Pacific islands region contributes to 0.03% of the World’s total greenhouse gas emissions, but is amongst the most susceptible regions to climate change.

Despite the minimal contribution to climate change from the Pacific, there is the commitment to reduce all emissions from this region by 33% with the Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project.

“It is important that we use this opportunity to showcase how devastating the impacts of climate change will be, and to bring those images to the negotiations at the international level. This will provide additional ammunition to the Pacific in their quest for stronger emissions reductions.”

There are five different categories for which it is hoped the entry images will portray. These categories are; the fragile beauty of the Pacific islands, Impacts of climate change, Adaptation to climate change, Pacific islands biodiversity; Pacific peoples and cultures.

The Pacific islands are on the front line of the impacts of climate change and by capturing images that show any of the five categories, share the challenges we face with the rest of the world.

SPREP’s Pacific Year of Climate Change Campaign Coordinator Ewan Cameron is encouraging Pacific islanders to enter and show the World how climate change is impacting their communities.

“We are keen to showcase the winning photographs they will be exhibited during the UN climate change conference of the parties in Copenhagen this year. They will also be published in an exhibition catalogue and we’ll also award cash prizes.”

“We’d really like to get these images out there, so if you think you have an image that will show any one of our categories, then snap it with your camera and send your entry in.”

The deadline for all entries is 1 September 2009, and all photo entries must have been taken in any Pacific islands country or territory between 1 January and 30 August, 2009.

For more information and an entry form, please visit:
http://www.sprep.org/climate_change/PYCC/photocomp.htm

If you’d like more details on this competition, please email: [email protected]

or T: (685) 21929 F: (685) 20231 W: www.sprep.org