5 days ago
Pacific news in brief for 5 June
A group of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel, with two Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) NH90 helicopters, arrived in Honiara on November 14. Military police personnel from Fiji and Papua New Guinea are also present to assist the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in maintaining security.
Photo:
RNZ Pacific / Koroi Hawkins
A Papua New Guinea Court has fined 116 secondary students just under US$500 each for posession of offensive weapons at an inter-school fight.
The National
reports the students don't pay up they face one year in prison.
On Thursday last week more than 200 students in East New Britain were arrested by police.
The acting provincial magistrate told the students he is giving them a harsh penalty to send a message to all school students not to use public places as a "war ground".
A teenage boy died in a shark attack at Wailapa, South Santo last week.
A relative of the boy told
VBTC News
that they were swimming two metres from the shore when the attack happened.
He said he saw his younger cousin go underwater, and at first, he thought he was okay but he then saw blood in the water, and started crying out.
The family member described the terrifying moment when the shark circled back and pulled the boy underwater again, even as he tried to rescue him.
VBTC
understands that this is not the first shark-related incident in Santo.
In Papua New Guinea, the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) is pushing for the resettlement of Porgera mine landowners in light of recent crimes allegedly caused by so-called pit trespassers.
According to the authority, trespassers or illegal miners were now attacking the mine's employees.
Managing director Jerry Garry said the Porgera gold mine recently shut down for five days because of the influx of trespassers.
Garry said trespassers or illegal miners are not only causing threats to the (mine) operations but are also threats to employees working within the environment.
He said the company was ordered to withdraw its staff from the pit.
Jerry Garry told
The National
newspaper that resettling of landowners was considered one of solutions towards dealing with illegal miners.
Morobe, in Papua New Guinea is the first province to export premium green bean coffee to the United Arab Emirates by air.
More than seven tonnes - 121 bags - were loaded onto the flight.
Morobe govenor Luther Wenge said Dubai is the largest growing coffee market in the world.
He said coffee is usually exported by ship so it's great to see air travel being used.
Six Pacific central banks governors are meeting in Tonga this week to explore how financial inclusion can strengthen economic resilience and social equity across the region.
The high-level gathering will focus on accelerating the Pacific's financial inclusion agenda, with an emphasis on digital innovation, resilience, and access to financial services.
Central bank governors are expected to endorse on Friday the Nuku'alofa Pledge, a shared commitment to achieving financial systems that are inclusive, climate-resilient, and economically empowering.
