07-08-2025
Pacific news in brief for 8 August
Photo:
NASA/LEONELLO CALVETTI/SCIENCE P
China has thrown its support behind the Fiji Prime Minister's 'Ocean of Peace' initiative.
Speaking during the Chinese Army Day reception in Suva last week, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian said China is firmly committed to an independent foreign policy of peace.
Fiji media reported him saying some forces have hyped up the claim that China is establishing military bases in Pacific island countries - something he says is a false narrative, a distortion of China's strategic intentions, and is completely groundless.
Samoa's acting general health director Tagaloa Dr Robert Thomsen has been looking for volunteers to help with nation-wide dengue fumigation.
More than 5000 people have been clinically diagnosed with dengue in the country since January.
Tagaloa said with only 15 teams of four people they've had to ask other ministries for help.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is sending a small health team and $300,000 worth of medical supplies to Samoa to assist.
The United Nations has urged Australia to halt plans to deport a man to Nauru while it investigates the human rights implications of his case.
Australia has been trying to deport three people in exchange for an undisclosed payment, but their removal has been stalled due to court challenges.
The men, one of whom has a prior murder conviction, were among a group of hundreds released into the community following the High Court's 2023 ruling that their indefinite detention was unlawful.
The United Nations' Human Rights Committee wrote to the Australian government last week requesting the deportation of one of the trio be halted while they consider his complaint to the body, which was submitted days earlier.
It cannot compel the government to follow its direction, which it issued as an interim measure while the matter is under investigation.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the site of an under-construction Fred Hollows eye repair facility in Papua New Guinea in his brief trip this week.
Work on the PNG Centre for Eye Health in Port Moresby has been going on since November last year.
New Zealand has contributed NZ$18.9 million towards the construction.
Once completed, it will be the first purpose-built facility in PNG dedicated to both delivering eye care services and training eye health professionals.
Meanwhile, PNG's prime minister has acknowledged the support from Aotearoa on the peace process between PNG and Bougainville.
The
Post-Courier
reported James Marape saying as far as Bougainville is concerned, New Zealand has been one of their biggest supporters and a helping hand.
As Bougainville looks to establish its economic bona fides, it is seeking outside investment in a wide array of activities.
Bougainville wants to become independent of Papua New Guinea but the PNG Government has stressed that it needs to show it can economically survive on its own.
The Autonomous Bougainville Government's chief secretary, Kearnneth Nanei, said they are looking for investors into mineral exploration, starting with the Panguna Mine.
Nanei also told the conference there are applications in for 20 other mineral exploration licences across Bougainville.
Nanei said Bougainville is also looking at sustainable energy development, including solar mini-grids and hydro power.
