Pacific news in brief for April 17

Pacific/Japan

Japan's State Minister of Foreign Affairs Takei Shunsuke met the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General, Henry Puna at the Secretariat in Fiji last week.

The meeting was held following a commitment Japan made earlier in the year to regional leaders, to ramp up communication on the upcoming release of ALPS treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.

The Forum's independent panel of experts were still not convinced there was scientific proof the release will be safe at their last media briefing, and had requested more 'robust' data to review.

Shunsuke is expected to meet with Vanuatu's Climate Change Minister too.

Ahead of the meeting Ralph Regenvanu told RNZ Pacific he would prefer the more than 1-million-tonnes of wastewater was not released in the Pacific Ocean at all.

French Polynesia - Covid-19

The health authorities in French Polynesia say despite there being a low number of Covid-19 cases, the territory is now in its sixth wave of the pandemic.

81 new cases were recorded in the latest reporting week, marking a further rise of infections which shows the persistence of the virus.

Most cases are in the Society Islands but one in the Marquesas Islands was so serious, the patient had to be flown to the main hospital in Tahiti.

A total of three people with Covid-19 were reported to be in hospital, but none in intensive care.

People considered to be at particular risk are advised to keep up with the recommended vaccinations.

Fiji - airline

Fiji's national airline Fiji Airways has added Canberra to its list of international destinations.

The company said it has made the decision to have direct flights between the Australian capital and Nadi after "extensive market research" as it continued to expand its global footprint.

The national airline will start its new service from July this year - with two weekly flights from July to September and three flights from October onwards.

Chief executive officer and managing director Andre Viljoen said the new service has been made possible with the forthcoming inclusion of two new Airbus A350s into the Fiji Airways fleet.

Australia continues to be Fiji's number one source market for tourism, accounting for over 50 percent of international arrivals.

Viljoen said the new A350s will result in an immediate increase in capacity across the national carrier's network.

He said this means Fiji Airways will be able to dedicate more seats to the Australian market, specifically Canberra.

Samoa/Australia

Australia has announced budget support for Samoa to the tune of just over $US13 million.

This was announced by Australia's Minister for International Development and the Pacific, and Samoa's Finance Minister.

The Ministers also announced a new eight-year partnership focused on Samoa's economic growth and governance priorities.

Called 'Tautai - Governance for Economic Growth', it will support Samoa's continued economic recovery from Covid, jointly delivering projects to improve livelihoods for Samoans.

Tautai complements the eight-year 'Tautua - Human Development for All' partnership announced by Australia's Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong, during her visit last year.

Fiji - economic summit

Fiji's coalition government will hold a two-day forum this week hoping to find solutions to the economic woes facing the nation.

The country's debt level is expected to reach Fijian 10 billion dollars by July and the Asian Development Bank estimates almost a third of the population is living in poverty.

In January, Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad revealed his team was working overtime to address "a very tight fiscal situation".

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka hopes the National Economic Summit will allow to stakeholders to come up with creative ideas to set the economic policy agenda for accelerated economic growth underpinned by sustainable and inclusive development.

Around 500 people representing a cross-section of the Fijian society are expected to be part summit which will take place on Thursday and Friday in Suva.

Fiji - bus drivers

Fiji bus operators have expressed concern over the number of bus drivers leaving the country to work in New Zealand.

According to the Fiji Times the government has confirmed 100 bus drivers have already left Fiji for Aotearoa and a further 60 are preparing to join them.

This comes as New Zealand's Transport Minister Michael Wood announced $NZ61 million in the Budget to lift bus driver wages across the country.

Fiji Bus Operators Association said this is worrying them as it will create a shortage in the country.

Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said the government was working with industry stakeholders to accelerate the training of the next batch of workers.

Despite concerns raised by the bus operators, Kamikamica said there are already migrant workers in the country who could be part of short and medium-term solutions to the labour issue.

Tonga - diplomacy

Tonga and Romania have established formal diplomatic relations.

The agreement was made on last Monday with a signing ceremony at Romania's Permanent Mission in New York between Tonga's Ambassador to the US Viliami Va'inga and his Romanian counterpart Cornel Feruta.

In a statement, Tonga's Foreign Ministry commended Romania for it's support of Vanuatu's landmark UN resolution for the International Court of Justice to advise nations on their climate change mitigation promises and obligations.

New Caledonia - prison

New Caledonia's appeal court has shortened the prison sentence of a senior doctor convicted of murdering his neighbour.

Olivier Peres, who oversaw the orthopaedic department at Noumea's public hospital, gunned down his neighbour Eric Martinez on a golf course with three shots five years ago.

Last year he was given a 20-year prison sentence, but in a two-week trial, in the appeal court, it was reduced to 15 years.

The defence sought his acquittal but while the court found he committed murder, it no longer considered the killing to have been premeditated.

Peres fired a third shot from close range, claiming he did so as not be killed by Martinez, who was later found to have a knife in his pocket.

Martinez, who had been in a relationship with Peres' wife, reportedly made threats to the Peres family and falsely claimed was a former French secret service agent.

Peres' defence said he wants to challenge the appeal court conviction in Noumea in France's highest court of appeal.

New Caledonia - independence

A room at France's National Assembly has been named after the two New Caledonian leaders who ended years of unrest.

In 1988, Jean-Marie Tjibaou of the pro-independence FLNKS, and the head of the anti-independence RPCR Jaques Lafleur, shook hands in Paris and ushered in a peace process which has endured.

The president of the National Assembly and former overseas minister Yael Braun-Pivet said by going against their camps to forge peace, the two are heroes.

The naming event wasn't attended by any of the FLNKS members who are in Paris at the invitation of the French government.

The New Caledonian leaders attending were Philippe Dunoyer and Philippe Gomes of the more centrist anti-independence Caledonia Together party.