PINA

Analysis by David Robie The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has thrown away a golden chance for achieving a historical step towards justice and peace in West Papua by lacking the courage to accept the main Papuan self-determination advocacy movement as full members. Membership had been widely expected across the Pacific region and the MSG's silence and failure to explain West Papua's...

The Supreme Court of Vanuatu ruled on Friday that Vanuatu’s opposition party won a no-confidence vote regarding incumbent Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau last week. While the speaker of Parliament initially ruled that the motion failed, because it garnered less than the absolute majority of 27 votes, Judge Edwin Goldsbrough of the Supreme Court found that 27 votes should not constitute...

As the Pacific nation of Vanuatu plunges into a political crisis, China has reacted by rushing its so-called ‘police experts’ into the country. China’s move comes hot the heels of a Supreme Court’s ruling that observed that the pro-West prime minister of Vanuatu has lost a no-confidence vote in the parliament. According to the ruling, Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau will have...

The Government of Niue is concerned over Japan’s release of treated radioactive wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear plant last Thursday. More than a million tons of ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is planned to be released into the Pacific Ocean over the next 30 years. Premier of Niue Dalton Tagelagi says...

In Tuvalu, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Seve Paeniu said he is “concerned, dismayed, disappointed and kind of surprised” that Japan - which has first-hand experience of nuclear material - is now putting nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean. “Tuvalu collects roughly about 45 percent of its total income from fisheries and fisheries resource through access licensing fees to...

Social Democratic Liberal Party(SODELPA) leader and deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka has appealed to Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to review his stance on Japan’s disposal of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. Rabuka had initially supported Japan’s compliance with safety protocols outlined by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, the PM has also emphasised the need for an independent scientific...

The Australian government has told big development banks to “lift their game” in the Pacific amid concerns they are approving poor-quality, cut-price projects only for the budgets to blow out. Largely funded by governments, development banks provide grants and low-cost loans to developing countries to help them build infrastructure and other projects. But Australia has issued a veiled threat to cut...

Hosts Tahiti have deservedly retained their OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup title with a clinical 7-0 win over the Solomon Islands in the final at the Aorai Tini Hau Stadium in Papeete. In front of a capacity crowd in windy conditions the Tiki Toa showed all their big game experience and proven class to defeat the four times former champions...

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) has been granted the exclusive rights to provide live radio coverage of the Pacific Games. An agreement between SIBC and the Games Organising Committee (GOC) stated that SIBC shall provide live to air radio transmission of sports and ceremonies from the games venues. This includes broadcasting of matches, the opening and closing ceremonies. SIBC may commercialise...

By Dr Transform Aqorau The recent announcement from the Japanese government, sanctioning the discharge of recycled waste from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, is more than just a matter of policy; it's a heavy-hearted disappointment that resonates on a deeply personal level for many of us who have been at the forefront of Pacific conservation and...