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Samoa's Malietoa Tanumafili II dies - Samoa’s Malietoa Tanumafili II who has been the nation’s much-loved Head of State for 45 years has died aged 94. This death is an epoch moment for Samoa as it has never before had to choose a successor Head of State Two key decisions, that very few living Samoans have ever deal with, will now have to be made: who will be the next Head of State and who will next be bestowed with the "tama-a-aiga" or princely... (by Michael Field)

Fiji's military little use in Clean UP; time to scrap it? - One morning around 18 months ago I was standing atop a drought-blighted hillside graveyard. The Fiji national anthem was played at one point, which was distinctly strange because this assembly of martyrs was outside Harare in the cursed African nation of Zimbabwe. Perhaps the bandmaster liked the tune, but most of the people there were, for survival’s sake, blindly loyal to one nearby man; Robert... (by Michael Field)

Key Qantas shareholder won't accept bid - One of Qantas Airways Ltd's key institutional shareholders says it is committed not to accept the current $11.1 billion takeover bid for the national carrier because it falls a long way short of a reasonable price. The founder of Balanced Equity Management, Andrew Sisson, said there was no likelihood of accepting the current bid put forward by the Airline Partners Australia (APA) consortium before the offer... (continue to read the article)

Dossier Aborigeni: estranei in terra propria - Terza Seconda - Come oggi viene ampiamente riconosciuto, gli aborigeni furono vittime di pregiudizi e maltrattamenti da parte degli europei, e le loro condizioni sociali attuali riflettono questo passato d’ingiustizia ed emarginazione.Le forti rivendicazioni per le terre espropriate e la sete di giustizia di queste popolazioni per la così detta “generazione rubata” - cioè 1/10 della popolazione infantile aborigena che negli anni... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Dossier Aborigeni: estranei in terra propria - Parte Seconda - L'arrivo della prima flotta britannica nel XVIII secolo pose fine alla millenaria e indipendente vita degli aborigeni. La struttura sociale egalitaria delle popolazioni locali (caratterizzati dal “rispetto reciproco”), non costituì un incentivo all’opposizione agli invasori, i quali si rifiutarono di riconoscere i diritti dei nativi. Gli aborigeni residenti a Sydney furono llontanati con la forza e assassinati dalle truppe di Sua... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Timor Oriental, "Je rapporterai les millions du pétrole" - Le 9 avril, le pays doit voter pour élire un nouveau président. Une étape importante pour le pays secoué par de violents affrontements claniques depuis plus d'un an. Xanana Gusmão, qui occupe actuellement cette position importante sur le plan symbolique, ne compte pas se représenter. Il préfère attendre les élections législatives prévues dans quelques mois et se positionner pour le poste de Premier ministre... (par Stephen Fitzpatrick)

Dossier Aborigeni: estranei in terra propria - Parte Prima - Non solo un paese continente posto nell’emisfero australe, ma un vero e proprio mondo specializzato in contrasti e caratteristiche uniche: la più grande barriera corallina, la più intensa colorazione rossa della terra, marsupiali, foreste pluviali, numerosi fusi orari e climi, un’estensione territoriale sproporzionata alla quantità di popolazione e una delle più drammatiche storie di discriminazione al mondo. In un conflitto in armi o in uno scontro culturale, vi è sempre una diversità, una... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Solomon island lifted three metres by quake - The earthquake that triggered last week's tsunami in the Solomons lifted an entire island by three metres, exposing coral reefs that are now dying. The pristine underwater reefs of Ranongga Island, in the western Solomons, attracted divers from all over the world. But the quake has changed the island's geography, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporter, who said the shoreline now extended out to sea by another 70... (by Kathy Marks)

Tsunami alert shuts beaches - All beaches in NSW and Queensland have been closed and the Manly ferry service in Sydney has been suspended because of a tsunami alert following a major earthquake in the Solomon Islands. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a tsunami alert for NSW at 10.29am saying waves may impact the Sydney region after 11.30am. The bureau warns that tsunami waves can be separated by between 10 and 60 minutes and the first wave may not be the largest. (by David Braithwaite)

Speight moved off Nukulau by military - Forget the sharks, the shifting winds and the difficult chop when sailing on Suva ’s Laucala Bay . For the last five years getting shot by edgy guards on coconut rich Nukulau Island has been the worry. Eight kilometres off the Suva coast, Nukulau has been the comfortable prison for shaven headed traitor George Speight but this week military commander Voreqe Bainimarama, now the self-appointed president, moved him off and... (by Michael Field)

Nouvelle Zélande, le Parti maori s'oppose à l'immigration blanche - Tariana Turia, qui dirige le Parti maori, vient de lancer un nouveau débat sur la politique de l'immigration. Elle accuse le gouvernement travailliste de favoriser l'arrivée des Blancs, notamment des Australiens. L'immigration constitue un sujet délicat, souvent exploité par les politiciens qui cherchent à rallier les voix de ceux qui en pâtissent. La tentation est grande de considérer que l'appel de la dirigeant... (continue to read the article)

Tonga's Pohiva nabbed by police - Prominent Tongan pro-democracy politician ‘Akilisi Pohiva is in custody after police detained him in relation to last November’s destruction of the kingdom’s capital Nuku’alofa. Ten New Zealand police officers and a squad of Australian Federal Police have been aiding the investigation. Two days ago Pohiva said he feared the police were coming. “I am the number one, according to the official file, I am number one with members of my... (by Michael Field)

Australia and U.S. reach agreement over Guantánamo detainee - The Australian government says it has reached a deal to allow David Hicks, who has been locked up at the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay for more than five years without trial, to return home to Australia by the end of the year. American military prosecutors have accused Hicks, 31, an Australian citizen, of attempted murder in violation of the laws of war and providing material support for terrorism.... (by Tim Johnston)

Australia, gli aborigeni sempre più emarginati - Mentre l’Australia prospera ed estende la propria influenza politica ed economica su buona parte del Pacifico, i suoi primi abitanti sono di fatto più estranei alla loro terra di quanto possano esserlo i nuovi immigrati rispetto alla stessa isola-continente. Gli australiani sono un popolo multietnico e ospitale che ha già chiesto scusa agli aborigeni per i poco edificanti rapporti passati. Tocca alle rappresentanze politiche... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Youth gangs represent real security threat in Pacific - Al-Qaeda and fellow international terrorists are said to threaten failing Pacific states but as Michael Field reports the real menace comes from the streets of America and south Auckland. They're shadowy and amoral; big and vicious men, now living in every village in Polynesia. They learned their trade with American street gangs like the Sons of Samoa and the Tongan Crip Gang (TCG). Samoan Warriors Bounty... (by Michael Field)

Deaths in custody campaign continues - Fifty people heard leading Queensland Aboriginal activist Sam Watson announce at a February 7 public meeting held in the Sydney inner-west suburb of Leichhardt that Queensland Police Sergeant Chris Hurley was formally charged on February 5 with manslaughter and assault occasioning bodily harm for the 2004 death in custody of Palm Island Aborigine Mulrunji Doomadgee. “There was no reason for his [Mulrunji's] arrest”, Watson told the meeting, which had been jointly organised the... (by Kerry Vernon)

Bright new gold prospects in Solomon Islands - Auckland based mineral explorers are drilling their way into a “monster” gold and copper lode in the troubled Solomon Islands . London Stock Exchange AIM listed Solomon Gold plc says they believe they have discovered high grade gold and copper deposits in Sutakiki in the rugged central mountains of Guadalcanal. They say Sutakiki “is potentially a ‘monster’”, while neighbouring sites over a 50 square kilometre area show signs of extensive mineralisation. Solomon Gold’s exploration subsidiary... (by Michael Field)

Undersea mining moving ahead in South Pacific - Heavily funded Australian explorers have this week ratcheted up the race for near legendary gold and copper deposits in the South Pacific Ocean north east of the North Island but New Zealanders face being frozen out of any commercial deals their own waters. Insatiable Chinese demand for copper, as well as new technology, are beginning to make the deposits economic. They are found on the Kermadec Arch... (by Michael Field)

Behind Fiji's coup - On December 5, after weeks of speculation, the commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama announced that he had overthrown the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase in Fiji’s third military coup in the past 20 years. On January 4, the military restored the powers of President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, so that he could swear in an interim government with Bainimarama as PM. While in some respect these events followed the pattern of previous Fijian coups, there are significant... (by Tony Iltis)

La storia di Timor Est - Parte III - A quattro anni dalla proclamazione di indipendenza, il paese rimane ancora gravato dal difficile compito di ricomporre la frattura diplomatica con l’Indonesia. La difficoltà del compito è moltiplicata da una minima percentuale di popolazione che nel referendum del 1999 aveva osteggiato la secessione e che adesso ritarda l’attività del governo. Una risoluzione del Consiglio di Sicurezza delle Nazioni Unite emanata nel 1999, aveva condannato le violenze e i soprusi commessi dai militari indonesiani prima e durante il ritiro da Timor Est... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Indigenous anger at ongoing injustice - Last September, Queensland’s acting state coroner Christine Clements ruled that Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley, a police officer working on the Palm Island Aboriginal community, had caused the death of Aboriginal man Mulrunji while in his custody. When the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Leanne Clare, later refused to lay charges against Hurley, it wasn’t just the state’s Indigenous community who was.. (by Dave Riley)

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