Today's Frontpage March 24 2011

8/7/2019 Today's Frontpage March 24 2011

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Lcal News San News Leers Reginal /Iner News Classied/Real Esae ADS Sprs

PM's ofce condemns

Patterson's comments

on Radio Australia

Page 3

VCHAmbulanceemergency

number downPage 2

Vanuatu

Lava to play

Tasmanian

sides todayPage 15

Libya leader

vows to defeat

coalition forcesPage 8

Veeran pliicians remindVana f Wes PapaBy Ricky BinihiThe Republic of fiji,which 

had been sitting on the ence

 when Melanesian Spearhead

Group was conceived, is now

calling shots in the drivers

seat as chairman o the MSG,

by inviting Indonesia to be

given Observer Status.

 And now the 250, 000 peo-

ple o Vanuatu brace them-

selves to see whether Prime

Minister Sato Kilman will

bow to Fiji Prime Minister

Frank Bainimarama's pres-

sure to have Indonesia, with

over 237 million people, be

given MSG observership or

he would deend the Vanuatu

Parliament.

Parliament passed a reso-

lution in June last year rec-

ognising the struggle rom

West Papua as a just cause

and mandated the govern-

ment to support West Papua’s

application or Observer Sta-

tus at MSG.

But at an MSG Special For-

eign Aairs Minister Meeting

in Fiji last month it “wel-

comed and considered the

applications by the Republic

o Indonesia and Republic o 

Timor Leste or Observership

to the MSG”.

The application or West

Papua never suraced. This

 was despite t he act that a

 very senior government of-

cial attended the meeting and

that Parliament mandated the

government to assist West

Papua get their observer sta-

tus in MSG.

Now Fiji, a Melanesian

country which only joined

MSG once it realised it would

beneft rom the MSG Trade

 Ag re em ent be ca us e o a

clause in the agreement that

allowed specifc goods to be

exported duty ree between

two consenting MSG coun-

tries or more, has now invit-

ed Indonesia into MSG.

Fiji has a personal agenda.

I it invites Indonesia it would

serve as warning to Fiji’s two

bullies; Australia and New

Zealand as Jakarta is more

powerul militarily compared

to both Canberra and Wel-

lington.

What critics say is an inter-

nal Fiji maneuvering tactic to

 win a powerul military and

economic ally international-

ly has now, with Suva’s per-

severance, make Indonesia a

regional issue ft or the MSG

platter.

It comes as no surprise that

frst on the agenda o the 18th

Melanesian Spearhead Group

is the meeting o Police Com-

missioners and Trade and

Economic oicials held yes-

terday at the GCC complex

in Fiji.

Fiji knows that the moment

Melanesians starts rubbing

shoulders with Indonesia at

a powerul regional institu-

tion like the MSG it is help-

ing Vanuatu sweep the West

Papua issue under the carpet.

Thats what Indonesia

 wants and tha ts probab ly 

 what Fiji PM Bainimarama

needed to secure lucrative

economic and military deal

 with Jakarta next time he is

over there.

The only hope or Vanuatu

now is Prime Minister Kil-

man.

Would he vote against any 

decision to have Indonesia be

given Observership at MSG?

 And what has happened to

the motion in Parliament that

 was moved by a ormer gov-

ernment backbencher and

now Justice Minister Ralph

Regenvanu and passed with

bipartisan support or Vanuatu

to support West Papua’s appli-

cation or observership?

o To Page 2

By Len GaraeThe MinisTRy of jusTice and Community Services has sus-

pended “interim” Project Ofc-

er o Vanuatu National Council

o Women(VNCW )Maryanne

Bani or allegedly using a alsi-

fed court order to appoint two

individuals to act as the inter-

im management, and allowed

court-appointed Administrators

o VNCW Arthur Faerua and

Dorosday Kenneth to move in

to restore the management o 

the national women’s umbrella

organisation.Daily Post called at the VNCW

Oices only to be met by three

private security oicers at the

main door and they conirmed

acting on orders rom the court-

appointed Administrators to make

sure the door remained closed.

o To Page 3

VNCW open under guardMinistry

suspendsMaryanne Bani

Private Security Ofcers guard door to VNCW

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