GOVERNMENT CAUTIOUS ABOUT TELECOMMUNICATION MONOPOLY

The Government has decided not to take an aggressive stand to end the telecommunication monopoly held by Solomon Telekom.

The Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, John Keniapisia, told local media the Government had intended pushing through legislation to free up the sector in this month’s session of Parliament.

But he says they have decided instead to address the issue through negotiations with the phone company.

Mr Keniapisia says the Government does not want to send the wrong signal to investors by bulldozing through legislation, and instead will use the review clause in the licence to re-negotiate Telekom’s 15-year contract.

But he says if these talks fail the Government is likely to fall back on the option of using legislation to end the monopoly.

This month's parliament session is expected to convene on the twentieth.
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MAKIRA-ULAWA MARINE STUDY
The Makira-Ulawa provincial government now had a better understanding of the marine status of the Kahua-Wainoni area.

This follows the handing over of a survey report carried out in the area recently by two marine biologists Geoff Dews and Glen Holmes from the University of Queensland Centre for Marine Studies.

Premier of Makira-Ulawa province Thomas Weape received the report on behalf of the province saying that the results and recommendations in the survey will assist the province in future plannings.

The survey was carried out following a request from the Kahua Association which was becoming concern about the declining fisheries in the area.

The survey included assessing the natural fisheries population as well as other marine lives and the state of coral reefs in the area.

In accepting the survey report, Mr Weape said it will help the province draw up policies on proper management of marine natural resources instead of making policies on the harvesting of sea resources.

Mr Weape says lack of information have resulted in past Makira-Ulawa provincial governments not putting in place policies which are not sustainable to the province's resources.

He says with the information contained in the survey, Makira-Ulawa Provincial government will now draw up policies aimed at re-stocking the province's marine resources.

EU TO HAND OVER RURAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS
The European Union, EU, will hand over three separate water supplies projects to communities in the Western Province this week.

All three projects were funded under the EU Micro-project Scheme at a cost of about 300-thousand dollars.

The EU Scheme donated 200-thousand dollars while the respective communities contributed 100-thousand dollars towards the projects.

SIBC's Simon Papage who is travelling with the EU group quotes EU Micro-project Coordinator, Alaric Rore, as saying the communities will take delivery of their respective projects as of tomorrow.

Mr Rore says official from the EU Micro-project and the Ministry of National Planning and Aid Coordination will hand over and open the Sambora Primary School Rain Water Catchment Project on Vela Lavella tomorrow morning.

On Wednesday the delegation will hand over and open Vila Water Supply and Sanitation Project on Kolombangara Island.

More than 800 people from surrounding villages will benefit from the projects.

Mr Rore says more than 800 students of Bubuku Community High School on Rendova Island will benefit from their new water supply and sanitation project on Thursday this week.

He says the project cost about 100-thousand dollars.
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NEW ZEALAND PM ELECTNew Zealand Prime Minister elect John Key has set a tight deadline for forming his new government and he's starting work on it on Monday.

TV New Zealand says National leader and soon to be prime minister is going to meet the leaders of the minor parties he intends bringing into his government so he has 70 votes in Parliament on confidence and supply.

Those votes are crucial for a government to command the confidence of parliament, and with 70 he will have an overwhelming majority over the 52 votes of Labour and the Greens.

Mr Key will meet on Monday with Rodney Hide, leader of the Act Party which now has five MPs.

Act is already committed to supporting National and the agreement was formalised during the campaign.

Meanwhile, outgoing prime minister Helen Clark will preside over her last Cabinet meeting on Monday as her colleagues think about a new Labour leadership.
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CALL FOR COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO ABANDONED LAND

Guadalcanal Premier Stephen Panga has urged the government to speed up the process of setting up the Commission of Inquiry into Abandoned Land on Guadalcanal.

Premier Panga re-iterates the call to ensure people who are concerned about abandoned land know the fate of land they have settled on prior to the ethnic tension.

He acknowledges that government was working on the Term of Reference for the Commission.

Premier Panga says his provincial government wants to contribute to the Term of Reference before it is adopted.

He says the quicker the government completes a report on the issues, the better for parties concern to know the fate their claims.
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POLICE CHARGE MAN WITH ATTEMPT MURDER

Solomon Islands Police Force detectives have charged a man with attempted murder after he attacked a RAMSI police officer with a bush knife.

Police will allege the 39-year-old man was responsible for seriously wounding the New Zealand police officer at Avuavu on Guadalcanal’s Weathercoast on Second September 2008.

The man surrendered to police based at Avuavu at the weekend after an extensive operation to apprehend the offenders responsible for the attack.

He was transported to Honiara on Saturday where detectives from the Solomon Islands Serious Crime Squad interviewed and formally charged him.

Acting Commissioner of Police, Peter Marshall, said the two-month operation to apprehend those responsible has been successful.

Three other suspects involved in the attack surrendered to police on 20th September 2008.

The operation to apprehend the remaining offenders will continue.

The 39-year-old man is expected to face the Honiara Magistrates Court today.
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SECURITY FIRM OWNER CONCERN ABOUT RISING CRIME RATE

A security firm owner in Honiara Chris Maebiru says it's now time Police and Security firms come together in tackling rising crime rate in Honiara.

He says that much criminal activities happened within operational areas of security firms but because of the lack of cooperation between the Police and the firms, it took a lot of time to investigate such activities.

Mr Maebiru says if an understanding is reached between the police and security firms, a lot of money, time and manpower used by the police in their investigations can be avoided through the help of security officers.

He says Security firms and the Police are serving the same people therefore an understanding should be reached between the two parties.

Mr Maebiru says Police can use security officers as their eyes and ears in the public.

He says security officers should also attend police training.

Mr Maebiru says he hopes that in the future, the Police Act can be amended to allow security officers carry out arrests when police are not present.

He says the idea is to make Honiara safe for Solomon Islanders, investors, businesspeople as well as tourists.
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GLOBAL CRISIS IS AFFECTING TOURISM OPERATORS
An umbrella organisation for South Pacific tourism operators says it appears that the global uncertainty is now having an obvious impact on visitor numbers in the region, especially those from long haul markets.

Popular destinations like French Polynesia and the Cook Islands have both noticed a drop in visitor numbers from Europe and North America.

South Pacific travel, is the mandated inter-governmental organisation for the tourism sector in the South Pacific.

Its chief executive, Tony Everitt, says, visitors from Europe, the United States, and Japan, which are the three key long haul markets, has certainly been quite soft.

But Tony Everitt says Pacific countries should still be vigilant and continue to promote in the United States and in Europe as they will always be important markets.
SOURCE: SIBC ONLINE NEWS

SoIomon Islands Prime Minister Congratulates OBAMA

Prime Minister Derek Sikua has congratulated Barack Obama, the President-Elect of the United States of America for winning the presidential election on November 4.

In a letter to Obama today, Dr Sikua says it is with immense pleasure that the government and people of Solomon Islands join him in conveying the deepest and heartfelt congratulations on his historic election as President-Elect of the USA.

He says Solomon Islands and the US share a long, warm and historic relations spanning over a period of more than 62 years, which saw the 35th President of the US proudly serving his country in Solomon Islands during World War Two.

Prime Minister Sikua says Mr Obama's election comes at an important juncture when the world is facing so many challenges from climate change to financial crisis.

Dr Sikua says towards this end, Solomon Islands looks to Mr Obama's leadership with hope and confidence he will address these challenges and redefine the US relations with the Pacific region and Solomon Islands.

Dr Sikua says Solomon Islands reaffirms its keenness to strengthen and expand cooperation between the two countries on issues of mutual interest for the benefit of the people.

He wishes Mr Obama and his family and people of the US every success as he prepares to take on his new leadership role.

MALAITA CHIEF SUPPORTS CALL AGAINST TRESPASSERS

A Malaita chief supports the call by Guadalcanal Premier, Stephen Panga, for people to stop trespassing on land on Guadalcanal that were abandoned by others following the ethnic tension.

Chief James Mosuria of Matakwalao House of Chief in North Malaita says other people including those from Malaita must stay away from the abandoned lands.

Chief Mosuria says people must be patient and wait until government's proposed Commission of Inquiry into those land is set up and complete its work.

He says until the Commission has deliberated on those lands and made recommendations for authorities including both the national and Guadalcanal Province to decide what is appropriate concerning those lands, no body should trespass on those lands.

Chief Mosuria appeals to other people including Malaitans to respect the rights of the Guadalcanal people and stay away from those land and properties.

The chief also appeals to leaders of people concern to gather and talk with their people to abide by the law and stop trespassing on other peoples' land and properties.

Iran to cover airfares for students to Cuba

THE Government is believed to have accepted an offer by Iran to meet the travel costs for Solomon Islands medical students studying in Cuba.

Iran made the offer in talks in New York last September, sources said.

The funding is the latest to emerge since the revelation last week that the Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement (CNURA) government was engaged in secret bilateral talks with the Tehran government.

Foreign Minister William Haomae, and his Permanent Secretary Barnabas Anga, were in Tehran last week.

Details as to how much money was involved are sketchy.

The sources said the Government has accepted the offer and the money had been paid via the Solomon Islands Mission [Embassy] at the United Nations in New York .

The Iranians, the sources said, would also provide computers for our medical students in Cuban medical schools.

Iran’s offer to meet airfares and to provide computers were agreed in talks in New York last September when Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua was attending the United Nations General Assembly [UNGA].

Many of the students who were accepted for training in Cuba could not travel this year because of shortage in funding.

With the new funding source, more students will be on their way to Havana .

Training Solomon Islands medical students in Cuba was first initiated by Manasseh Sogavare’s government.

Under the arrangement, the Solomon Islands Government was to pay students’ travel costs to and from Cuba while the Havana government meets lodging and other internal costs.

As part of the scheme, Cuban medical doctors would be sent to work in Solomon Islands hospitals. At least two are already working at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara .

The revelation about bilateral talks with Iran has drawn sharp criticism from Opposition leader, Manasseh Sogavare, saying Iran is a nation known for sponsoring terrorism and that forming an ally with Tehran goes against the values of Solomon Islands .

"Terrorism in general is something that is condemned by the United Nations, and no country in their right mind would enter into an alliance or diplomatic relations with a country that sponsors that kind of activity, that causes suffering to millions of people," he said.

But the Solomon Islands government has defended its decision for the talks with Tehran saying it would pave the way for signing a bilateral cooperation agreement with Iran .

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement describing Mr Sogavare's comments as "regrettable", saying that Solomon Islands had not yet established diplomatic relations with Iran .

The statement said such an agreement would make way for the two countries to explore specific cooperative arrangements, including the possibility of formalising diplomatic relations.

Iran is a member of the UN and has diplomatic relations with 102 countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

By ALFRED SASAKO
in Taiwan
SOLOMON STAR NEWS

RAMSI Joins Hunt for Killer Crocs

Two teams of RAMSI Participating Police Force (PPF) officers are being dispatched tomorrow (Friday) to help local police deal with threatening crocodiles in two separate provinces.

One team is heading to the Russell Islands after a community there requested assistance following the death of a young girl who was taken from the village of Ale by a crocodile earlier this week.

The Commander of the PPF, Denis McDermott, said that it is always tragic when a life is lost under these circumstances.

“The PPF is here to support the Solomon Islands Police in keeping the people of this country safe from harm. When a village is threatened by a dangerous animal, such as a crocodile, I am very pleased to be able to send my officers to help.”

At the request of the community, one of the teams will help local police in the Russell Islands to destroy the animal.

A second team will travel to Atoifi, Malaita Province to help the SIPF to locate and destroy a crocodile that has been menacing the community there.

“In the last month RAMSI has responded to requests from communities in Munda, on the Weathercoast, and from parts of Western Province,” Mr McDermott said.

RAMSI has promised to destroy crocodiles and urges anyone with concerns about these dangerous animals in their area to report the matter to their local police, who can then request armed assistance from RAMSI.
Solomon Star

UNIVERSITY DROPS COURSES

The University of the South Pacific, the USP, is planning to drop 98 unpopular courses.

The Fiji Times quotes the USP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rajesh Chandra, saying the university had been looking at a number of ways to reduce costs.

Professor Chandra says the USP would restructure and cut back those courses which did not have many students.

He said cutting back on the undersubscribed courses would not mean students who had already enrolled in them would be forced to leave.

Professor Chandra says students in programmes would be able to complete them but the university will stop taking new students.

The university also plans to cut costs, including expenditure on travel, purchasing, internet usage, electricity and telephone calls.

In addition, Professor Chandra said, the university would try and generate additional income through consultancies.

The paper also reports him saying the number of faculties will be cut from four to three.

EU AND INCOME GENERATING PROJECTS

The European Union Micro Project scheme will in the future be focusing its support to income generating projects that are viable.

Ravin Dhari from the EU Micro-project unit said this to those who gathered at the handing over ceremony of four cocoa driers to the Kolokarako Cocoa Farmers Association at New-Kolina village in East Guadalcanal.

Mr Dhari said this is because communities get a lot of benefits from projects that generate income. He said such projects if properly managed will have long term sustainability.

He said the driers that were handed over to Kolokarako Cocoa farmers will strengthen the production of cocoa in the community for many years.

Mr Dhari said further developments of cocoa production in the community lies in the strength of the association.

He urged the association of Kolokarako Cocoa farmers to approach other aid donors to help with road development and construction to their area.

He said the EU Micro project Unit believes the Kolokorako Cocoa farmers association will one day become a leading cocoa producer in the country.