Page 6 - IB_November2020

Briefs Briefs

end of this year. Employees’ compulsory contributions were
also reduced.
American Samoa
A government shutdown was narrowly avoided when Ameri- Fiji is banning polystyrene products from January 1, 2021.
can Samoa’s House of Representatives approved the admin- It follows the introduction of a plastic ban levy in 2017 and a
istration’s interim appropriations bill late October. Earlier ban on certain types of plastic bags last year as part of gov-
the Governor and Fono were divided on the budget, with the ernment’s Climate Change Act.
Fono disputing projections that predicted increased economic
activity spurred by COVID-19 funding.

French Polynesia
COVID-19 cases increased exponentially in French Polynesia
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands in October, with the number of diagnoses now approaching
The troubled Imperial Pacific casino has six months to pay 6000. Amongst those diagnosed, President Edouard Fritch and
the US$20 million it owes the CNMI government. The Com- former President Gaston Flosse. French Polynesia reopened its
monwealth Lottery Commission made the decision based borders in July and abolished mandatory quarantine require-
on ‘unforseeable circumstances’ (i.e. COVID-19). However ments in a bid to boost tourism and revive the economy.
Imperial Pacific continues to fight pressure to sell off some of
its assets. One former contractor, Pacific Rim, says the asset French Polynesia’s criminal court has sent 25 people to
sale would help the casino pay off its US$5.6 million debt, prison in connection to their roles in the territory’s biggest
however the casino operators have countered with an offer methamphetamine smuggling and distribution case. They
to deposit US$6 million in trust, to be released pending the were also fined a combined US$20 million for their parts in a
outcome of court action. smuggling ring, which saw the drug purchased in Mexico and
smuggled in surfboards and karaoke machines to Tahiti where
it was sold.
Cook Islands
Cook Islands’ Public Expenditure Review Committee is
investigating the circumstances under which a contract to Guam
build two cyclone centres on Penrhyn island were awarded. Taiwan has reopened its representative office in Guam after
Civil Contractors Ltd won the tender. The investigation will a three-year closure. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu
cover possible conflicts of interest and the claim significant says it’s hoped Guam’s strategic location means Taiwan will
payments had already been made to the contractor before be able to increase multilateral exchanges within the Western
any work began. Pacific region. Prior to the pandemic, 30,000 people from
Taiwan travelled to Guam each year. The Guam office will be
headed by Paul Chen, a career foreign service officer.
Federated States of Micronesia
FSM custom officers have intercepted two separate consign-
ments of illegal weapons over the past two months. The first Marshall Islands
shipment included undeclared boxes of gun parts and a bow Marshall Islands has criticised an industry-backed proposal
and arrows. The second included 6,000 rounds of ammunition. for a global short term-measure to cut emissions, which would
The discovery follows prosecution of two individuals this year impose new broad energy efficiency requirements and indi-
on other cases of importing ammunition through luggage, and vidual annual carbon intensity targets, disclosures and rating
through the mail. obligations for ships. Marshall Islands, one of the world’s big-
gest flag states, says the proposal “is neither consistent with a
1.5°C temperature pathway nor consistent with the levels of
Fiji ambition” outlined by the IMO in its greenhouse gas strategy.
Compulsory member contributions to the Fiji National
Provident Fund (FNPF) have more than halved from around
US$25.8 million a month to about US$11.7 million. However
FNPF says it has sufficient funds in its accounts and cash Nauru
reserves to meet promised COVID-19-related payments and More than 20 asylum seekers have been flown from Nauru to
the regular withdrawals that members are entitled to. As part Australia for medical treatment in recent months, despite the
of its COVID-19 response, the Fiji government has announced Australian government’s repeal of legislation allowing medical
statutory employer contributions were halved to 5% until the evacuations. The Department of Home Affairs says those who

6 Islands Business, November 2020