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Briefs Briefs

were transferred to Australia had to sign agreements acknowl- government program, says these disclosures will enable the
edging the transfer was only temporary. Around 160 asylum public monitoring of benefits sharing, environmental impacts
seekers reportedly remain in Nauru. and social obligations of all parties involved. The mining and
petroleum sector contributes around 20% of the country’s
GDP.

New Caledonia
Controversy continues over the future of Brazilian miner,
Vale’s New Caledonia nickel plant, with the management Samoa
board of Vale New Caledonia moving to acquire the parent More than 12,000 eligible voters in Samoa have registered
company’s share with the help of Swiss commodity firm, following a last minute rush at the Office of the Electoral
Trafigura. Pro-independence supporters oppose the move, Commission last month. The Commission had aimed to sign
as they want local control of the resource. Without a sale, up people who had turned 21 since the last general election,
Vale says the plant will be closed within months, with some but also managed to register many others in its door-to-door
3000 workers at risk of losing their jobs. Earlier, New Century registration process, including a 96 year-old voter. Samoa’s
Resources of Australia withdrew from negotiations to buy the next election is expected in April 2021.
plant.

Solomon Islands
Malaita Province Premier Daniel Suidani has survived a
Niue no-confidence motion. 24 Members of the Malaita Provincial
Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi has signed an agreement with Assembly voted against the motion, with just nine in favour.
the Asian Development Bank to receive a US$500 thousand Suidani’s opponents claimed incompetence, financial misman-
grant to help in efforts to protect Niueans from COVID-19. agement and abuse of office as justification for the motion.
Niue joined the ADB last year. Suidani has also been critical of the national government’s

decision to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China last
Work to rebuild Niue’s wharf stalled early October after ma- year. Perhaps not coincidentally, the US government has just
terials for the upgrading were stolen. The wharf was damaged announced a US$25 million grant to Malaita under its Pacific
during Cyclone Tino in February. Now building contractors Pledge of the Indo-Pacific strategy.
Bays Underwater say thousands of dollars’ worth of spe-
cialised equipment has been stolen. Police are investigating.
The wharf is critical infrastructure, and is used by fishermen Tonga
and charter operators.
Tonga’s Parliament has passed a bill to amend the Tongan
Constitution to allow Tongan “tradition” to be used in the
power of courts and tribunals. The amendment now goes be-
Palau fore the King. Acting Minister of Justice, Samiu Vaipulu, says
Japan, the U.S. and Australia are to finance the US$30 mil- the Bill intends to enable Judges to take Tonga’s “traditional
lion connection of a submarine internet cable to Palau. The culture into consideration” when they are making their court
cable will branch off from the main trans-Pacific deep sea line decisions. However the lack of public consultation on the Bill
being built by a consortium of American companies to con- has concerned some parliamentarians.
nect the U.S. mainland with Singapore. Work on the 170-km
offshoot will begin next year.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu’s government wants to remove all agencies in-
Papua New Guinea volved in recruitment for seasonal work programs in Australia
The Bank South Pacific (BSP) has announced a net profit and New Zealand. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
of K216 million(US$61 million) in its third quarter results for Internal Affairs, Ishmael Kalsakau,says the government wants
2020. Group chief executive officer, Robin Fleming said this to take on this responsibility, “so there is fairness in recruit-
is an increase of 31.7% and was achieved despite COVID-19 ing process and the benefit derived from SWP programme has
impacts on the bank’s PNG and Pacific operations. far reaching effects to remote islands of Vanuatu.” He says
the government will also derive more revenue as a result.
From next year, all mining, oil and gas project agreements Meanwhile a second contingent of mango pickers has arrived
will need to be made public says the PNG Extractive Indus- in Darwin, Australia following an earlier contingent from Vanu-
tries Transparency Initiative (PNGEITI). The Initiative, a PNG atu.

Islands Business, November 2020 7