PACIFIC

PACIFIC

17 December 2002 – Fears of a coup and renewed violence, sparked by disgruntled police who fired on the PM’s home in Honiara. New Zealand born … Lloyd Powell and others fled the country on a chartered plane. (Christchurch Press AFP Kiwis flee Solomon islands.)

23 December 2002 – PM pays extortionists. Australia criticised Solomon islands PM Sir Allen Kemakeza for using public service money to pay more than $A 360,000 to police who were extorting him. We have made the point that the Solomon islands government cannot give in to the extortion deals. New Zealand and Australian police trying to restore law and order. (Christchurch Press AFP)

22 or 27 November 2004 – Vanuatu stolen aid. Australia has expressed concern about trans-national crime in Vanuatu and the implications for regional security, lawlessness and deeply entrenched corruption. PM Serge Vohor visited Taiwan to sign a military agreement to grant Taiwan official diplomatic recognition in spite of Vanuatu’s recognition of China. Australian aid to Vanuatu is being stolen by the government. No money was going to the people. Australia threatened to cut aid. Pm Serge Vohor refused to take part in Australian diplomatic talks in Port Vila. (AFP Christchurch Press).

2 December 2004 – A report the Pacific is viable written by Australian national university professor Helen Hughs was released by the centre for independent studies. The report suggests policy changes including abandoning communal land ownership for individual property rights and freeing up labour markets. Aid to the Pacific region was more than $1.5 billion a year. (Christchurch Press NZPA).

27 November 2004 – Takiveikato was found guilty on three charges of inciting a mutiny. On 2 November 2000 in which rebel soldiers tried to kill military commander Voreque Bainimarama. (The Fiji Times Christchurch Press AFP).

18 October 2006 – Fiji PM warns of a coup threat.

1 November 2006 – Commodore Bainimarama is in Iraq. He told the Fiji Sun newspaper, the EU, Australian, NZ and US. Governments had been deeply corrupt and unconstitutional  practises by the Qarase led government. (Stuff NZ news Michael Field).

20 November 2006 – International criminal gangs are reported to have laundered billions in the island of Nauru in the past ten years. The US accused Nauru of selling large numbers of false passports. (VOA Phil Mercer Sydney).

27 November 2006 – Tension grows with coup alert. There was clear evidence that the military chief was planning to stage a coup within two weeks. (Fiji Pacific).

US to stage biggest anti-terrorist exercise on Guam. The worlds biggest anti-terrorism exercise will be held this year on Guam. Underscoring the Pacific islands groups importance to Washington. Exercise TopOff4 is part of a series of large scale moves established to strengthen the US ability to respond to terrorist attacks involving WMD. William Marhoffer the US coast guard commander in Guam said the TopOff4 exercise would be bigger than last years Valiant shield war game in which the US,,, 30 ships 280 aircraft and 22,000 military personnel. (Washington Times 19 Feb 2007. Cable gram. Agence France presse)

6 March 2007 - Vanuatu PM Ham Lini state of emergency. Port Vila ethnic clashes left two men dead and eight others in hospital. Armed police arrested more than 100 people. Dozens of armed personnel from the Vanuatu mobile forces made arrests for unlawful assembly, assault and property damag said police spokesman Willie Ben (Christchurch Press AP).

February 2011 – Elder Perry creates the first LDS stake in Guam. (Ensign p78).

7 November 2012 – Big gold and silver find in the waters off Tonga. Nautilus mineral mining company. (TVNZ Stuff.co.nz Michael Field)

16 November 2012 – Cocaine and a corpse found on an Australian bound yacht. In Tongan waters. ( Lisa Martin AAP.The Australian).

16 November 2012 – Corpse and cocaine worth $120 million was found on a shipwrecked boat in Tonga. Suspected to be from Ecuador. (The Vancouver Sun AP Sydney).

16 November 2012 – The Pacific’s largest cocaine haul was found on a yacht in Vava’u Tonga. From Ecuador bound for Australia, the US DEA said in August 2012. Organised crime syndicate and a body was on the boat too. (Matangi Tonga online).

16 November 2012 – Nauru police charged 15 Iranian asylum seekers with doing damage on the island. (Herald Sun).

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