News and information service for Banaban Network Worldwide!

January 2009 Blog Posts (45)

Election Updates

Message #425 | 30-Jan-09, 16:55:45, GMT +10 | Perplexed

Banaban Message Board

Ken & Stacey

Congratulations for pegging the first milestone…..passing the first 100 members mark! It simply goes to show how popular and useful the website has become not only to the Banabans but also to the Non-Banabans who have taken your interest to heart. Looking forward to your achieving the next 100… Continue

Added by Ken Sigrah on January 30, 2009 at 8:14pm — 3 Comments

Pacific Island Nations Seek More Returns From Tuna

Dowjones Business News

Friday January 30th, 2009 / 6h42

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (AFP)--A group of Pacific island nations that control a large portion of the world's tuna fisheries are set to try to win a bigger share of the $3 billion regional industry, an official said.

Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority director Glen Joseph said the… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 30, 2009 at 4:14pm — No Comments

Fiji accuses regional powers of chequebook diplomacy

RADIO AUSTRALIA NEWS

Pacific correspondent Campbell Cooney

30 Jan 2009

Fiji's military-backed interim government has given its clearest indication yet that it will reject a Pacific Islands Forum ulitmatum to hold elections this year.

"Fiji's position is not going to change," said Fiji's interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

Commadore Bainimarama has also… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 30, 2009 at 10:37am — No Comments

Bainimarama continues NZ attack

Stuff.co.nz

Thursday, 29 January 2009

Fiji’s military leader Frank Bainimarama has continued his attack on John Key, accusing New Zealand of using chequebook diplomacy and bullying the Pacific Island Forum’s smaller members.

Bainimarama has also said that the Pacific Forum has over stepped its boundaries by issuing an ultimatum to hold elections by May 1, and reiterated Fiji would hold elections in its own… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 29, 2009 at 2:03pm — No Comments

Kiribati Man faces charge after sea rescue from dingy in New Zealand

The Dominion Post

Thursday, 29 January 2009

Kiribati man who was rescued after being found drifting in a dinghy with his nephew off Hawke's Bay faces a charge of operating a dinghy causing danger.

Itintarawa Baraniko appeared in Napier District Court yesterday charged under the Maritime Transport Act. If found guilty, he could be fined up to $10,000 or face up to a year in jail.

Baraniko, 38, and his… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 29, 2009 at 9:04am — No Comments

Ruth Rawson's aid work with SDA Rabi

Kam na mauri,

Aio ana reta Ruthy Rawson ni kaota ibukin ana waaki ni buoka nakon te SDA church I Nuku.

Ana waaki Ruthy aio ea tia Butau Bureitetau ni kabongana n te aro ni kewe ao ni kabuakaka inanon ana campaign.

Dear Rabi Council of Leaders,

Mauri from Albury, Australia.

I am writing to you to explain why and how the Nuku SDA community building was restored.

My name is Ruthy and in 1978 I worked as a teacher at… Continue

Added by Ken Sigrah on January 28, 2009 at 11:58am — 10 Comments

Fiji faces ultimatum

FIJI TIMES ONLINE

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is met at the airport by PNG Deputy PM Dr Puka Temu.

Picture: POST COURIER

FIJI stands to lose out on technical and financial regional assistance if it fails to come up with an election date by May 1.

The special summit of Pacific Island Forum Countries in… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 28, 2009 at 11:21am — No Comments

Moving back from the coastline

THE BOSTON CHRONICLE

By H.D.S. Greenway

January 27, 2009

EVER SINCE Captain Cook, mutiny on the Bounty, and Paul Gauguin, the South Pacific has held a special place in the Western imagination. The islands and atolls, swaying palms, and care-free people seemed to symbolize the great escape, a place where cares might be left behind, the closest thing this… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 28, 2009 at 11:18am — No Comments

Rudd signs partnerships at Pacific Forum

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

January 27, 2009 - 4:24PM

The Australian government has signed partnership agreements to promote development in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati at a Special Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Leaders' meeting in Port Moresby.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Tuesday the partnerships would help to improve school attendance rates and… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 28, 2009 at 11:15am — No Comments

Vanuatu to lobby retention of LDC status

Jan 26, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX)

Vanutaus finance minister, Sela Molisa will lead a four-member team to New York to lobby the UN Committee for Economic and Social Commission (ECOSOC) to retain its least developed country (LDC) status, along with four other Pacific Island countries.

Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu belong to the LDC category of the United… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 28, 2009 at 11:13am — No Comments

Rudd announces Pacific Partnerships for Development with Solomon Islands and Kiribati

About Australia - Politics

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today signed Pacific Partnerships for Development with Prime Minister Sikua of Solomon Islands and President Tong of Kiribati.

This significant signing occurred at the Special Pacific Forum Leaders’… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 3:26pm — No Comments

Alcohol Awareness Workshop in Honiara conducted by Kiribati Group

Solomon Times Online

by Gina Maka'a

Participants with their certificates

Thirty-two participants attended a one-week workshop that aims at helping people with alcohol addiction.

The "Alcohol and Family Recovery Awareness Program" workshop, described as an 'eye-opener', was conducted by four facilitators from Kiribati.

"The focus of the workshop is… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 12:29pm — No Comments

* CONGRATULATIONS - Ata Terawea for being our 100th Member **

Today Ata Terawea a male from Nasinu, Fiji joined Banaban Voice and became our 100th member.

Congratulations!

Stacey & Ken

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 10:32am — No Comments

Ancient Polynesian seafaring renaissance

SYDNEY (Reuters)

By Michael Perry

Sun Jan 25, 2009

A Polynesian voyaging canoe will set sail from Hawaii in March and head into the South Pacific, aiming to reach tiny Palmyra Atoll near Kiribati using only an ancient seafaring skill known as "wayfinding."

The double hulled canoe, similar to the canoes that sailed across the Pacific thousands of years before European… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 9:14am — No Comments

Kiribati facing food crisis

ONE News - New Zealand

Sunday January 25, 2009

WATCH the video (2:39) The central Pacific islands of Kiribati face a looming food crisis, as basic food items soar out of reach of the people there.

In one of the poorest countries of the Pacific, Kiribati families are struggling to fill their stomachs.

World prices and the cost of fuel have meant rice… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 9:05am — No Comments

Rudd to attend Pacific Islands Forum

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

ForumIlya Gridneff January 25, 2009

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will fly to Papua New Guinea to attend the special Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting to discuss Fiji's route back to democracy.

Mr Rudd had cancelled his travel plans after PNG Prime Minister Michael Somare shocked PIF members by announcing on Friday… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 9:02am — No Comments

RCL Elections Deferred

FIJI TIMES ONLINE

THE election of councillors to the Rabi Island Council which was scheduled for Thursday has been deferred to April because of the flooding in the North. Commissioner Northern Inia Seruiratu sought the postponement of elections because all available government personnel were involved in the assessment and rehabilitation of the Northern Division after the floods. Council members are elected on a four-year… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 27, 2009 at 8:57am — No Comments

Australian of Pacific Island descent wins Australia's top honour

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA

Monday 26 January 2009

Faith Bandler, the daughter of a man brought forcibly to Australia from Ambrym in Vanuatu during the notorious blackbirding era, is one of three people awarded Australia's highest honour in today's Australia Day Honours.

Presenter: Jemima Garrett

Speakers: Faith Bandler one of three people awarded Australia's top honours in Australia Day… Continue

Added by Stacey King on January 26, 2009 at 11:35pm — No Comments

Election Updates

Kam na Mauri

Ea tia n roko ana rongorongo te Commissioner Northern ibukin taonan te Rinrine are ea tia ngkoa ni baireaki ba ena kanakoaki 22nd ao 23rd Jan 2008 kioina ngkai e bon rangin korakora moa katabeana n te itera meang (Northern Division) imwiin korakoran te ang ao te karau are e uota te uruaki ae korakora. Ngkanne ena bon kanakoa ana rongorongo ngkana e tauraoi ana aobiti ibukin aia rinerine kaain Rambi. Ea bon tia naba n reitaki ma ana aobiti te PM ibukin bitakin te kaetieti… Continue

Added by Biara Touakin on January 22, 2009 at 11:59am — 5 Comments

For Everyone

HEY!

WINING A HEART IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO IN THIS WORLD,

MY AIM IS TO WIN AS MUCH AS I CAN AS A FRIEND.

IF YOU ARE ONE AMONGST THEM, I AM PLEASED & BLESSED.

PLEASE HONOR ME WITH YOUR ADD.

IF FRIENDSHIP PREVAILS ALL OVER THE WORLD,

THERE IS NO NEED FOR WAR,NO HATRED, NO CASTE OR CREED.

HARMONY & LOVE ARE THE TWO KEY WORDS FOR THE SUCCESS OF FRIENDSHIP.

LOVE MUST COME FROM YOUR HEART,

TRY TO LOVE EVERYBODY, OPEN YOUR WINDOW,

THEN YOU… Continue

Added by Tenga on January 21, 2009 at 10:49pm — 1 Comment