July 2010 Blog Posts (35)

Thursday, 29 July 2010, 1:01 pm Press Release: University of Waikato Media Release July 29, 2010

Pacific sojourn becomes life project for Fulbright Fellow at Waikato University. A former Peace Corps volunteer who turned his 20-month posting to the tiny Pacific Island nation of Kiribati into a ten-year project is spending a year as a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Waikato. Mike Roman is researching the lives of migrants from Kiribati as part of his PhD on what happens to the…

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA - Pacific Beat Updated July 29, 2010 16:18:59

Sydney University has introduced a new Pacific Law course to its Masters program that will be available, online, to students in the region. Although the course will be not be offered until January, next year, it has sparked interest from many Pacific countries and from the United States mainland. John Ridgeway, from the Pacific Legal Network, is one of the lecturers and he told Jemima Garrett the course will be the most…

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA - Pacific Beat Updated July 29, 2010 16:18:59

An extremely rare type of coral has been discovered in the Marshall islands. A variant of Elkhorn coral, which until now has been thought to be found only in the Atlantic, was found by researchers from Australia at Arno atoll. Dr Zoe Richards of the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, says the find is very exciting.

Presenter: Bruce…

by Serafina Silaitoga FIJI TIMES ONLINE Wednesday, July 28, 2010

THE Rabi Island Council has started paying its $70,000 debt to the Fiji National Provident Fund.

Council member Manate Tabakea said the new council had resolved that $5000 be paid to FNPF per month.

"We started paying up towards the end of last year and that has continued this year as we try to get rid of all the debts piled up from past years.

"When we came into office, we aimed to pay all debts of the…

by Serafina Silaitoga FIJI TIMES ONLINE Wednesday, July 28, 2010

THREE new councilors have been elected members of the Rabi Island Council following the by-election last week.

The new members are from Uma and Tabwewa Village.

The three elected are Bineati Sighra from Tabwewa Village and Iowane and Kaiea Bakanepo from Uma Village.

Mr Sighra replaces the late Baeba Abetai while Mr Iowane and Mr Bakanepo replaced former chairman Teatu Rewi and Tebaia…

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA - Pacific Beat Updated July 26, 2010 07:13:09

Australia's federal opposition is moving to put Nauru back on the map as an immigration processing centre for Australia.

The opposition's shadow minister for immigration, Scott Morrison, is considering a visit to Nauru soon.

He says the opposition would take any early opportunity to talk with leaders of…

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA - Pacific Beat Updated July 26, 2010 16:55:51

Sources in Australia's Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities claim more and more people from Fiji are arriving in Australia as tourists and then applying for protection visas. The department of immigration says actual figures on this are unavailable, but all cases are decided on a case by case basis, and there's no blanket policy covering…

Fijivillage.com Publish date/time: 24/07/2010 [16:40]

Fiji was and will remain the focal point of the Pacific region.

These were the words of Kiribati President Anote Tong at a joint press conference yesterday following the conclusion of the Engaging with the Pacific meeting.

After reading out the 20 point Natadola Communique, Tong stressed…

•Overseas Assignment

•Based in Kiribati

•18+ months Assignment

Box Hill Institute (BHI) is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified individuals interested in providing services to the Kiribati Technical Vocational Education and Training Sector Strengthening Program (TVETSSP). The AusAID supported program aims to support t he Government of Kiribati to increase their capacity to provide international standard TVET qualifications to increase economic growth and…

Congratulations from Family and friends in Australia to our newly elected RCL members.

Tabwewa Village - 1 seat only

Elected: Biniati Sigrah

Results: Tabwewa: Biniati Sigrah 302, Namatan Tearawa 123, Burenikamaraia Terubea 88.

Uma Village - 2 seats

Elected: Elder Seat: Ioane Terama

Results:Uma Elder Seat: Ioane Terama 139, Kaato Hedstrom 110, Taumanibure Burataake 84, Tekea Kaitarawa…

NZHERALD.CO.NZ 7:35 PM Thursday Jul 15, 2010

Thirty-three lives could have been saved if a Kiribati ferry had carried an emergency beacon and distress flares, according to a New Zealand report into the disaster, in which 35 people died last year.

The ferry was also ill-designed, did not have enough life jackets and rescuers were ill-prepared to rescue the survivors, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) said today, as it released its report into the incident,…

Australian diplomats appeared at a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in early May to dispense some friendly advice to Kiribati and Lesotho.

In Australia's opinion, neither country was doing enough on the home front to protect human rights. Australia recommended Kiribati…

ABC Radio Australia: Pacific Beat Updated July 20, 2010 17:02:41

Pacific island leaders have been urged to raise the slow progress of Australia's Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme at the regional leaders summit in Vanuatu next month. Under the pilot scheme, 2,500 workers from Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu would work in…

The names of those who were killed on Banaba during World War II are now available on the main Banaban website at: http://www.banaban.com/contents/en-us/d269_banaba-ocean-island-war-dead.html

The Report from the committee…

The Rabi Hounor Rolls of the first Rabi Settlers was published in ‘Banaba/Ocean Island News –Special 50th Anniversary Edition, December 1995 (as provided by Rabi Island Interim Administration)

This historial list and document has now been posted to the main Banaban website at:…

Fiji Sun Online - 19 July 2010

The 12 member team which carried out a four-day outreach programme returned to Labasa in the weekend.…

Sad to note that Tebaruru Baoa and Tuateira Burataake passed away on Saturday. These two have serve the Banaban people for eight years in council. Sadly missed by their families and friends.

Friday 16 July 2010

Dear Banabans,

As we talk vodafone_Labasa branch is carrying out its roadshow with very cheap deals on mobile phones and services it provides,…