Polye calls for greater returns

PAPUA New Guinea’s Opposition Leader Don Polye is calling for the petroleum and energy sector to ensure resource owners’ get greater benefits.

Speaking at the inaugural petroleum and energy summit in Port Moresby, Mr Polye said the discussions have been one-sided, focusing on corporate profitability, while the interests of landowners have been ignored.

Mr Polye says earnings from the sector must benefit the people and secure their futures. n RNZI

Prosecutor and assistant resign

SAMOA’S suspended director and assistant director for the National Prosecution Office have resigned.

The move by Mauga Precious Chang and Muriel Lui comes just days after a cabinet appointed tribunal recommended to the prime minister that Ms Chang be removed from her post. Ms Chang was heavily criticised by the tribunal over the way she handled an investigation into traffic offences she had been charged with.

The assistant director, Muriel Lui, was cleared by the tribunal. n RNZI

Concern over West Papua

VANUATU has addressed a high-level United Nations meeting over Pacific regional concerns about human rights abuses in Indonesia’s Papua region, or West Papua.

The 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, was told that Indonesia has not curtailed or halted various widespread violations.

Vanuatu’s Justice Minister Ronald Warsal was speaking on behalf of his country and six other Pacific nations: Tonga, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and Solomon Islands. n RNZI

NZ offer for training

NEW Zealand’s ambassador for Pacific development, Shane Jones, has invited French Polynesia to make use of maritime training expertise available in New Zealand.

He has been leading a delegation to the French territory this week. Views were exchanged on industrial fisheries and fish farming, with a focus on the cultivation of grouper and mackerel.

Mr Jones spoke of his desire for a partnership in the fisheries sector and in maritime training in which he says New Zealand has long-standing know-how. n RNZI

Taiwan, Tuvalu remain solid

TAIWAN President Tsai Ing-wen has accepted the credentials of Tuvalu’s new Ambassador to Taiwan, Limasene Teatu.

Thanking Tuvalu for its continuous support for Taiwan’s bid to join the United Nations, Ms Tsai said Taiwan would help Tuvalu achieve the goal of being powered entirely through renewable energy by 2020 as part of global sustainable development efforts. n RNZI