The Vanuatu Issue Nº 461
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December 15 - 21, 2012
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Titles altered in lease scam
by Tony Wilson AN elaborate scam has been uncovered involving land titles being altered by past and present Lands Department staff who then issued the leases to themselves. The scam has been discovered involving 11 titles on the Tassiriki Park Estate and in each case the land values, which include absolute waterfront lots, have been seriously undervalued. The estate, the brainchild of the late Pierre Bourgeois, was established in 1970 with significant amounts of what was then most innovative green space. It is the green space that has been targeted by the scammers, said a Bourgeois family spokesman. “There is no green space left at Tassiriki, they have taken it all and it’s crazy to think they would stop at this one estate,’’ he said. “How are we going to attract overseas investment when you can lease land then have your title changed and sold from under you by the very people who helped issue the titles?’’ The spokesman said that the land grab scam seemed mainly aimed at creating land packages for ‘the boys in the dept’. “One title was on-sold to a Chinese
The original subdivision map of the Tassiriki Park Estate near the former Intercontinental Hotel, now the Holiday Inn, showing the green spaces and (above) one of the spaces which has been misappropriated. person but we have sorted that one out and we will now take legal action against all these other false titles and the people involved,’’ he said. The family and Tassiriki Ltd spokesman
said the original estate is on urban land which is not subject to custom title – it is just unused government land. He said there is no provision for green space in Vanuatu, so Tassiriki Ltd went to
the then Lands Minister Paul Telukluk and asked him to create special non-saleable leases for the green space land so it could exist in law but not have a value placed on it. Continued Page 2
ANZ accused of treating Vanwods women poorly by Tony Wilson A GROUP of impoverished and shabbily dressed Vanwods women waiting to cash their Christmas cheques were asked to wait outside in the heat after being told they made the ANZ Bank foyer ‘untidy’. “Many of these women are victims of rape and incest and their personal stories read like something from a horror movie,” said a senior Vanwods volunteer/organiser. She said a large group of women, some of them quite elderly, were forced to stand outside the bank in the boiling sun on December 7 after the unbelievable ANZ edict. Disgusted Vanwods managment are now seriously considering closing their sizeable ANZ account and moving it to a more friendly bank in Port Vila. “It is only a few times a year that we have groups of our 250 women cashing their
INSIDE
cheques at the ANZ bank,’’ said a Vanwods spokesperson. “And this is not the first time that ANZ management has frowned on our women because of the so-called standard of their dress and appearance.’’ The Vanwods spokeswoman said that a person with a management title of customer services manager or similar had asked the women to move outside and then re-enter in small numbers at a time to cash their cheques. Vanwods is one of the more successful microfinance projects in the South Pacific region, providing disadvantaged women with access to microfinance and income earning opportunities. It consists of pods which are made up of three women or ‘sistas’, with 10 pods to a district. Each of the women is able to receive small business loans and if they default on their loan it is
re-paid by their sistas in the pod. There has never been a default on a loan in Vanwods in Vanuatu. “They may be looking down on our sistas, but a significant number go on to become very successful businesswomen, earning VT300,000 - 400,000 a month, which would put them ahead of many ANZ managers who are frowning on them,’’ said a Vanwods organiser. ANZ Bank’s head of corporate banking, Warren Bobin, said that week, several mamas from Vanwods come into the Port Vila branch. “The number of customers we serve from Vanwods is generally higher around Christmas,’’ he said. “On Friday, December 7, we had approximately 138 mamas come in to conduct their banking along with our regular customer traffic flow.
Le mystère du décès d’Harry Iauko
Brother guilty of sexual ‘revenge’ uu 3
“This caused considerable congestion in the banking chamber and in order to assist movement of customers and ensure the safety of our customers we asked the mamas to congregate at the back door and we served 10 at a time through three of our tellers who were dedicated to the Vanwods customers. “There was a change in the weather Friday afternoon and when it began to rain we asked if they would like to come into the branch, however I am told they declined the offer. “We are supportive of Vanwods and their micro-finance and their involvement in the community. We have been working with Vanwods on alternative service channels including using our ATM network to give them easy access to cash. “We will continue to work with Vanwods on this and regret the inconvenience caused.’’
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uu 10
THE PRINCIPAL DISTRIBUTION AGENT OF THE INDEPENDENT ON OUTER ISLANDS IS VANUATU POST. COPIES RECEIVED BY OUTER ISLAND HIGH SCHOOLS ARE COURTESY OF WESTPAC VANUATU.
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News
MP Willie Jimmy wants justice for all
Contents main news
2-5
bislama news
26
children’s page
35
classifieds
24
comics
32
christmas features
13, 39
entertainment
34
french news
8 - 11
gardening
19
letter to the editor
6
medical
31
motoring
22
opinion
7
promedical news
30
recipes 20 - 21 red cross news
30
sport
37, 38
vinedu
6
weather
25
wilson’s word
7
NEW Port Vila MP Willie Jimmy said he will appeal to an international court if Vanuatu courts cannot decide over the VT13 million land rental case of the current Prime Minister Sato Kilman. In an interview with The Independent on Friday, MP Jimmy said that he believed that the Vanuatu’s Supreme Court will dismiss the case on ‘technical grounds.’ He said this was the reason that his legal counsel requested Chief Justice Vincent Lunapeck disqualify himself from the case and allow another presiding judge to hear the case. He said the case began with 2008 general elections, when Mr Kilman first challenged
the case and he appealed the decision made by the then Electoral Commission – that enabled him to contest and win that election. “Four years after, the case is still pending. I want the case to be settled once and for all,’’ said Mr Jimmy. “Vanuatu has a law, the Representation of the People’s Act, that applies to all applicants. I do not see any reason why some or most of us have to comply with the act and a few don’t have to comply.’’ He said that the Prime Minister could not offset the debt with his Malekula property. “This is different case and if Vanuatu Court
is not able to handle the case, I will seek a higher court so that the case is settled once and for all,’’ he said. Mr Jimmy’s name was excluded on the first list of eligible candidates that was released by the Electoral Commission. He had his name on the second list, after he paid a debt still owed to the Department of Rates and Taxes. Mr Kilman’s lawyer wrote a letter to The Independent a month ago to inform the company that the case is still pending in court. However Mr Jimmy said he is now waiting for a response from the court through his legal counsel, if a date will be set soon for the hearing of the case. He said after four years or so the Vanuatu court should have already dealt with it.
Illegal ‘Man Black’ shotgun is wanted back
THE illegal ‘Man Black’ shotgun that was sold by Senior Inspector Ron Tamtam to a ni Vanuatu for VT 20,000 has re-emerged this week.
Minister Kilman’s son. The Independent contacted Mr Kilman’s son’s office on Friday but was told that he is currently on leave.
A man approached the buyer and handed an amount of VT 20,000 to the buyer – without taking the gun.
The Independent could not reach him on his cell phone. Senior Inspector Tamtam admitted to The Independent a month ago that he sold the firearm arm on behalf of an expatriate who had left the country. He said that he does not know anything about the importation of the shotgun. The Man Black shotgun is prohibited in Vanuatu.
The Independent was told by a very reliable source that the individual who visited the buyer of the firearm was an ex high risk prisoner, who is allegedly a very close friend to Prime Minister Sato Kilman’s family. The source said that the ex prisoner told him that the money was given to him by Prime
The Independent found in its investigations that Senior Inspector Tamtam was trying to reclaim the shotgun in question. Meanwhile, The Independent understands
that this matter is also currently in the hands of the Police Service Commission for consideration. A few years ago, there was a case where a New Zealand national wanted to apply for a licence to import firearms for Vanuatu. His request was rejected by the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA). One of the reasons being that Vanuatu has more unregistered firearms compared to registered weapons under the Vanuatu Force armoury. Since last year, Police launched a firearms census throughout Vanuatu to update their data.
Samsen wants chiefs to combat climate change
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by Hilaire Bule
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THE Minister of the first ever Ministry of Civil Aviation, Meteorological and Postal Services, Samson Samsen, wants to see more participation of custom authorities in combating climate change.
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Mr Samsen made the comment during his familiarisation visit to government departments and statutorily bodies including the climate change office following his appointment as Minister on November 19 by Prime Minister, Sato Kilman.
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Since his appointment less than a month ago, Mr Samsen has started his official visits to organisations under his portfolio, making sure that familiarisation and relationships with the new Civil Aviation Ministry by all departments and institutions under the Civil Aviation Ministry are up to pace with all other government ministries. Despite the Opposition threatening the new government with a vote of no confidence last week, Mr Samsen began planning his familiarisation visits around that same time, showing his full confidence in the current Prime Minister.
On December 5, following arrangements made by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Meteo and Postal Services, the management of Northern Islands Stevedoring Company in Santo paid a courtesy visit to the ministry in Port Vila to meet Mr Samsen. The next day, the minister and NISCOL delegation made a courtesy visit to the Airports Vanuatu Limited (AVL) in the morning to receive the company’s briefing. He met with department heads and statutory bodies under the new Civil Aviation Ministry at the conference room of the department of Vanuatu Meteorological Services to overview the way forward to the ministry’s budgetary constraints.
Leases altered in Tassiriki land lease scam
From Page 1 “This was duly done and it is these areas that have been cleverly targeted, some going back a few years and other green space leases altered as recent as July this year,’’ he said. The spokesman said the scammers had altered the title numbers and details and created ridiculous valuations.
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“For example, one special title ended in the numerals 070 and it now appears as 072 and another ended with 040 and it is now 041,’’ he said.
He gave one example marked on the map shown on Page 1, of a crucial section of green space that had been ‘re-branded.’ “There is a whole section of dry blocks behind this waterfront green space and it is their only real link to the water,’’ he said. “Not only is this part of the original plan but it has also added value on to all those dry blocks.
“This waterfront green space is about 2000 sq m and would be worth around VT 40 million if it was on the market.
“In one case, creating a new title, registering it and then selling it took an amazing nine days.
“It now has a fake value on it of VT 2.965 million, which is just outrageous, and we intend to stop this type of scamming now.
“If you tried to do all that legitimately, it would take more than a year to complete.’’
“The Bourgeois family has nothing to gain financially from taking civil action here, they just want to protect the legacy left to them by the patriarch of their family.
The spokesman said as a general rule the value of land in Tassiriki is about VT10,000 per sq m and that doubles to VT20,000 per sq m for waterfront land.
“Green space is recognised as an important part of every city and town and these days; Port Vila suffers from a severe lack of it because of greed like we have seen at Tassiriki.’’
“And keep the sub division as it was originally intended.
“
Quote for the Weekend
Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless
”
- Bill Watterson
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
News
Female proves just as good at ‘male’s job’ by Ruby Malverus FLORENCE Kalfau has proved that females are just as capable of doing mechanical jobs as males. She has become the first female in many years graduating from VIT in automotive mechanics.
can make money easily, and once you are promoted to higher levels you will be a clean person, like a boss,” said Mr Ketty. “We are in a modern age, we have more electronic needs, more mechanic needs and if that means females should do these jobs then they should.”
Miss Kalfau was the only female among the 17 graduates in the Automotive Department at VIT this year and she is now employed by Intraco.
Miss Kalfau’s dream of becoming a mechanic has progressed as she is now fixing a jet-ski after removing an engine from a Pajero vehicle at the Auto Dis garage last week.
The Head of VIT’s Automotive department Malai Sam Ketty said not only boys can do mechanics but females can too as long as they are serious.
“I am happy with my achievements so far but I will still further my engineering studies, maybe in Fiji or Samoa after some years of work experience here in Intraco,” she said.
“Most girls learn for clean jobs because they consider mechanics as an unhygienic occupation but there are some areas in mechanics where you
Mr Ketty said the department had gone through quite a lot in theory and practical work for trainees to gain a clear understanding of mechanics.
Graduate mechanic Florence Kalfau works on a jetski at Intraco. “The department confers significant mechanical modules such as Occupational Health and Safety, technical drawing, tools and equipment, basic hard work, welding, vehicle outline, steering system, brake system, basic electricity in vehicles and many more engineering stuff, which
Florence and her other male colleagues grasp throughout their learning in VIT,” he said. He said Florence performed well and was willing to do the work in the workshop during their theory and practical in school.
Brother found guilty of sexual ‘revenge’ by Richard Michael A YOUTH has been found guilty by the Supreme Court this week after he forced his younger brother’s girlfriend to have sex with him as revenge. Ishmael Peter Less claimed that his younger brother firstly had an affair with his former girlfriend and he then forced his younger brother’s girlfriend to have sex with him against her will. Prosecutor Tabisa Harrison said she will seek 10 years behind bars when the sentencing date is set. “The defence had lost all credits tabled by the court even if the court told them to plead guilty so they would have some chance to get their sentence reduced,” she said. Less was charged with sexual intercourse without consent contrary to section 91 of the Penal Code. Justice Mary Sei said the facts have shown that Less, from Tongoa, admitted to one of the prosecution witnesses that he had sex with his younger brother’s girlfriend as a revenge over a relationship his younger brother had with his former girlfriend.
She said in a summary of the prosecution evidence to the court it had been shown that the 17-year-old girl went to the Shakers nightclub on September 1 with a friend of hers when Less found them there. She said the facts showed that Less kissed her forehead and she asked him about her boyfriend (Less’s younger brother) but he said that he was at home. Less and his brother’s girlfriend then both went in a bus that dropped them at Tagabe Bridge, near where they lived. “They followed the route to the house and as they walked towards the house, Less pulled her by her hand and dragged her,” Mrs Sei said. “She told him not to pull her but he continued to pull her and dragged her to the bushes and pushed her down to the ground. “She pushed him back but he was too strong and he took her clothes off and raped her by blocking her mouth to stop her screaming.” Mrs Sei said after Less raped her, he dressed the girl and walked her down to his brother’s house.
“When they were about to reach the house, Less told her not to tell his younger brother what had happened,” she said. “She said Less told her that his younger brother had done something to his girlfriend.” She said the second prosecution witness was Less’ younger brother who testified that her girlfriend reached home at around 3.30am and felt beside him and he pushed her away.
Andrew Bal for the defence sought to challenge the evidence of the girl on the grounds that it was inconsistent and unreliable. “It is submitted by the defence that the complainant gave wholly inconsistent evidence about the number of times Less had sex with her,” she said. “The girl said that there were three rounds of sex, whilst in re-examination, she said there was only one round of sex.”
“When he pushed her away, she burst into tears and told him that Less raped her,” said Mrs Sei.
Mrs Sei said Mr Bal has also submitted that there was no medical report to support the claims made by the victim and that the case is an oath on oath case.
“He took his girlfriend outside the house because she was crying and making noise in the bedroom which he shared with one of his cousins.
She said Mr Bal told the court that the actions of Less after the incident are not consistent with the allegation of sexual intercourse without consent.
“He advised his girlfriend that she should go and see her parents and launch a complaint to the police station because he couldn’t do it as Less was his real brother.
She said the Court was satisfied that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt all the essential elements of the offence of sexual intercourse without consent.
“The younger brother testified that Less was fully aware of their relationship and sometimes they would go together to visit her.”
“I find the accused Ishmael Peter Less guilty accordingly,” said Mrs Sei. He was given 14 days to appeal the verdict.
Former AVL CEO admits obtaining money by deception Con woman faces compensation by Richard Michael FORMER Airport Vanuatu Limited (AVL) CEO Henry Jowangeh pleaded guilty this week to charges of obtaining more than VT six million by deception. He is on bail and will re-appear in the Supreme Court for sentencing in the near future. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of obtaining money by deception contrary to section 130B (1) of the Penal Code Act CAP 135. Jowangeh pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was first called in to the Supreme Court mid-year. This week was set for trial but Jowangeh decided to reenter his plea, this time with an early guilty plea before Justice Robert Spears. Jowangeh, who was the AVL CEO, had misused more than VT six million paid in advance for his housing rent at Platiniere Estate.
The missapropriation was noticed by the current CEO Peter Bong after he found the outgoing CEO had taken the money in order to settle an advance payment of his rented house from 2012 to 2014. The court documents showed that his contract ended on February 14, 2012. Jowangeh was arrested on April 12 this year by investigators near his Platiniere Estate home and was remanded at the Correctional Centre for misusing that amount, but was later released on bail. Jowangeh was originally charged with obtaining money by false and misleading statements under the penal code. An additional theft charge was added during his first arraignment in the Magistrates Court on April 27 but his charges were amended to obtaining money by deception. Jowangeh took office in 2006 and during that time he used the stolen amount for his personal purposes.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
by Richard Michael
A CON WOMAN who pleaded guilty for pocketing more than VT one million from people is now waiting for a compensation report to be prepared before she starts compensating her victims. Raymond Paul entered an early guilty plea to one count of obtaining money by deception contrary to section 130B (1) in Supreme Court this week. Raymond Paul, from Banks, could face up to 12 years imprisonment as stated by the law if she fails to execute the compensation plan. Prosecutor Tristan Karae said the woman was telling people that she was an recruiting agent for New Caledonia employers to win peoples’ money for her personal use. He said she will appear again early next year to receive details on how she will compensate the victims. He could not confirm how much Paul owed each of the victims but said it totalled more than VT one million.
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News
Former Carpenter Motors accountant may be jailed
by Richard Michael A FORMER Carpenter Motors accountant who has pleaded guilty to tranferring more than VT2.2 million into her private accounts may be sent to jail. Chief Justice Vincent Lunabeck said the circumstances of the theft and misappropriation offences by Fiona Simon are very serious and a custodial sentence would suit the nature of her offending. He said that the case is straightforward if the defence counsel does not manage to convince the court with a stronger
submissions that would require the court to reconsider its current stance to the case.
we agreed to pay back to the company VT30,000 a month.”
the content of the state claims did not involve a compensation report.
Mr Lunabeck made the statement after the defence counsel Andrew Bal argued that his client is currently employed and she just started this week.
Mr Bal said Simon’s sister will help her with her payment back to Carpenter Motors and they guaranteed there would be no failure to pay the money back.
“Fiona is currently employed at Ground Force as an administrative assistant and receives more than VT50,000 per month,” he said.
He said the period of offending was two years, from 2010 to 2012, and he agreed with Mr Lunabeck about Simon opening some accounts and closing some after she knew she was about to traced.
Mr Lunabeck said he had seen the statements of the management and said they were not happy with Simon’s habits and behavior in their company and the management wrote in their statements that she should be ashamed of herself.
“We have requested a pre-sentence report to be filed and a compensation report and
Public prosecutor Kayleen Tavoa made a short sentencing submission saying that
After considering the submissions for both counsels, Chief Justice Lunabeck said the court could deliver a sentence afterwards but he wanted to give more time.
group of learners that have enormously contributed to the development of harmonisation courses at Vanuatu Institute of Teachers Education (VITE)”, she said.
“But we still need the VITE support and the Ministry of Education to get prepared to welcome new minds into the teaching profession,” she said.
of this nation is in their hands and urged them to work together to educate more lawyers and doctors for the betterment of this nation.
“We did not help to write the courses but we have been trained with these courses and our evaluation in the courses will help the lecturers to revise them ready for the following years.”
“This year’s financial crisis within the Ministry of Education has many of us are questioning our future but I am sure the government will not leave us after it had spent a lot of money towards our training.”
She said 81 graduating students officially received their diplomas this week and it is an honour to her as one of the first students under the three-year harmonisation program.
She said they have learnt many teaching skills during the three-year program in that institution and they are competent enough to make some development in the education sector.
She urged her graduate friends to keep joining hands together even if they are posted in different islands in Vanuatu.
The Education Minister Stephen Kalsakau was not present at the graduation hall because of other commitments, but the director of education Joe Nirua delivered a speech on his behalf.
He said the management said the business of the court to deal with matter.
Graduating teacher urges government to create more jobs
by Richard Michael A GRADUATING teacher who was certified this week said they do not want to be left out of teaching jobs. Leiwia Kaltalia, who graduated with a diploma in primary education, asked the government to prepare in advance to accommodate the new teachers who are graduating every year. She made the call during her official address to the government leaders and parents who attended the teachers’ graduation. “We consider ourselves as a very important
Miss Kaltalia told her friends that the future
MASPET: Revive Cooperative system - a way forward for farmers by Evelyne Toa A GROUP representing Vanuatu farmers is establishing an association called Prescribed Farmers Cooperative (MASPET) to represent farmers and defend their interests. MASPET’s president Johnny Keleb and executive officer Remo Reubon visited The Independent this week to announce that MASPET was launched in July in Vila and it is still appealling to all farmers to join ‘so that all can work together to promote Vanuatu’s crops and local farmers work nationally and regionally.’ The duo recalled that before Vanuatu’s independence, the then New Hebrides had
a better and effective cooperative society system in place. They said during that period, each island had its own cooperative society that worked and connected to the Cooperative Federation in Port Vila, which was the main Coop supplier to the islands. They said the Coop Federation then owned vessels that serviced and collected crops but particularly cocoa and copra from islands and transported them back to either Luganville or Port Vila. “ We wanted to revive this cooperative system to assist and promote Vanuatu’s local farmers standard –to be able to sell their local products through the
Cooperative society network, instead of using ‘middle crops sellers or importers’, to act on farmers’s behalf.” they said. “We understand in many occasions and for different products not only kava, cocoa and peanuts, farmers are left with almost zero percentage of their harvests. “At the end of the day, most of the benefits would go to the middlemen - a win-lose situation. “ Mr Keleb said for example in his home island of Malo, they produced around 80,000 tons of copra a year, the same with other islands in the northern part of Vanuatu including Santo, Malekula and Ambrym, that remain main copra producers. We
Vanuatu in pictures
copra producers, are not making money/ profit at the end of the day, taking into consideration every expenses that include transport, hiring of copra dryer, (for those who do not have one) and food for copra cutters. He said currently the copra local market price is at VT 16,000 a ton. He cited a classic example that a week ago, he sold 5 bags of copra, worth VT 7,086. He said he had spent (with all the recepts attached) almost all the money following expenses incurred during the process of the activity. He said he spent VT 2000 for transport (return), VT 1500 for the hire of the dryer and Vt 2500 for copra cutters. The duo emphasised that ni Vanuatu are capable and are skillfull to do works or activities that ni Vanuatu workers are currently doing with farmers in New Zealand under the Regional Seasonal Employment Scheme or RSE. They added that the ‘revived Cooperative society system network’ if implemented, will also contribute to the reduction of unemployment rate in Vanuatu. They said that they now have the support from the government through the Department of ni-Vanuatu Business and the Department of Trade and Commerce also.
SADNESS AND JOY... Charles and Mary Hunter of north Efate sent these two bittersweet pictures taken at a local wedding. In contrast to the happiness of wedding guests dancing up a storm is the touching picture of the mother and sister of the groom, who must farewell their son and brother. The Independent wants to see YOUR photos of life throughout Vanuatu - any topic you like. Send pictures (preferably in jpg or tiff format, 500kb or more) to: editor@independent.vu and we will publish the best each week.
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They concluded with the following statement: ‘Do listen to others, but do not become a blind follower; Do not wait for others to move out, where you see injustice or corruption, speak out, for this is your country, this is your democracy, make it, protect it and passs it on.’ Finally they take this opportunity to thank the government for its support to the project and wish people of Vanuatu Merry Chrismas and prosperous New Year 2013.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
News
Better budgets to help protect Pacific countries THE fiscal positions of Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands all deteriorated in 2012. Reduced commodity export earnings arising from softer global demand resulted in lower than budgeted revenue collections. Vanuatu’s reduced revenue is prompting measures to control expenditure and keep fiscal balances close to the government’s budget target. Fiscal positions in small island economies of Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu improved in 2012, largely due to improved budget performance in the face of a weakening global economic environment, according to the December issue of the Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM). “The improved fiscal performance in several smaller Pacific economies is encouraging, particularly in the context of a weaker global economy,” said Xianbin Yao, Director General of ADB’s Pacific Department. “The weakening in the fiscal performance of larger resource exporting Pacific economies, which are showing ill-effects from the weaker global economy, highlights the need for all Pacific economies to continue to work to improve their fiscal management and public service delivery while investing in vital infrastructure to enhance their long term economic prospects.” Revenue collections in Kiribati, Nauru,
and Tuvalu were boosted by a new fishing license scheme and transitory effects of El Niño on fish harvests. Higher revenues and continuing fiscal consolidation contributed to the improved fiscal performance in Samoa and Tonga. Fiji is expected to achieve a narrower deficit than budgeted due to its adoption of an advance payment scheme for company taxes, but other measures – such as rising commitments to expenditure on capital works and the national airline’s purchase of new aircraft – raise concerns about rising debt. The fiscal positions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu all deteriorated in 2012. Reduced commodity export earnings arising from softer global demand resulted in lower than budgeted revenue collections. Vanuatu’s reduced revenue is prompting measures to control expenditure and keep fiscal balances close to the government’s budget target. The PEM, published three times a year, shows PNG’s 2013 budget continues to shift from new capital expenditure to recurrent spending on priority social sectors and infrastructure maintenance. Timor-Leste, meanwhile, underspent on an ambitious capital budget in 2012, leading the government to reallocate funds to recurrent expenditure. In contrast, Fiji’s 2013 budget allocates a substantially higher proportion of expenditures on capital works.
PM Kilman defeats no confidence motion PRIME Minister Sato Kilman has defeated the vote of no confidence bought against him by the Opposition on Monday. He received 27 votes while the opposition received 23 votes with one abstention. The extraordinary sitting was originally scheduled to take place on Friday but was adjourned until Monday after the Supreme Court overturned a ruling by the Speaker that the Opposition’s motion was not in order. Mr Kilman criticised the Opposition for
boycotting Friday’s sitting of Parliament. He said the opposition boycotted the sitting to buy more time to lure additional MPs over to its side before Monday’s debate of the motion. On Sunday evening the Opposition had 27 MPs at its camp, until late in the evening, when People’s Progressive Party (PPP)’s John Amos, from Shepherds outer island, and the Union of Moderate Partis (UMP)’s MP Silus Yatan were removed from the camp to rejoin the government before Monday’s sitting.
Labour boss says skilled workers scheme timely THE Commissioner of Labour says a new Melanesian Spearhead Group skilled workers scheme is timely. Members of the MSG have signed an agreement to implement a Skills Movement Scheme, an initiative allowing about 400 workers from each country to be employed across the MSG countries. Lionel Kaluat said the initiative has come at an important time as the global financial crisis has affected many small island states. He said Vanuatu is short of a range of skilled workers.
“I’m looking more at skills such as engineering, scientists, all these very, very high skilled technical skills we need in terms of infrastructure to do engineering for building of airport, building of bridges, building of wharves,’’ he said. “And these are the skills that the country really needs in order to enter into bigger scale developments.” Mr Kaluat said there is also a need to put a policy in place to address the need for greater human resource development in Vanuatu.
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Get the facts... get The Independent The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
VANUATU NEWS
in Brief
VPF under Caulton for another four months THE Vanuatu Police Force will be under Arthur Caulton as acting Commissioner of Police for another four months. Mr Caulton’s three months acting appointment by the Kilman Government ended on December 4 when 11 suspended senior police officers were arrested and questioned for alleged mutinious acts. A source within the government said that a Council of Ministers’ (CoM) meeting held two weeks ago was divided over the appointment of Mr Caulton as Commisioner of Police. However, the Kilman government decided to extend the acting appointment of Mr Caulton for another four months, while awaiting the appointment of a police commissioner. Prime Minister Kilman who took over the police portfolio from the Minister of Internal Affairs, Toara Daniel two weeks ago, claimed in a public statement that these four months will allow the Police Service Commission and the government to be able to review and reassess Mr Caulton’s performance. Mr Caulton has held the deputy police commissioner’s post and been acting police commissioner many times during past years and many police operations. The Independent was told that the Ministry of Internal Affairs was pressurised to have the Police Service Commission readvertise the Commissioner’s post. This follows the selection of three names of police officers who have been short listed by DG Simeon Athy’s special panel committee.
Lawyer Stephen: No one is above the law THE legal counsel of the suspended senior police officers urged acting commissioner of police Arthur Caulton not to breaking down law and order. Mr Saling Stephens who acted on behalf of Inspector Georges Songi and others, said that his clients have instructed that they were unlawfully arrested and detained for more than eight hours at the Vila police station without advising them for what offences they have committed. “Only at their interrogation by the police investigators, that they would be charged for their mutinous acts committed on September 29 which the suspended police officers refute as a misconstruction of the law,” he said. Mr Stephens said his clients assert that Joshua Bong was the Commissioner of Police on that day of the arrest of certain senior police officers and it is quite apparent that such an alleged offencding was undertaken by his clients on that day in question. He said if there was any offending as alleged, then the offending would have been carried out to overthow Mr Bong, who was the then Commissioner of Police, on that relevent date, and not Mr Caulton. In his letter, Stephens informed Mr Caulton that his police officers have misconstrued the law by alleging his clients have conspired to arrest the then Prime Minister, the then Deputy Prime Minister, and the then Minister of Internal Affairs, or Mr Caulton, who ‘categorically do not fall within the legal definition of mutiny’. Meanwhile Mr Stephens is currently preparing a civil claim for compensation for wrongful arrest and unlawful imprisonment to be taken personally against Mr Caulton and certain police officers. He also advised Mr Caulton not to take the law into his own hands and let the matter progress to court in a judicially recognised manner.
Vanuatu pays respect to late Iauko VANUATU has paid its last respects to the late minister, Harry Iauko. The Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, and Tanna MP Iauko was rushed to Northern Provincial Hospital on Tuesday morning from a hotel in Luganville and was pronounced dead a short time later. A spokesman from the office of Prime Minister Sato Kilman said Mr Iauko’s death is believed to have stemmed from complications of pneumonia. His body was flown on Wednesday afternoon to Tanna for burial.
ATR returns from service AIR Vanuatu’s ATR72-500 is on its way back from a month long service with Malaysian Airlines - with a clean bill of health. CEO Joseph Laloyer said the aircraft returned to schedule and the aircraft is back in service on Tuesday. During the maintenance period, Air Vanuatu leased a replacement ATR72 from Air Tahiti which operated its last flight on Monday. “We are very grateful to Air Tahiti for their professional service over the last month which has ensured minimal disruption to our passengers,” said Mr Laloyer. The airline has been operating supplementary Boeing 737 flights to Fiji in the absence of the ATR, however direct flights to Suva will resume at the weekend. “As we approach our busiest time of year on the domestic network, we ask our passengers to please assist us by ensuring they book early, check in early and take advantage of our supplementary flight to Santo, scheduled for December 23,” Laloyer said.
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News & Views VINEDU has heard that the Opposition has lost face when the deputy Prime Minister told them that they are also part of the current country’s financial problems because they have also previously occupied the positions of Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. VINEDU has heard that the newly graduated teachers have expressed their worries during their graduation ceremony this week that they don’t know if the government will employ them and if government has the money to pay for
vinedu their salaries next year. Their worries follow the issue of unpaid teachers last year and this year and over the budget shortfall for the operational cost of the Ministry of Education.
VINEDU has heard that government should immediately deport the skipper and the crew member of mega yacht Phocea and sell it before a cyclone strikes the country. There are claims the vessel is not safe and while it is still in the country, the prime suspect who managed to escape from Vanuatu authorities is likely to cause damages in Vanuatu. Vinedu has heard that prime suspect has never failed in one his missions. VINEDU has heard that before you buy leaves ‘lap lap’ at Port Vila market, yu must luk luk gud insaed from we long
metel, hemi lif banana. VINEDU has heard that the municipality has decided to close Etas dump site and use Port Vila market as new dump side. VINEDU has heard that new police commissioner will only be appointed in March next year. The government has decided to set up a security council like UN security council to create a special force of its citizens in Australia and to track Vanuatu’s no 1 fugitive - Pascal Anh Saken.
Letters
PM’s reasoning for reappointment of Acting Police Commissioner
I FIND the statement by Prime Minister Sato Kilman Livtunvanu regarding the reappointment of Arthur Caulton as Acting Police Commission amusing.
He has on a number of occasions held the position of Acting Police Commissioner, so why would you need a further four months to analyse his performance?
To say the reappointment was purposely to allow the Public Service Commission and the government to analyse and reassess the performance of Caulton for the top police job is absurd.
The most recent arrest of suspended, high ranking police officers without an arrest warrant and without seeking the opinion of the Public Prosecutor, to me is enough, and leaves me in no doubt that he is incompetent to continue to hold office, and justifies his poor performance.
Caulton has held the position of Deputy Police Commissioner for many, many years and as deputy police commissioner he was in charge of police operations and is also responsible for policy matters!
The PM’s reasoning for Mr Caulton’s four month extension contract, and the decision to remove and take over the police
portfolio from Daniel Toara, the minister for internal affairs, is telling me that he is up to something!
I will not be surprised if he (the PM) goes ahead and force the appointment of Caulton as Police Commissioner, against decisions of his colleague ministers, just like he did to vote for Indonesia’s observer status in the MSG, against the Council of Ministers’ decision. But any layman with brains would simply say, get rid of controversial officers, install a neutral person, even if he has to be a foreigner that will restore trust and
Mama Graon review – relevance question remains
BEFORE the October elections, I was approached by AusAID and offered a position in the Mama Graon Review team that was supposed to undertake a review of the MGP, particularly to question the relevance of the program in respect to the land situation and challenges we continue to face in Vanuatu. However, I was sidelined in the last minute because some respected public servants in the public service, particularly some senior civil servants who have no expertise whatsoever in lands, decided that I am not needed in the review team using my intention to contest the elections as an reason not to hire me, even though AusAID did not object to my intention to contest as an obstacle to being hired because AusAID recognized my expertise.
Therefore it is sad that my country, my government can not appreciate and take advantage of what I had to offer in terms of the more relevant issues that needed to be addressed under MGP. The review team was supposed to consist of a Australian consultant, one from PNG, a New Zealander and a Ni-Vanuatu (who is supposed to be an expert in valuation). There will be two team leaders, one appointed by the Australian Govt and one by the Vanuatu Govt. I understand this team never got off the (mama) ground pe ating mi rong. I am making this open letter to AusAID and Vanuatu Government to ask if a review team has in fact done a review
and, if so, what is the result of the review? Do we expect the report to be made public ? Personally, as someone who is involved in this industry for well over 25 years, I must say that MGP is not addressing the core problematic issues that is obstructing landowners and even investors in achieving an environment which is not only condusive to economic growth, but also increases the likelihood of a lease administration system which is ‘fair and equitable’. The relevance question of Mama Graon Program needs to be answered. The people of this country needs to know how VT 1.6 Billion is being spent on and what the program has actually achieved in terms of the issue of ‘fair and equitable land dealings’ and the protection and promotion of landowners rights. Levi Tarosa Registered Valuer/Lease Management Consultant & President, Vanuatu Progressive Development Party-Efate THE Independent welcomes letters to the editor and encourages readers to express their views in writing. However, it should be understood that not every letter submitted will be published and the decision whether or not to do so remains at the discretion of the editor. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. The views expressed by letter writers are not necessarily those of the management and staff of The Independent.
confidence from members of the force, to ensure the VPF is a disciplined force. On the contrary, if an appointment is made against national interest and if it is intended to satisfy an individual, or political party, or a minority group then that mounts to corruption! That’s the definition for corruption… not the issue of leaving lights on by civil servants when they walk out of office. Tom Thompson Port Vila
Re: Land leases and ‘alienation’ IN response to the Vanuatu News in Brief column, article titled ‘Specialist says land leases amount to alienation’. I am a guilty party and have land leased in a rural area of Nth Efate. The specialist in land and governance, Ms Siobhan McDonnnell’s statement that 10-12 per cent of Vanuatu land is now under lease may well be correct, but that the article implies a large percentage of this lease hold land is occupied by resorts and ‘expensive housing’ seems misleading. It must be likely that the larger percentage of the leases are for agricultural purposes such as cattle grazing land and coconut plantations, with no improvements to the land in the form of buildings at all. I suppose fencing off this land may be a form of short term alienation (with the positive impact of medium scale employment and training in these industries plus land rent?). But I am by no means a specialist in this area and perhaps Ms McDonnell’s investigation as a land law advisor could be made public in a fuller form so both Ni-Vanuatu citizens and expat residents could be more informed about the possible impact on ‘Vanuatu’s young people’. Nth Efate resident (name supplied)
News
Relief on way for dry Pacific METEOROLOGISTS are predicting the western Pacific should soon get some relief from the dry spell that has gripped the region. The lack of rain is starting to have a major impact in some countries. The OK Tedi copper mine in Papua New Guinea is facing closure because of low river levels. Water supplies are being rationed in Samoa, while in Tonga and Niue levels are running low. The climate and meteorology advisor to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program, Neville Koop, told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program that rain could be on the way. Page 6
“Certainly back a few months ago we were looking like an El Nino would be likely, so this deficiency in rainfall can be associated with the movement of seawater that accompanied that. "We are moving back towards more normal type rainfall, I would expect that they would start to see some rain fall around the Papua New Guinea region over the next few weeks. Mr Koop said the western Pacific is experiencing rare weather conditions. "Generally speaking the climate in the Pacific likes to be in either El Nino or La Nina and long periods in neutral are fairly uncommon," he said.
Use of social media rises dramatically A RESEARCH paper has found that the use of social media in the Pacific has grown exponentially in the past few years and has the potential to significantly influence the region’s governance and development. Danielle Cave, from the Lowy Institute in Australia, looked at the growth in information and communication technology across the region. She says while the Pacific is a relative latecomer to telecommunications, the figures show that tools like mobile phones, Facebook and online blogs have enjoyed a big growth spurt in recent times. Ms Cave says people are using social media to hold people accountable for their actions. “We’re seeing people post pictures of rubbish and complaining why are people leaving rubbish around the streets and who should be paying for this and really thinking about what is happening in that sort of sense. And at the same time people are holding politicians accountable for their actions, blog posts are going up asking what politicians are getting paid and where is that money going.” Ms Cave says there are almost 700,000 Facebook users in the region now, of which at least 150,000 of those joined this year alone.
The Independent/L’Indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
WW feels that mention must be made here of the passing of Havannah Harbour resident Anton Jacobsen. He suffered a fatal heart attack last Saturday while being involved in one of his great loves – marathon swimming with Port Vila Masterbathers. A big fella in every sense of the word, Anton was a success at all he touched. A clever businessman, great boating person and a qualified pilot, he had an enormous zest for life. But above all else, he was a devoted family man and, just from a neighbour’s perspective, that strong love for those near and dear to him could be seen clearly and admired. WW offers his respects to the family and friends of Anton – and although it is a cliché, it is apt for this man – only the good die young.
THE location of two recent graduation ceremonies in Port Vila has left WW somewhat bemused. Firstly almost 400 VIT students graduated in a glittering ceremony at Le Lagon’s wonderful new convention centre and last week it was the turn of the nurses at the same venue. WW wants to make it clear that he is convinced that the new centre at Le Lagon is a major tourism boost and something long overdue in this country. What is of concern is that even at ‘mates rates’, these two graduations must have cost considerably more than their previous graduation ceremonies. For example, in previous years VIT held its graduation on its own campus grounds in front of the library – where the only costs were things like chair hire and those costs would have been negligible. WW concedes that the VIT affair at Le Lagon was most impressive, but for a tertiary education facility that has not received a budget increase in eight years, perhaps the money would have been better
WORD
ilson’s
spent on other things such as increased internet capacity on campus – just as one example. WW cannot speak with as much detailed knowledge about the nurses’ graduation but believes the same basic principles of how funds are spent must apply. WW also feels it should be noted that for the second graduation in a row, these new nurses have no jobs to go to anywhere in the country, or what that really means is no funding for them. This is despite an urgent need for their services in islands everywhere, with Futuna as just one example highlighted in a recent edition of The Independent. By contrast, nearly VT 400,000 went down the gurgler into MPs’ pockets for next to nothing in last Friday’s farcical Parliamentary sitting – money which could have paid for a nurses’ services for some time.
WW had another bout of bemusement after reading a traffic police press release last week about vehicles travelling around with an array of coloured lights festooned around cars, taxis and buses. The release went on to say that these lights are illegal and police will crack down on vehicles displaying them. Seems to WW that the traffic police should have a huge truckload of things that need cracking down on before coloured lights. Bald tyres, faulty brakes, missing
Opinion body parts, cracked, broken or missing windscreens, no lights, no brake lights, no indicators and smoke-belching vehicles that should never be seen on a road again would all be on WW’s list for the traffic police to get stuck into before we worry about some extra coloured lights.
AND WW’s third and final bout of bemusement for the week involves the news that the Port Vila hospital is now charging for emergency ambulance call out. At least they have oxygen on board, but that’s about it. WW feels that it is a public right to have emergency services and to charge for it seems a little in bad taste, especially as the further away and more isolated you are, the more you pay. Although it makes ProMedical with trained paramedics on board seem a really good deal, as more and more people are finding out all the time.
PUBLICITY is growing about the ‘end of the world’ pre-Xmas – the so-called Mayan apocalypse on December 21. The Maya, a very advanced civilisation for their time, basically disappeared off the face of the earth at the end of AD 900. And WW cannot find any reference to them predicting that at all.
ON a much lighter but also a truly frustrating note, WW recounts the tale of a mate who recently went to the airport to meet a friend moving to Vanuatu permanently from New Caledonia. This person, like our mate, is a serious petanque player and amongst his kit were his set of petanque balls. When
asked by a Customs dude whether he used the balls in Noumea, he replied in the affirmative. “Aaah,” said the ever astute Customs dude, “then they would have sat on the ground in the Noumea dirt.’’ The new resident explained that he cleaned his stainless steel balls carefully after every game as they performed better that way. But they were still taken from him for ‘fumigation’ and the champion petanque player was only able to retrieve his steel orbs the next day after paying a VT 3000 fee for getting them fumigated. Utterly, bloody ridiculous.
INTERESTING to see the cruise ship schedule for 2013 starts at a great rate of knots with a cruise every day for the first five days of January and seven ships sailing into Port Vila in the first nine days of the New Year. A portent of things to come in the nautical side of tourism here as we sail onwards towards a cruise ship a day for Port Vila.
WHILE we struggle on at present with Internet that’s slower than a wet week, the saviour of all this - the much vaunted submarine cable, which has disappeared from the news in recent times, is still alive and well and forging ahead with plans to link us to the electronic superhighway by early in 2014. Compared to our satellite set-up now, it will like comparing a Skoda to a Ferrari. And it will truly change the face of this nation for the better forever.
AND that’s Wilson’s Word.
The use of witchcraft in Vanuatu by Evelyne Toa MAN, due to his selfish nature in striving to have an edge over another fellow human being, has in the past to the present and to the future, sought assistance from the spiritual world. The spiritual world is just as real as the physical world, and there are both good and bad spirits, and for these to manifest their powers, they need and operate through humans, who have the control over the physical world. Unfortunately some humans seek and give the right to these evil spirits to do harm to their fellow humans for selfish reasons. Man fails to recognize that the authority over the physical world was given to him by God and seeking assistance from evil spirits is not allowed by God. For the indigenous ni-Vanuatu, we all know about this, and witchcraft and religion in whatever form or practice recognizes this spiritual world and the good and the bad spirits. Witchcraft sought the assistance of the evil spirits, while the churches who worship the true God reference Him. When the missionaries came and brought the knowledge of the true God, our ancestors knew this, and the majority gave up most of the practices in witchcraft to worship the true God. Knowing the true God, and following Him, led to gaining our political independence in 1980. Unfortunately, over time, many more people are reverting back to witchcraft, consulting and seeking assistance from the evil spirits. When somebody dies, quite often the locals will contribute the death to being killed by ‘nakaimas’ (wichcraft) - that is, using evil spirits by somebody to get rid of another - quite often for selfish reasons,
Behind the news such as being jealous, wanting to acquire land that belongs to somebody else, and the list can be extended. Those who practice witchcraft do so in the dark, to hide who is the true culprit. Unfortunately many are hiding in the churches. They will sing and pretend to praise God when their heart is somewhere else, consulting with the devil himself to kill or ruin somebody else’s life. Those who practice such evil, in seeking the devil’s assistance to ruin somebody’s life, will certainly not go unpunished, either in the physical or when we stand before God. The blind people who do such evil do not realise that they are seeding evil for themselves and their families, and the temporary physical comfort they may get now is nothing compared to the long term suffering they will get their families to go through in this world. With the untimely death of one of our young and dynamic members of parliament, and minister of state, who passed away earlier this week, there are so many stories of how he died that it is difficult to decide which of these is true. Whatever the reason, we might never know, but this talk that witchcraft or nakaimas was involved in his death, brought to the surface the use of witchcraft is on the increase. Whether it is true or not, is not the issue here. What the rumours reinforced though is that if witchcraft is practiced, even at this highest level, used by some members of parliament, then this country has truly fallen from the motto ‘long God yumi stanap’.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
We all know that it is through the churches that this country gained its political independence. If one looks at other nations that are called developed nations, they all have one thing in common, and that is their political independence came through the churches and, may I add, their prosperity or economical prosperity as well. America and other European countries are sliding down today because they have thrown God out of their classrooms and lives. If Vanuatu resorts back to witchcraft, it is a sure sign of ruling by the evil one being allowed to, by some of those in the highest level. There is nothing good that will come out of consulting and seeking assistance from the evil spirits through witchcraft. Since the devil is a liar from his head to his toes, everything that comes from him through any body is a lie, period. Of course there might be some temporary benefits, but the long term bad consequences to reap are not worth the partnership with the evil one. Consulting the devil is forbidden by God, because there is nothing good in him and God who made us all wants only the best for us. It is rumored that some parliamentarians are seeking assistance from others to seek assistance from the devil, and if this is true, this is truly a very bad thing that will surely bring this country to its knees. Being hungry for power to such an extent of seeking the devil is the most foolish thing any human in his or her right mind can do. It is abuse of the authority given by God to us when we give this to the devil when we can get better for life from our Creator.
Seeing the ever increasing corruption and non-compliance to what God laid out in the Bible, especially by some of our top leaders in the parliament, is not only shameful but are signs of people allowing themselves to the rulership of the evil one, a high indication of witchcraft practice. People who are assisting leaders to seek assistance from evil powers, should be ashamed of themselves that they are contributing to ruining this beautiful, friendliest place on earth. Some of you reading this might be thinking that there is no such thing as witchcraft practice in this country, but there is and it is found throughout this world. Where it is practiced deeply, countries involved face difficult times, because nothing good will come from the practicing and holding on to such practices. The country will lose its political independence, by being ruled by another and will never gain economical reliance, if it continues in the path of witchcraft. Shame on the churches for not praying enough and standing up for what is right instead of sitting complacently quite, when you see corruption happening in your backyard. The churches provided the platform for this country’s political independence and must fight to keep it, for the good of this nation. Root out witchcraft from the church pews, and don’t entertain leaders including your own chiefs and parliamentarians, who violate what is put by God. Tell them what God says about a situation, and don’t allow them to ruin and suck the life out of this beautiful country. Witchcraft will definitely ruin a country, and if you love this country, don’t allow it to prosper. Page 7
Nouvelles régionales
RADIO COCOTIER
Brèves du Pacifique Le “kastom man” sauve sa peau On le voit tout le temps à côté du Premier ministre. On raconte que c’est son “kastom man”, censé protéger tous les intérêts du chef du gouvernement et de faire en sorte que rien ne l’atteigne même quand il s’agit des motions de défiance. Il est de la même île que le Premier ministre. Eh bien il a été signalé qu’il aurait été poursuivi dimanche soir par un groupe de personnes, dont des Tannéens issus des partis politiques rivaux de la coalition gouvernementale. Il est dit que juste avant les dernières élections, le “kastom man” aurait touché une prime du gouvernement pour avoir assuré le mandat de son chef et de ses ministres jusqu’à terme. Il s’agissait d’une sorte de récompense que l’ancien gouvernement lui aurait versée à titre de générosité et de fidélité. Il a été raconté que dimanche soir, on avait l’intention de mettre la main sur lui. Une fois introduits dans la propriété où il se trouvait, dans un quartier de la ville, les hommes voulaient l’attraper vif. L’un d’entre d’eux l’aurait reconnu dans l’obscurité à vingt mètres d’eux mais en s’approchant de lui, ils ne l’ont plus vu. À Mallicolo, on raconte que de soi-disant pratiques de magie, telle la force noire pratiquée par ce “kastom man” est destinée uniquement à protéger le chef du gouvernement contre les pressions extérieures et de faire en sorte qu’il ne soit pas détrôné.
700 000 enfants papous n’ont pas été à l’école cette année 700 000 enfants pour une population de plus de 7 millions d’habitants. Bart Philemon, ancien député de la circonscription de Lae, souligne dans les pages du Post Courier, que cela signifie que 50% des enfants en âge d’aller à l’école n’ont pas la chance d’apprendre à lire ou à écrire pour éventuellement contribuer au développement de la nation. Cela signifie aussi que de 2 à 3 millions de Papous d’une population de plus de 7 millions d’habitants sont analphabètes. Une situation que Bart Philemon déplore 37 ans après l’indépendance du pays.
On croit à des rêves chez certains militants politiques Dans une région de Pentecôte, quand on rêve et que l’on compare ensuite avec la situation politique, tout ce qui y est vu a des reflets sur la développement politique dans le pays. Après l’indépendance, quand un Pentecôtois voyait dans son rêve les hommes politiques de l’île, cela voulait signifier quelque chose. Même aujourd’hui, quand un autre raconte qu’il a vu dans un rêve les hommes politique de l’île, les autres croient tout de suite à la vérité, comme ce sexagénaire qui raconte avoir vu dans l’un de ses rêves un vieux du nord de Pentecôte lui passer un bâton comme un relais pour le ramener au centre de l’île et le donner à un député issu de cette région. Une fois que cette histoire est arrivée aux oreilles des supporters de ce député, leur analyse est que le vieux du nord de Pentecôte est Walter Lini qui passe le relais à un député du centre. L’un d’entre eux s’était mis à s’exclamer : “Walter Lini passe le relais de l’indépendance à votre député. Il a réussi l’indépendance politique et le relais est passé à notre député pour l’indépendance économique. Nous verrons comment il va réussir ça maintenant qu’il est à la bonne place dans le gouvernement !” Nous verrons s’il va réussir cette indépendance économique avec ce qu’il a prêché durant la campagne électorale. Nous verrons bien !
Des députés se seraient vendus chers Si l’on en croit bien les propos d’un militant de la coalition gouvernementale, c’est son oncle qui a fait entrer des députés dernièrement pour renforcer la coalition gouvernementale. Il a raconté que son oncle lui a confirmé qu’il avait remis quelques millions de vatus à un nouvel élu pour quitter le camp de Natapei le 18 novembre et d’autres millions à d’autres nouveaux élus dont un nouveau titulaire de portefeuille ministériel. Ainsi ils ont reçu de l’argent en échange de leur soutien “forcé”, certains ont été vus au volant des voitures ministérielles comme s’ils travaillaient dans la fonction publique. Une voiture noire avec une affiche blanche sur les deux portes de devant laisse penser qu’il s’agit de la voiture privée du député mais sur la plaque d’immatriculation, on peut lire au-dessus du numéro : Protocol. C’est bien la voiture du département des Affaires étrangères offerte par les communistes chinois. Avec le député au volant, cette voiture est peut-être maintenant privée mais avec son épouse à sa droite, il pourrait s’agir de la propriété familiale. C’est bien le prix de son soutien qui reflète peut-être la construction de l’indépendance économique dont fait allusion un rêveur pentecôtois. Une voiture comme ça a été repérée au marché plein de militants d’un nouveau député alors que celui-ci s’apprêtait à prêter serment au bureau du Premier ministre. Au volant, on a identifié un homme venu de la plus grande île. Au siège-arrière, on pouvait reconnaître, à moitié allongé, un militant origiaire de la seconde grande île. Ils venaient de baptiser leur nouvelle opération : Rekem gavman !
Il s’agirait de la magie noire Des proches du ministre défunt Harry Iauko auraient lancé une enquête pour relever les causes de son décès. On raconte que des pratiques de magie noire auraient mis fin à la vie de ce politicien. Ils auraient trouvé qu’il était déjà mort à Port-Vila avant son départ pour Luganville. Mais ces deux questions attendent une réponse : Par qui et pourquoi ? L’enquête se poursuit alors qu’à Luganville, on raconte qu’une fille, d’origine vanuataise, venait de la direction où était située la chambre occupée par le ministre, avant qu’on retrouve celui-ci sans vie. Cette fille intéresserait beaucoup la police et serait une piste plus concrète : la magie noire serait tout simplement blanche...
La voiture COMPOL empruntée chaque soir Le chauffeur de la voiture immatriculée COMPOL a des explications à donner à sa famille chaque fois qu’il s’apprête à quitter la maison à l’approche de la tombée de la nuit. Quand ses enfants lui demandent où il va, il a toujours ces réponses-là : “Je vais chercher l’intérim à City Lodge” ou “Je vais chercher l’intérim pour aller à la mer” ou “Je vais chercher l’intérim pour aller au nakamal”. Mais qu’est-ce que l’intérim allait faire à la mer à cette heure de la journée et qu’est-ce qu’il a fait à City Lodge ? Le chauffeur de la COMPOL va peut-être aider à répondre à ces questions...
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Les enfants papous sont les grands délaissés du systeme éducatif. (Credit: ABC)
Mauvaises notes pour l’éducation australienne Dans le domaine de la lecture, des mathématiques et des sciences, les écoliers australiens sont à la traîne par rapport à d’autres pays. Selon le dernier rapport d’une Étude internationale sur les capacités de lecture et sur les connaissances scientifiques et mathématiques, 25% des écoliers australiens en CM1 n’atteignent pas les critères de lecture pour leur âge. Dans cette étude, l’Australie occupe en fait la 27ème place sur 48 pays, ce qui la met plus ou moins au même niveau que la Nouvelle-Zélande, la Pologne et la Lituanie. Agression sexuelle sur enfant à Tonga Un ressortissant samoan vivant à Tonga, Leuma La’ulu, a été condamné à six ans et demi d’incarcération dans la prison de Hu’atolitoli. Il a été reconnu coupable d’agression sexuelle sur une fillette de 9 ans en juillet dernier. Une sanction jugée lourde pour décourager ce type d’agression dans le royaume, a estimé la Cour suprême. Leumua La’ulu est devenu un ami des parents de la victime à qui il rendait visite régulièrement. Le Samoan a profité de l’absence des parents partis vendre leurs produits au marché de la capitale, Nuku’alofa, pour commettre ses méfaits sur la fillette à qui il donnait de temps en temps 1 ou 2 dollars pour qu’elle garde le silence. PNG : la Gouverneure veut interdire la polygamie Julie Soso envisage de présenter un projet de loi pour interdire cette pratique. La première femme à occuper le poste de Gouverneur en Papouasie NouvelleGuinée ne perd pas de temps et désire que cette interdiction soit mise en vigueur dès 2013. Julie Soso estime que l’on a fait un usage abusif de la coutume qui permet à un chef coutumier de marier plus d’une femme : «De nos jours, n’importe quel homme peut avoir plus d’une femme et cela créé des problèmes dans notre société. La polygamie ne permet pas à la femme de prendre ses propres décisions, cette pratique est obsolète», a-t-elle soulignée dans un communiqué. La pauvreté est parfois à l’origine de cette polygamie, notamment quand des jeunes filles abandonnent l’école et se réfugient auprès d’un homme marié pour devenir la seconde ou la troisième épouse. - P.R
L’Indépendant - Samedi le 15 Decembre, 2012
FERMETURE
UNELCO informe son aimable clientèle que les bureaux seront fermés :
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Vendredi 21 décembre à partir de 11h 30. Î Ouverture le lundi 24 décembre 2012 aux heures habituelles
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du lundi 24 décembre 2012 à 15h 00 au mercredi 26 décembre 2012. Î Ouverture le jeudi 27 décembre 2012 aux heures habituelles
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du lundi 31 décembre 2012 à 15h 00 au mardi 1er janvier 2013. Î Ouverture le mercredi 2 janvier 2013 aux heures habituelles
Starfish Christmas Menu
Le Personnel et la Direction vous souhaitent
un Joyeux Noël et une Bonne Année 2013
En cas d’urgences, contactez le 26
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OFIS I KLOS UNELCO I wantem infomem ol kastoma blong hem ofis bae I klos
• Fraedei 21 disemba 2012 long 11.30 am Î ofis I open bagegen long Mandei 24 disemba 2012 ‐ nomol taem
• Mandei 24 disemba 2012 long 3.00 pm kasem Wenesdei 26 disemba 2012 Î ofis I open bagegen long Tasdei 27 disemba 2012 ‐ nomol taem
• Mandei 31 disemba 2012 long 3.00 pm kasem Tiusdei 1 Januari 2013 Î ofis I open bagegen long Wenesdei 2 Januari 2013 ‐ nomol taem
Staf mo Menejmen I wantem wishim yufala Meri Krismas mo Hapi Niu Yia 2013 Eny emejensy contactem mifala long 26
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CLOSED UNELCO wishes to advice our valued customers that our office will be closed
Friday 21st December 2012 at 11.30 am Î office will opened Monday 24 December 2012 ‐ normal hours.
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Monday 24 December 2012 at 3.00 pm to Wednesday 26 December 2012 Î office will opened Thursday 27 December 2012 ‐ normal hours.
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Monday 31st December 2012 at 3.00 pm to Tuesday 1st January 2013 Î office will opened Wednesday 2nd January 2013 ‐ normal hours.
The Staff and the Management wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2013
For emergencies call 26
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This menu will be served on Christmas Eve, & Christmas Day for both Lunch & Dinner VT5000 per head On Arrival Glass of Bubbles, wine, beer or fruit punch Starter A selection of canapés Plated Main Course - your choice of 2 meats Glazed leg of Ham Vanuatu finest Roast Rump of Beef Roast Pork and Apple Sauce Pan fried Poulet Basted Seasoned Turkey Served with traditional Christmas vegetables Potatoes in butter and parsley, Green peas, Roasted carrot and Pumpkin Or Crisp Fresh Salad & Condiments Dessert Your choice from the dessert board Passion Fruit Pavola with cream Wicked Chocolate Cake with Cream Tropical Fruits with Ice cream or Cream
PO Box 1424 Tel: +678 24661, Fax: +678 23552 Champagne Estate, Port Vila autodis@autodis.com.vu www.facebook.com/FordVanuatu The Independent/L’indépendant - Samedi le 15 Decembre, 2012
Go further / Allons plus loin Page 9
Nouvelles en français
Le mystère du décès d’Harry Iauko “Normalement, quand nous sommes avisés de la visite de notre ministre, il faut qu’on vienne l’accueillir à Pékoa et qu’on le conduise jusqu’à son hôtel et il faut aussi qu’on ait le programme de sa visite afin d’être plus à sa disposition quand il est avec nous sur place”, poursuit un employé des travaux publics.
La mort subite du ministre d’État chargé des services publics laisse des questions sans réponses concernant les circonstances. Tant que le médecin légiste de l’hôpital du nord à Luganville n’a pas pu procéder à l’autopsie du corps du ministre après qu’il ait été transporté d’urgence et annoncé sans vie, les circonstances liées à son décès restent, jusqu’à présent et sans doute à jamais, mystérieuses. Il reste un doute sur le fait que le ministre ait été atteint par une soudaine crise cardiaque. Selon les proches du défunt, sa santé était bonne et stable et ne laissait apparaître aucune gêne visible.
De son côté, le maire par intérim de Luganville, Morris Emboi, appelle tous les ministres d’État à respecter le protocole dans les îles comme à Luganville. Mercredi après-midi, il a tenu à faire savoir qu’il avait rendu visite à la communauté résidant à Luganville mardi afin de lui présenter les condoléances de la population de Luganville en l’absence du maire qui se trouvait à Port-Vila ce jour-là.
“Il était toujours en bonne santé. À chaque fois qu’il se sentait un peu malade, il en parlait toujours à sa femme et à ses enfants, et même à ses proches collaborateurs, avant de consulter un médecin. Il s’agissait de simples maux de tête ou de la fièvre mais rien de grave”, laisse entendre un neveu du ministre défunt. À la question de savoir que pourrait bien être la cause de son décès, le neveu signale qu’une enquête a été ouverte par la famille et qu’il a été relevé que son oncle aurait été pris d’un malaise à Port-Vila avant d’embarquer au dernier vol de Vila/ Santo lundi soir, soit environ dix heures après que la coalition gouvernementale ait réussi à résister à la motion de défiance de l’opposition. Selon la direction de Deco Stop Lodge où il a été hébergé, le ministre Iauko avait réservé une chambre dans la soirée après son arrivée à Luganville. Or, selon les règles du protocole concernant les visites officielles des ministres de l’État à l’intérieur, comme à l’extérieur du pays, les démarches destinées à chaque visite devraient être organisées selon les besoins
Le ministre défunt Harry Iauko. Cette photo a été prise lors de l’inauguration de l’extention du réseau électrique à l’ouest de Tanna cette année
prioritaires, à savoir la date du voyage, le lieu d’hébergement avec réservation d’avance, la disponibilité du transport, l’organisation des communautés pour l’accueil entre autres. Selon la direction des travaux publics à Luganville, aucun de ses employés n’a été avisé de la visite du ministre.
“J’ai dit pardon pour ce qui est arrivé au ministre d’État car nous à la municipalité avons pris connaissance de la présence d’un ministre d’État chez nous seulement en apprenant sa mort mardi. Nous n’étions pas au courant de sa visite chez vous sinon nous aurions dû aller l’accueillir à l’aéroport même s’il n’était pas en visite officielle comme nous faisons normalement et traditionnellement à tous les ministres d’État en respect du protocole. Quand les ministres viennent à Luganville, leur sécurité est au-dessus de tout”, souligne le maire par intérim. Il tient à rappeler l’exemple de Moana Carcasses quand il était encore ministre : “À chaque fois qu’il venait à Luganville pour une visite officielle ou non officielle, il était toujours accompagné de son épouse et organisait sa tournée par l’intermédiaire des militants verts mais aussi au niveau de la douane et de la municipalité de Luganville. Tous les ministres devraient suivre cet exemple”.
Pour le maire par intérim, il faut que les ministres d’État subissent régulièrement des consultations médicales pour assurer la stabilité régulière de leur santé “car qui parle de la santé du Vanuatu par rapport à l’activité professionnelle parle également de celle du gouvernement et des hommes de décision et pas simplement le peuple en général”. Harry Iauko était très connu à Luganville pour avoir fréquenté régulièrement la ville et où il s’était fait des amis auprès de la commuanuté de Tanna sur place. Il y était très connu pour sa simplicité, sa générosité et son attachement à la communauté de Tanna à Luganville. Du côté politique, il avait joué un rôle important pour conduire Edward Natapei à la tête du VAP, quelques années après avoir décidé de se lancer dans la carrière. Il avait commencé sa vie active à la Banque nationale du Vanuatu avant de se lancer dans la carrière politique. Dû à son attachement au VAP, il était président d’Air Vanuatu avant d’être élu secrétaire général du parti. Il fut parmi les hommes-clé derrière l’élection de Natapei au poste de Premier ministre après les élections législatives de 2008. Il a joué également un rôle important dans l’initiative d’écarter le président du VAP des rênes du pouvoir et d’y conduire Sato Kilman. Il a été l’homme-clé lors de la période post-électorale qui a consisté à négocier le retour du président du PPP au pouvoir. Suite au décès du dirigeant du groupe Iauko, la commission électorale se voit dans l’obligation d’organiser une élection partielle dans la circonscription de Tanna, à priori dans les prochains mois. GM
Toujours pas de titulaire permanent à la tête de la police du Vanuatu La nomination permanente du titulaire au poste sensible de chef de la police du Vanuatu, attendue en milieu de semaine dernière, n’a finalement pas eu lieu et a été remplacée par une reconduction de celui qui assure depuis juin 2012 l’intérim. Le tenant du titre par intérim, Arthur Caulton, a donc été reconduit ad intérim pour une nouvelle période de quatre mois. Il avait déjà été préféré à son rival et prédécesseur, Joshua Bong, sur intervention du Président de la République Iolu Abbil, au plus fort de la crise qui opposait les deux hommes, quelques jours avant les élections de fin octobre 2012. La période d’intérim de M. Caulton, qui débutait le 5 octobre 2012 pour une période de deux mois, s’achevait le 5 décembre 2012. La Commission des Services de la Police (Police Service Commission, organe chargé de superviser le fonctionnement de la police du Vanuatu) aurait déjà soumis vendredi 30 novembre 2012 une liste
de recommandations au gouvernement, contenant le nom de trois personnes. La nomination officielle du titulaire à ce poste-clé, normalement conçu pour une période de cinq ans, doit normalement être effectuée par le Président de la République Iolu Abbil, sur avis du gouvernement. Tout récemment, cette guerre ouverte entre MM. Caulton et Bong avait débouché sur une nouvelle vague de tentatives d’arrestations, mardi 3 décembre 2012. Onze agents réputés proches de M. Bong avaient été brièvement détenus, puis finalement relâchés. Les deux camps au sein de la police vanuatuane s’accusent mutuellement de «mutinerie». Une première crise ouverte avait percé, toujours pour les mêmes raisons, fin septembre 2012. À cette époque, M. Bong, juste avant l’arrivée à terme de son contrat, alors qu’il était déjà mis à pied (depuis juin), avait brièvement fait arrêter M. Caulton, avant que ce dernier soit finalement libéré. -pad
“ANNONCE” Pour les nouvelles, contacter 22200 ou 77 44456 ou envoyez-les à l’adresse suivante : gratien.tiona@ independent.vu L’Indépendant, votre unique journal à trois langues Page 10
Les Flèches de la Musique à Stan and the Earth Force et Vanessa Quai Deux artistes vanuatais, Stan and the Earth Force et Vanessa Quai, viennent d’être heureux gagnants des prix du concours “Les Flèches de la Musique” organisée par Nouvelle-Calédonie 1ère dans le cadre de la promotion de la musique dans le Pacifique.
Steady est le premier album auto produit par le groupe et distribué par Mangrove. Lors du «Pacific Festival United» en juillet dernier à la Ouatum, près de La Foa, le public calédonien a pu découvrir en avant première quelques titres du nouvel album Easy Rock Steady.
La remise de ces prix s’est passée en direct à Nouvelle-Calédonie 1ère, à laquelle était présent Stan. Vanessa Quai n’a pu se présenter devant les téléspectateurs. Elle était en tournée à Tonga.
Vanessa chante depuis ses 13 ans. Originaire du Vanuatu, elle y est reconnue comme la plus jeune reine de la musique du Pacifique. Elle s’est déjà produite en Australie, au Canada, en Egypte, en Papouasie Nouvelle Guinée, aux Iles Salomon, en Nouvelle-Calédonie et à Fidji. Sa musique est largement influencée par les rythmes gospels mais son originalité tient aux sonorités traditionnelles qu’elle modernise à sa façon.
Stan ans the Earth Force est un groupe reggae et roots du Vanuatu. Après Naio; Huaréré et Aimos Groove, le reggae vanuatais revient en force, avec «Stan & The Earth Force» créé fin 2011. Le groupe est issu d’une association de divers artistes du Vanuatu. Une fusion entre le reggae Roots et le reggae contemporain, Easy rock
À travers les dix titres de son CD, elle chante en plus de cinq langues.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Samedi 15 Decembre, 2012
Nouvelles régionales
Les mangroves à l’honneur cette semaine en Nouvelle-Calédonie
La Nouvelle-Calédonie accueille cette semaine un séminaire international consacré aux mangroves, chaînon de la biodiversité réputé comme jouant un véritable rôle de tampon et de filtre au sein des écosystèmes.
Ce séminaire international, qui se tient du 9 au 14 décembre 2012 à l’Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC) et au centre de Nouméa de l’Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), devrait se pencher en particulier sur l’avenir des mangroves dans la région, sur fonds de changements climatiques significatifs, annoncent les organisateurs. La tenue de ce colloque doit aussi coïncider avec l’inauguration d’un observatoire des mangroves, dont la mission sera désormais de surveiller les éventuelles évolutions de cet écosystème, dont une des propriétés reconnues est de développer «des capacités d’adaptation à des conditions extrêmement sélectives et dont la distribution des différentes espèces végétales est fonction de paramètres tels que les apports en nutriments, la salinité, la durée d’inondation, le taux de sédimentation, ou bien encore la teneur en sulfures des sédiments», précise l’IRD dans un communiqué. «La
mangrove
revêt
une
importance
suisse Xstrata), avec pour mission de mieux évaluer les capacités des mangroves à fixer le dioxyde de carbone atmosphérique, sur fonds de changements climatiques. Son nom de baptême : le «MOSS» (Mangrove Observatory: Sciences and Societies, pour Observatoire des Mangroves, Sciences et Sociétés).
capitale aussi bien au niveau écologique qu’économique, et représente, avec la forêt tropicale humide, un des écosystèmes les plus productifs en domaine terrestre. Par conséquent, la mangrove joue un rôle fondamental dans les cycles du carbone et des nutriments en milieu côtier. Ainsi, les eaux littorales bordant les mangroves sont généralement riches en crevettes et poissons. Par ailleurs, la mangrove possède une valeur refuge significative et abrite une grande biodiversité animale, notamment diverses espèces de crabe», souligne l’institut scientifique français. Les mangroves, ces dernières années, ont été particulièrement menacées par des facteurs allant aussi bien de la pression des activités humaines et de la population croissante dans certaines zones côtières (en particulier
Droits de l’Homme : un appel aux États membres des la Francophonie À l’occasion de la Journée internationale des droits de l’Homme, le 10 décembre, le Secrétaire général de la Francophonie, Abdou Diouf, a appellé les États et gouvernements membres de la Francophonie à déployer tous leurs efforts pour protéger les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme de l’espace francophone. «Sans le courage et la détermination des défenseurs, la voix des victimes de violations des droits de l’Homme ne serait pas entendue. Le rôle des défenseurs et militants des droits de l’Homme est fondamental dans les processus de démocratisation et de lutte contre l’impunité. Leur travail doit être encouragé»a déclaré le Secrétaire général. Dans de nombreux pays de l’espace francophone, et en particulier dans les pays en crise ou en sortie de crise, les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme voient leurs activités entravées par des mesures qui limitent leur champ d’action et qui visent à les priver arbitrairement de leurs droits comme celui de la liberté d’expression, de manifestation et d’association. Des mesures répressives régissant l’activité des défenseurs sont prises trop souvent au nom de la lutte contre le terrorisme, de la sûreté nationale ou de la diffamation publique, au mépris des valeurs promues par la Déclaration de Bamako du 3 novembre 2000 et de laDéclaration des
Nations Unies sur les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme du 9 décembre 1998. Lors du dernier Sommet de la Francophonie qui s’est tenu à Kinshasa (République démocratique du Congo) les 13 et 14 octobre 2012, les 77 chefs d’Etat et de gouvernements ont reconnu «le rôle de la société civile et des organisations de défense des droits de l’Homme dans les progrès en faveur de la paix et de la démocratie dans l’espace francophone» et encouragent «les activités des ONG et la mise en place de mécanismes appropriés pour la protection des défenseurs des droits de l’Homme». Le Secrétaire général soutient les processus en cours pour l’adoption de normes en faveur d’une protection effective des défenseurs des droits de l’Homme et encourage les Etats et gouvernements membres de la Francophonie à réviser les lois nationales qui pourraient abusivement limiter ou incriminer les activités des défenseurs. L’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie intervient en appui aux défenseurs des droits de l’Homme à travers ses activités conjointes avec les ONG nationales, les organisations internationales non gouvernementales accréditées auprès de la Francophonie mais également à travers son accord de partenariat avec le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l’Homme.
Assemblée générale du Judo-Club de Port-Vila Les membres du judo-club de Port-Vila sont invités à l’assemblée générale annuelle qui se tiendra au Cercle sportif (Tennis club) le jeudi 20 décembre 2012 à 17h30. Au vu des statuts enregistrés en décembre 2010, cette assemblée générale est obligatoire pour le fonctionnement légal du Judo-Club. Ordre du jour : Rapport d’activité Bilan 2012 et budget prévisionnel Election d’un nouveau bureau (un président, un secrétaire et un trésorier)
Présentation du nouvel entraineur . Les membres sont invités, le cas échéant, à annoncer leur candidature pour devenir membre du comité pour les 3 ans à venir en envoyant un message à nicolasm@vanuatu. com.vu Les membres peuvent demander une copie des statuts à cette même adresse. Enfin, dans le cas où ils ne peuvent participer à cette assemblée, ils peuvent donner une procuration à un autre membre.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Samedi le 15 Decembre, 2012
urbaines, où souvent elles sont considérées comme des décharges publiques) que des activités humaines industrielles (exploitation minière, prospection). Résultat, selon l’IRD : la mangrove disparaît actuellement à un taux de 1 à 2% par an. « Ce taux est équivalent voire supérieur à celui des écosystèmes menacés, tels que les récifs coralliens ou la forêt tropicale primaire. La destruction de cet écosystème se déroule partout à travers le monde, et particulièrement dans les pays émergents, où se trouvent 90% des mangroves », rappelle l’institut français. Ce projet d’observatoire est soutenu par les provinces de la Nouvelle Calédonie, ainsi que par plusieurs mécènes privés (Fondation d’entreprise Air Liquide, groupe minier
Une fois opérationnel, courant 2013, ce centre devrait s’appuyer sur trois pieds : le premier en Nouvelle Calédonie (25 espèces de mangrove recensées), le second en Nouvelle Zélande (une espèce) et le troisième au Vietnam (60 espèces), chacun de ces pays possédant des caractéristiques climatiques différentes tout en ayant en commun ce type de végétation marine intercostale. Outre les scientifiques français, sont également attendus des chercheurs environnementaux australiens, américains, néo-zélandais, qui devraient aussi participer à des visites sur le terrain, en NouvelleCalédonie, où se trouvent parfois des sites de mangroves riverains de sites miniers (comme sur le site de Vavouto, usine de nickel en cours de construction au Nord de l’île principale de la Nouvelle-Calédonie). - pad
Le secrétaire d’État australien pour le Pacifique à Nouméa
Richard Marles, secrétaire d’État australien pour les affaires étrangères et le Pacifique, était cette semaine en Nouvelle-Calédonie pour une série d’entretiens avec les représentants de l’État français et du gouvernement local, a annoncé le Hautcommissariat de la République française en Nouvelle-Calédonie, à l’occasion de la publication de l’agenda du Hautcommissaire. Parmi les étapes prévues pour ce membre du gouvernement australien : des entretiens avec le Haut-commissaire Albert Dupuy, mercredi 12 décembre, dans un grand hôtel de Nouméa, suivis d’une réception donnée par la Consule Générale d’Australie résidente en Nouvelle-Calédonie en l’honneur du responsable. Jeudi 13 décembre, les contacts devraient se poursuivre avec, selon le même agenda, un petit déjeuner, puis un déjeuner en l’honneur de M. Marles à la Résidence du Haut-commissaire. Les contacts se sont multipliés au plus haut niveau, ces derniers mois, entre le gouvernement australien et les gouvernements français et, au plan régional, de la collectivité française de NouvelleCalédonie. Le 4 septembre 2012, M. Marles, lors d’un passage à Paris, rencontrait tout dernièrement le ministre des Outre-mers, Victorin Lurel. À l’issue de ces entretiens, M. Marles avait en substance réaffirmé son soutien à la
présence et à l’action de la France dans le Pacifique, en soulignant une nouvelle fois le rôle «positif» de cette présence en Océanie. S’exprimant quelques jours après son passage à Paris, sur les ondes de la radio publique ABC, M. Marles avait notamment insisté sur le fait que du point de vue de l’Australie, la France «projette les valeurs de la démocratie», via ses collectivités du Pacifique (Nouvelle-Calédonie, Polynésie française, Wallis-et-Futuna) dans une région où la démocratie «est encore jeune». Il avait par ailleurs rappelé les actions en coopération entre les forces françaises et australiennes, en premier lieu en matière de surveillance maritime des zones exclusives économiques de ce vaste océan, ou encore dans le cadre de manœuvres régulières. Concernant la Nouvelle-Calédonie et son processus d’autonomisation et d’émancipation, en vertu de la mise en œuvre de l’Accord de Nouméa, M. Marles avait déjà qualifié cette feuille de route de «modèle» et applaudi le fait que de part et d’autre de l’échiquier politique, on puisse constater un «engagement admirable pour faire en sorte que les conflits des années 1980 ne se reproduisent pas». «Cette démarche est louable et l’Australie soutient ce processus», avait-il commenté. M. Marles participait, début septembre 2012, au 43ème sommet des dirigeants du Forum des Îles du Pacifique, à Rarotonga (îles Cook). - pad
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News
Hubble achieves deepest view yet
HUBBLE astronomers have observed deeper into space than ever before. In doing so, they have identified six new galaxies of stars that formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang itself. The study also updates a distance estimate for a seventh galaxy, placing it further back in time than any object previously identified. Called UDFj-39546284, this is seen when the cosmos was less than 3% of its current age. The new Hubble telescope investigation was led by Richard Ellis from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and colleagues at Edinburgh University, including Jim Dunlop and Ross McLure. Its significance is that it gives us the clearest insight into how some of the earliest years of cosmic history unfolded. The data supports the notion that the first galaxies assembled their constituent stars in a smooth fashion not in some sudden burst. “Of course, the most distant object is interesting, but it’s the census - the seven objects - that gives us the first indication of the population of objects in the heart of this… era,” said Prof Ellis. “If you compare the number of galaxies that we see to the abundance of objects once the Universe had expanded a little bit, we describe a very smooth decline in the number of objects as we go back into cosmic history,” he told reporters. The new results stem from a project called UDF12 and centre on a tiny patch of sky in the Constellation Fornax (The Furnace).
The positions of the seven galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, a patch of sky one-tenth the diameter of the full Moon. Their redshifts (“z”) are indicated. One object (z=11.9) is likely a record-breaker
This is the location where Hubble has repeatedly stared since 2003, trying to build up a picture of objects whose separation from us is so great that their light arrives in dribs and drabs. Ellis’s and colleagues’ work adds more than 100 hours of observations to this extraordinary Ultra Deep Field imagery one of Hubble’s greatest accomplishments. The light being seen from the remotest objects in the UDF would have started out as short wavelength (ultraviolet) emission that was then subsequently stretched to longer (infrared) wavelengths by the expansion of the Universe. And because it has taken so long for this light to reach us, the observations are effectively looking
back in time. This is difficult work, however. By the time the “redshifted” light lands on Hubble’s powerful Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, it has been stretched to the very edge of what is detectable by this equipment.
brilliant but brief lives, producing the very first heavy elements. They would also have “fried” the neutral gas around them - ripping electrons off atoms - to produce the diffuse intergalactic plasma we still detect between nearby stars.
Nonetheless, the team believes the data is robust enough to certify the six new galaxies and the one re-classification. The objects lie in a range that covers redshifts 8.2-11.9 - the technical way of describing a period in time that runs from about 600 million years to 380 million years after the Big Bang (current cosmology suggests the Big Bang occurred some 13.77 billion years ago).
“When we look at the properties of the six new galaxies at redshifts eight and nine they already seem reasonably mature,” Prof Dunlop from Edinburgh’s Institute of Astronomy told BBC News.
The most distant object, UDFj-39546284, was first announced by Garth Illingworth and Rychard Bouwens in a Nature paper in 2011. They gave it a redshift of 10 (480 million years after the Big Bang). But the improved and extended dataset from Prof Ellis’s group strongly suggests this galaxy really lies at an even greater distance. Either that or it has properties in its light emission that hitherto have never been noted in a closer object. Scientists are very keen to probe these colossal separations in time and distance because they will learn how the early Universe grew its structures, and that in turn will help them explain why the cosmos looks the way it does now. In particular, they want to see more evidence for the very first populations of stars. These hot giants would have grown out of the cold neutral gas that pervaded the young cosmos. These
behemoths
would
have
burnt
“They’ve already got a reasonable amount of heavy elements from previous generations of stars. “So, in a way, the take home message is that we’re still not seeing the first generation of stars - the so-called Population III stars. Even when we push to less than what is now 5% of the age of the Universe; we’re still seeing second-generation, relatively evolved objects.” John Grunsfeld, Nasa’s associate administrator for science and the astronaut known as the “Hubble repair man” because of the number of servicing missions he flew to the telescope, commented on the latest research: “These are baby pictures of the Universe,” he told reporters. “These images are giving us the tantalizing view of what happened in the very earliest stages of the Universe. This is the time when the Universe was filled with hydrogen and starts to make stars and galaxies that make the chemical elements that we are primarily made out of - the oxygen we breathe, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our bones.”
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The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
A Christmas tale Story by Daniel Gerard, Illustrations by Leticia Gerard
“I will take you home now,” he said to the little creature on Christmas Eve. “And this time be sure to stay there!”
sleigh filled with colourful boxes he couldn’t help but come a little closer. Out of sight from the big man dressed in red (Father Christmas) and the six large animals standing near (the magical reindeers) the little creature climbed inside the sleigh to inspect the colourful boxes. Just as he did the sleigh took off, woosh! Just like that into the star filled sky.
The little creature finally returned safe and sound to the tall forest and, although it was much hotter there than in the Great North, he decided to keep his furry suit. He loved it so much that he passed it on to his children, and his children passed it on to their children.
The little creature stayed hidden while the sleigh travelled to all the villages around the world until at last it landed in the Great North, the home of Father Christmas. It was then that he was discovered, shivering from the cold. This story happened once long ago, when men lived in small villages scattered around the world. Far away in the Great South, where the forests were thick with tall trees, was the village where Father Christmas made his first deliveries. The tall forest nearby was full of creatures, great and small. On this Christmas Eve one of these creatures, bolder than the others, came close to the village on the arrival of Father Christmas. This little creature had a big, round, black nose and was quite timid. But he was also very curious! When he saw the beautiful
“Where did you come from?” asked Father Christmas. “I wanted to see your colourful boxes and fell in the sleigh!” the little creature replied. “Dear oh dear,” grumbled Father Christmas “Well, now you must stay here for a whole year before I can take you home. I’m very busy, you see! You can stay here in my magical reindeers stables.” So the little creature made a cosy corner for himself in the stable and spent every night watching as the reindeers practised flying. He loved the starry trails that formed as the reindeers whirled and twirled in the dark skies of the Great North.
But he got very cold sitting in the snow night after night, so Father Christmas’ tailor made him a suit of soft fur, just like the ones he made for the Teddy Bears. How happy the little creature was! And so warm and cosy in his new fur suit. Soon, it came to be Christmas time again and Father Christmas was preparing for his yearly deliveries around the world.
He also told them of his magical adventure to the home of Father Christmas and his children told the tale to their children. And to this day these little creatures can still be found high up in the tallest trees, staring up at the night sky, waiting to see the starry trails of the magical reindeers and Father Christmas’ sleigh. We like to call them koalas.
Un conte de Nöel Hstoire par Daniel Gerard, Illustrations par Leticia Gerard
suivant , émerveillé, leur course folle dans le ciel noir du Grand Nord. Elles allaient de plus en plus vite finissant dans un éclair scintillant, chaque soir pour s’entraîner.
C’était, il y a bien longtemps, a l’époque les hommes vivaient dans la petites villages parsèmes tout autour de la terre. Dans le grand sud, très loin, la ou il y a des forets épaisses avec de grands arbres se trouvait le village qui recevait en premier visite du Père Nöel. La grande foret était habitée par des animaux de toutes sortes.
Comme il avait trés froid, le tailleur du Père Nöel lui fit une pelisse en fourrure comme les ours en peluche. Et nore jeune ami pouvait ainsi se promener bien au chaud enveloppé dans cette fourrure épaisse.
Ce soir la, la nuit de Nöel, l’un d’eux, plus hardi que les autres, s’était approche du village. Au moment exact de l’arrivée du Père Nöel. Il n’était pas méchant ce petit animal au gros nez noir toute rond, mais curieux et lorsqu’il vit la grande luge pleine de boites multicolores, un gros Monsieur toute vêtu de rouge a la grand barbe blanche et les six merveilleux animaux, si gracieux, aux longs bois sur la tête « les reines, fidèles
sud. Il conserva sa pelisse qu’il transmis a ses enfants et ses enfants a leurs enfants ainsi de suite... Il raconta ensuite son histoire a ses enfants et ses enfants a leurs enfants ainsi de suite...
L’an prit fin, tout était prêt pour la grande tournée des cadeaux.
Et voila pourquoi aujourd’hui on peut voir ces animaux a l’épaisse fourrure tout en haut des grands arbres scrutant le ciel pour essayer d’apercevoir les trainees lumineuses que filantes.
- Je vais te deposer chez toi dit le Pére Nöel, au petit curieux. Et cette fois restez-y. Notre petit ami retrouva donc sa foret aux grands arbres et malgré la chaleur du grand
Les homes on donnés aussi un nom a ces petits animaux a l’épaisse fourrure au gros new rond tour noir toujours perches dans les grand arbres. Ils les appellant ‘koalas’.
compagnons, du Père Nöel » Il ne pu s’empêcher de grimper dans la luge pour mieux voir ces boites multicolores. Juste au moment du depart et Hop ! le voile parti d’autre cieux... Il fit donc tour de tous les villages, de toutes les maisons sans être découvert. C’est l’arrivée dans le Grand Nord le ou le Pére Nöel habite que l’on découvrit l’intrus tremblant de peur et de froid. - Mais d’où vient – tu ? Petit animal demanda le Pére Nöel ? - J’ai voulu voir les boites multicolores et je suis tombe dans la luge. - Voila qui est fort fâcheux, tu dois rester avec nous toute une année car je sui strop occupe pour te ramener chez toi. Restes donc dans l’étable avec mes reines, lui ordonna le Père Nöel. Notre jeune ami resta donc avec les reines,
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Page 13
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The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
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COFELY VANUATU LTD recherche un candidat Ni-Vanuatu susceptible d’occuper le poste de :
Responsable de l’activité production d’énergie
RESTAURANT TO BE BUILT FOR SALE OR LEASE (large) WANTED!
An experienced restaurant operator for a brand new cafe/deli/restaurant/shop at Nasama Resort in Pango area. Located just 1 km past the Le Lagon Resort turnoff and 500m before Breakas Resort on a sealed road. Only 10 minutes to town. Operator will benefit from the Resort by offering breakfast, lunch and dinner to the guests and also by providing grocery items for the 28 self-contained apartments now in operation. The restaurant location is beside the main road and will attract tourists, expats and Ni-Vanuatu who live in the area. Currently, there are no coffee shops in the area the nearest is Au Peche Mignon all the way into town. Owners of the Resort will build the structure to your requirements - and a sales price or lease rent will be set accordingly. Build time estimate is 6 months All interested parties please call Paul at 7754545.
Les candidats devront présenter les références suivantes : • Etre Ingénieur de formation mécanique automatisme, ou équivalent DESMM (Diplômes des Etudes Supérieures de la Marine Marchande) avec 10 ans d’expérience minimum. • Avoir des bonnes connaissances en sécurité centrales et dépôts de carburants, en particulier sécurité incendies. • Posséder des bonnes connaissances et qualifications sur moteurs Cummins (KTA, QSK). • Avoir de l’expérience et qualifications en automation, programmation et exploitation des systèmes COMAP. • Avoir de l’expérience en exploitation et maintenance de centrales éoliennes. • Avoir de l’expérience dans le domaine de formation des agents. • Parler le français et l’anglais. Les candidatures devront être adressées au Directeur Général de COFELY VANUATU LTD, B.P 6 Port-Vila, Vanuatu avant le 24 décembre 2012.
LAND FOR SALE House block at Bellevue. Elevated position, cleared and ready to build. Desirable area, close to town, all services available. AUS $80,000 Call 7755226
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GENERAL MANAGER Moyyan House by The Sea, Luganville, Santo is seeking suitable qualified and experienced individual for the above mentioned position.
CONDOLENCE MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE TELECOMMUNCIATIONS AND RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS REGULATOR (TRR)
The successful applicant will need to be an enthusiastic, innovative, team player, highly motivated and able to work unsupervised in a remote location. The applicant must have a minimum of 10 years in the hospitality industry with a sound knowledge of financial and management accounting, reservations, reception, sales and marketing, kitchen and restaurant management, housekeeping, guest relations, human resources as well having above average computer skills and be proficient in the use of MYOB accounting software.
The Regulator and TRR staff wishes to offer their deepest condolence and sympathy to the wife, children and relatives of the late Hon. Minister Harry Iarris Iauko.
Formal qualifications and experience in the hotel/resort industry are essential. Preference will be given to an applicant who can demonstrate that they have successfully worked with different cultures in isolated environments. This is a very hands on position where training and development of Ni-Vanuatu staff is mandatory.
We also extend our sympathy to the Government of Vanuatu for the passing away of a Member of Parliament and State Minister working for the people of Vanuatu.
Remuneration package and other benefits will be negotiated commensurate with qualifications and experience of the successful applicants.
We pray that the Love of God enfolds everyone during these difficult times and gives comfort to his family.
Pamela Reynolds PR’s Management & Financial Services P O Box 5182 Port Vila, Vanuatu
Written applications enclosing detailed CV’s with accompanying references should be marked confidential and forwarded to:
Applications close 31th December 2012
The Independent/L’Indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Page 15 31 Page
News
Illegal tuna fishing crackdown in Pacific Hugh Walton, FFA policy specialist and team leader for the DEVFISH2 project says the measure of success of these projects is not just about the number of fishing vessels recorded or violations detected.
TINY Vanuatu is among other Pacific countris covered on the 30 million square kilometres surveyed that also included the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, and Tuvalu. Australia, New Zealand, France and the US also provided surveillance support.
“There needs to be effective deterrence – proper penalties for deliberate misreporting or underreporting catch sizes, compliance with licence conditions, and the means to enforce license conditions,” says Mr Walton.
A new data-driven process to further crackdown on illegal tuna fishing in the Pacific will help reduce the loss of local fish industry earnings by up to $1billion. A recent two-week surveillance operation to detect illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the region has confirmed how necessary data collection is to deter and eliminate fish plundering from the world’s biggest and most important tuna fishery.
The korean fishing boat in marshall island.
“To cross check and analyse a vessel’s catch history and other information during the time of a single boat boarding is extremely difficult, because it is all paper-based.”
More than 320 vessels were sighted, 206 were boarded and 27 infringements were recorded during the operation last month [November].
Regional estimates put lost earnings from activities such as under-reporting or misreporting catch sizes at anywhere from the millions to over a billion.
Kurukuru 2012 was the region’s biggest ever surveillance operation and involved five maritime patrol aircraft, 12 patrol boats, a frigate and a Coast Guard boat all surveying an area of approximately 30 million square kilometres.
The SPC and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) are working together to put exact figures on these losses by building a comprehensive data network.
“Controlling illegal fishing in the region is complex,” explains Bryan Scott, Fisheries IUU Liaison Officer for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
The Kurukuru operation helped inform the early stages of a $10-million European Unionfunded project known as DEVFISH2– the Development of Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries.
“There are multiple organisations and nations in the Pacific that govern the rules that fishers can fish under, depending on when and where they are.
The project will be improving information management and data analysis as a means of providing additional deterrence for illegal fishing.
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The future database management system will help authorities quickly and accurately identify inconsistencies between fishing vessel log books and data captured from surveillance through the Vessel Monitoring System and the reports of at-sea fisheries observers and in-port monitoring of catch landings. The Kurukuru 2012 surveillance operation was headquartered in Honiara, Solomon Islands at the FFA Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre, and data was collected from aerial, ship and electronic surveillance sources.
Traditional knowledge in climate adaptation THE Republic of Vanuatu is leading the way in the Pacific with its national approach to using traditional knowledge for improved climate seasonal forecasting and adaptation to climate change. The approach involves hybridizing seasonal forecasting based on meteorological science with long term seasonal forecasting based on traditional observations of local animal behavior, plant flowering and fruiting, and cloud and sky indicators.
to climate change. Since humans first arrived in Vanuatu over 2500 years ago its people have been exposed to cyclones, floods, droughts, and storm sea surges and have developed simple and locally appropriate ways of coping and surviving. While climate change is intensifying and worsening the hazards of the past, ensuring that traditional coping mechanisms are collected, shared and used will help to enable our people to better deal with future climate change.
The Government of Vanuatu recently trialed a new in field data collection approach and hosted major summit with official agencies, cultural institutions, civil society and development partners to define a longterm collaborative approach on traditional knowledge, climate change and disaster risk reduction.
In preparation for the national summit, members from the Vanuatu Cultural Center, the Department of Meteorology & Geohazards, the National Disaster Management Office, the Department of Agriculture and the SPCGIZ Climate Change Programme travelled to Tanna Island to pre-test a one-team approach to traditional knowledge and climate change initiatives.
Climate change is critically impacting Vanuatu’s development, its people and our livelihoods. Changes in rainfall and extreme storm events are now contributing to secondary impacts like new pest and disease outbreaks in agriculture, water insecurity and declining health in rural communities. The government of the Republic of Vanuatu has already placed climate change as a top national policy priority, with adaptation and disaster risk reduction two key national objectives. Unsurprisingly, adaptation and disaster risk reduction can be expensive and difficult to implement in places like Vanuatu where the cost of imported technologies and lack of scientific capacity are prohibitive.
In the remote communities surrounding Port Resolution, the team held a series of discussions with chiefs and area leaders about a future partnership between the government and custodians of traditional climate and weather knowledge. The first step was to share a meteorological science perspective on weather, climate and climate change.Then expert traditional Tanna weathermen showed the government team their own methods for forecasting, specifically how they use local signs and indicators to foretell a coming dry season, intense cyclone or prolonged rainy period. For example, certain behaviors of the oceanic Petrel flying close to the islands indicate an upcoming period of strong wind. A shift in the flowering times of a coastal tree species accurately foretells a long dry season.
Vanuatu Credit Services (VCS) Credit and Debt Advisors
Wednesday 12 December, 2012 Thursday 13 December 2012 Time: From 12 pm Venue: USP Emalus Campus
Erasmus Mundus
Funded with the support of the European Commission This publication reflects the views only of the author and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
Page 16
“Being able to compare data sets will allow us to do more reliable estimates of the extent of underreporting and misreporting.”
Traditional knowledge about weather, climate related hazards and extreme events is one of Vanuatu’s best and most affordable solutions
VANUATU INFORMATION SESSIONS:
Email: International@usp.ac.fj Phone: 679 32 32916 http://angle.up.pt
“If vessels get away with offenses they will continue to offend. But if they, for example, lose their licence or fishing right, the example will ripple out to other operators.
The SPC and FFA aim to have the improved information management and data screening systems in place over the next 12 months.
Can the below listed please contact us by phone, email or PO Box to help us with our enquiries on behalf of our clients. 1. Pascal Tasso 2. Anthony Olsen 3. Douglas Ngwele 4. Johnny Arnhambat 5. Tania Wus 6. Omawa Ioane Simon 7. Patrick McGreal 8. Philip Boedoro 9. Silas Taima – Lano Catering 10. Cong Duc Nguyen 11. Jeffrey Tokataake 12. Crusoe Fishing Adventures If anyone can provide us with contact addresses for the above listed people it will be appreciated. Thank you. If you require debts collected or credit advice please contact Leonie on 5571030 or 5524333, email: vancreditservices@gmail.com or PO Box 3304, Port Vila Page 39 The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
News
Reef group receivership may affect 10 Pacific nations A NUMBER of Pacific countries could be affected economically after Reef Group went into receivership last week. The company provides services to Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tonga, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, Tuvalu and Kiribati. It also runs large-scale business ventures in some of the countries. Tiny Niue Island, with a population of just over 1,000 could be the most vulnerable of the Pacific nations. That is because in addition to owning a noni farm with the Government of Niue, Reef Group is also the exclusive shipping company that provides its monthly freight service. But there is some confidence that its vulnerability will not be overly tested. One of the receivers, Colin McCloy, remained optimistic.
“We are committed to doing the best we can for the future of the Reef Group, its shipping business and services provided in the South Pacific,” he said. “We will work diligently with relevant parties on the possible business and assets sale of the Reef Group. Yet, in the meantime, it will be business as usual for its employees and contractors across the region.” That positive note has been picked up Niue’s Premier, Toke Talagi who is currently in New Zealand talking with the receivers and Reef Group. He told Radio New Zealand he can’t speculate on the outcome of the meetings at this stage. “I can’t say anything further than that at this particular point in time. >From what I have read in the newspapers
the receivers are keen for the business to continue but we will know more about their plans this afternoon.” This was also the comment by the President for Niue Chamber, Avi Rubin. “It’s a bit early to comment as our main concern was the ship service to Niue for the near future, and from what we heard its business as normal,” he told the New Zealand Pacific. “Our Premier is in Auckland looking for possible solutions for the long term and the other Reef ventures that involve Niue. We will meet when he gets back and then will have a better idea of what we can expect.” But Mr. Kalauni of Shop Export told the New Zealand Herald he is not overly concerned about the Reef Group impact.
The next Reef ship, the Southern Reef 007 is leaving for Niue this Saturday. A shipping officer at Reef confirmed, “It’s leaving on Saturday morning and should arrive at Niue either on the 15 or 16 December.” He is apprehensive about the company’s situation, “but we hope things will work themselves out alright.” Mr. Kalauni remains optimistic. “There are a number of options for Niue and I think we should be alright.” One of the options said Mr. Kalauni, “Perhaps Samoa who now owns the Pacific Forum Line could be convinced to service Niue.” He added: “Maybe they can do it more than once a month?”
Generous gift of Chinese Club to hospital The Chinese Club of Port Vila has generously donated paint and tiles thios week to help out the maintenance work at the Vanuatu Central Hospital. The apint will be used on the interiors of outpatients’ clinic, surgical and medical wards. The tiles will be put to good use, replacing the damaged ones found throughtout the premises. Au Bon Marche has jumped to rescue by kindly donating three requested computers, including the lap top to the eye clinic. The Tuna fish.
Big nations block curbs on tuna
EFFORTS to cut catches at a meeting of tuna-fishing nations in the Asia-Pacific has basically failed, said delegates . The Western and Central Pacific Commission, comprising 30 member nations and territories, ended a five-day meeting in Manila with only very minor agreements to help tuna stocks recover, said observers who attended. The commission had hoped to address concerns that many tuna species were being fished beyond sustainable levels in the Western Pacific, a region that produces more than 50 percent of the world’s tuna catch. However Palau fishing official Nanette Malsol said many big nations refused to cut their catch, especially of bigeye tuna which the commission said should ideally have its catch reduced by 30 percent. “The big fishing nations did not make any significant commitments to cut their overfishing of bigeye tuna. It is the big fishing nations... that have historically overfished bigeye tuna,” she said in a statement. Malsol, who also chairs the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, a coalition of small Pacific island nations, blamed the European Union, the United States, Japan and many Asian nations for taking most of the adult bigeye tuna with “longline” fishing vessels. Only
China agreed voluntarily to cut its catch by such vessels by 10 percent while South Korea and Taiwan both agreed to cut theirs by two percent, Malsol said. Garry Leape, head of the delegation of the US-based Pew Environment Group, said he welcomed some measures taken at the Philippine meeting. This included an agreement to extend to four months, a three-month annual ban on the use of “fish aggregating devices” or FADS, floating devices that lure fish, making it easier for boats to haul them in. FADS also result in catching of juvenile tuna and other threatened species such as sharks, rays and sea turtles, environmentalists said. The commission also agreed on a measure to avoid catching whale sharks in tuna nets. But Leape said the country delegations were only interested in protecting their individual interests rather than working together to prevent the depletion of tuna stocks. “It seems inevitable that, given these management decisions, we will again sit down and discuss an overfished stock in an even worse state than today,” he said in a statement. Because tuna is a migratory species that crosses country boundaries, cooperation is crucial to sustaining the resource, experts said.
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The Independent/L’independent - Saturday 15 December, 2012 Page 32
Manager of VCH, Theophille Massing was able to present a certificate of appreciation to the above organisations, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the support rendered and the contribution they make to the local health care resources. He said the improvement to the physical environment will not only make the wards more appealing, but will also make the patients stay more comfortable. He said the replacement of tiles will also
Paint and tiles donated by the Chinese Club of Vila to the Hospital.
make cleaning easier, improving the general hygiene of the place. The reduction in health care funding has meant that infrastructure improvement for tertiary institution has been much compromised. Any offer of corporate/individual sponsorship to VCH is most welcome. Current items that are urtgently needed are new doors ( to replace damaged ones), patient trolley, wheelchairs and ventilator. Please contact the hospital administration office for further information.
Male leaders urged to take lead on sexual and reproductive health in Pacific MALE leaders are being urged to take the lead in bringing about progress on sexual and reproductive health in the Pacific. The New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development launched a report yesterday based on a hearing that brought together a number of Pacific politicians and NGO representatives earlier this year. The recommendations include supporting legislation and policies to protect the rights of women and girls and encouraging greater youth engagement in decision making about their own sexual and reproductive health. The Vice Chair of the group, New Zealand MP Maryan Street, says there are cultural challenges in the Pacific which can prevent sexual and reproductive health and rights’ agendas being advanced.
so male parliamentarians have to step up to lead this agenda and many of them are.” Meanwhile, a youth worker from Solomon Islands has welcomed a recommendation out of a report on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, which encourages greater youth engagement in decision making. The YWCA Solomon Islands’ Programme Manager, Julieanne Wickham, says it’s important to involve adolescents in decision making about their own sexual and reproductive health, so they can act responsibly. She says there are a lot of unwanted pregnancies in Solomon Islands and not talking about it just ignores the problem.
She says before any real progress can be made, male politicians need to get on board.
“Sex is a very taboo topic, we not talk about it in the family. People know that it’s happening but nobody wants to get up and talk about it in public and say we have to deal with it.”
“Because there are so few women members of parliament in the Pacific, the burden cannot be carried by women alone either in parliament or in the non governmental sector
Other recommendations from the report include decriminalising homosexuality and ensuring legislation and policies protect the rights of women and girls.
Page 17
News
Pacific nations join healthy fight against climate change organisations and government bodies also have initiatives under way.
COMMUNITY members and experts are being quizzed on how climate change is adding to the Pacific’s increasing rate of NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The knowledge-sharing forum of the Pacific Solution Exchange (PSE) is making this deadly issue its number-one discussion across all Pacific islands. Prompting the Pacific-wide discussion is Saula Volavola, World Health Organisation (WHO) Health Promotion/Communication Assistant. “In the Pacific region, NCDs are the leading cause of death, accounting for 75 per cent, with a large proportion of those being premature. The main risk factors for NCDs are: tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol misuse and unhealthy diet (low consumption of fruits and vegetables, high sugar and fat),” Volavola said. “These risks are a growing concern in the Pacific given, for example, the rate of overweight or obese people ranges from 47
per cent in Fiji to 93.5 per cent in American Samoa,” he said. “These risks are increasing as a result of climate change and development impacts. For example, modern lifestyles typically result in less physical activity at home and at work; while climate change is already affecting the food we eat, the water we drink and the environments in which we live.” In response, WHO is operating a number of initiatives such as increasing taxation on cigarettes under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), lobbying with manufacturers to reduce salt in processed foods, plus working with schools, workplaces, villages and health facilities to make them settings for healthy living. Many other
Bilateral relations vital for Pacific: US THE United States will critically enhance Pacific Partnership between Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and PNG for successful national development. The newly appointed US Ambassador to PNG, Walter North, stressed this at the US Embassy in Port Moresby this week during a press conference. “The US wants to maintain good bilateral relations with Papua New Guinea and contribute to its development, therefore, collaboration between these three countries is very important. “The US Government will continue to contribute towards Women’s Empowerment such as response to gender based violence, enhancing Pacific Partnership between Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and PNG,” he added. The Ambassador stated that the US Government will continue working to help prevent and respond to gender based violence in PNG. He said they will continue working with the Health Sectors under President Obamas Global Health Initiative, Educational and Cultural Exchanges and Democracy and Good Governance.
“Already the free knowledge-sharing service of PSE is generating an exciting discussion among stakeholders involved in health and climate change in many Pacific nations,” Volavola said. “We’ve heard from researchers, health practitioners and community members from Apia, Levuka and Kadavu – a wide range of people concerned about how issues such as sea level rise and increased flooding is
He was commissioned by the Governor General, Sir Michael Ogio on Tuesday, and officially took office as the 13th United States Ambassador to PNG.
Doctors said the average blood sugar rises gradually and as it rises there is damage occurring throughout the body. Out of control blood sugar levels can lead to serious short term medical problems. .
Ambassador North arrived in Papua New Guinea on November 18, following his September 20 confirmation by the United States Senate and his swearing-in as Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands on November 7. Prior to that, Ambassador North served as the Mission Director in India, Indonesia, Zambia, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. He also held a number of positions at USAIDS Washington Headquarters as Administrator for International Agencies or Offices. Ambassador North is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of a Career Minister. North will serve as ambassador for two years in the country
countries. One of the expected outcomes of the workshop is the establishment of operational fiscal management plans for each of the Pacific countries attending the workshop.
The Fiscal Management Modeling Workshop, held in Suva this week, was attended by Permanent Secretaries and senior officials from Ministries of Finance from six Pacific island countries (Fiji, Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as part of ADB’s PEM TA in cooperation with ADB’s Pacific Sub-Regional office (SPSO). The workshop is co-sponsored from the University of South Pacific’s Pacific Island Centre for Public Administration and the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre of the International Monetary Fund.
“Fiscal management is one of the main challenges facing small developing economies in the Pacific region. The relatively simple models being developed at the workshop are valuable tools for informing policy makers about the long-term fiscal implications of their policy choices,” said Christopher Edmonds, Senior Economist from ADB’s Pacific Department. Participants shared their knowledge and experiences on efforts to strengthen management of public finances. The workshop also provided the opportunity for participants to consider new economic policy choices that may shape countries’ fiscal outcomes and work together to implement good practices in fiscal management.
The knowledge sharing exchange about NCDs and climate change only runs for about a week and finishes at the end of December, with people invited to join Pacific Solution Exchange, if they want to become part of the conversation. Joining is free: www. solutionexchange-un.net/pacific The Pacific Solution Exchange is an emailbased knowledge sharing service that enables people across the Pacific to ask each other Queries and share answers, insights, experiences and lessons learned to help each other in their climate change and disaster risk work across the Pacific. It has over 1300 members ranging from experts, practitioners, community members, students and concerned elders and community members in remote communities.
Diabetes diagnosis a life saver DIABETES mellitus is a major health problem for Vanuatu and many other countries. Diabetes is a deceptive disease because most people diagnosed with diabetes have probably had it for a number of years without knowing it. The symptoms aren’t obvious.
IMPROVED fiscal management will help Pacific island countries achieve sustainable, economic growth, according to delegates at a regional workshop jointly organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Page 18
Volavola hopes responses to this Pacific Solution Exchange (PSE) knowledge-sharing forum will help all of those studying or working in climate change or health fields to better understand and combat this issue.
“You have a wonderful rich nation blessed with an abundance of resources, a vibrant civil society in which there is so much talent. “I have so much interest for the country, the vibrant cultures and traditions, the friendly people, the natural geography such as volcanoes, the national history, and many others,” he added.
Improved fiscal management to spur growth in Pacific-ADB
The workshop developed new tools for managing Pacific countries’ public financial management and provided advice to Pacific government officials to help them improve fiscal management and planning in their
“Despite these efforts, we are concerned the rate of NCDs in the Pacific continues to rise, with the impacts of climate change and development to further exacerbate this issue,” he said.
impacting the health of our people, especially with NCDs such as obesity and diabetes. They are all keen to share their experience or perception of the ways in which climate change may be affecting NCDs in Pacific communities,” he said.
They said uncontrolled blood sugar can also damage the vessels that supply blood to important organs, like the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves. “This can occur even when you feel OK,’’ they said. “ That’s why it is so important to take action as soon as you’re diagnosed with diabetes. Our bodies are amazing, but unfortunately once you have a heart attack or stroke, or your kidneys fail, or you become blind, the damage can’t be undone.’’ The experience at the new Vanuatu Medical Laboratory during a recent four months period, showed that 82 patients were tested for glucose, and 38 of them (46 pre cent) had an elevated Glucose level. This is an alarm bell for diabetes. Doctors said glucose is vital to your health because it’s an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It’s your brain’s main source of fuel. They said that if you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood. And too much glucose in your blood can lead to very serious health problems. They said potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes — when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but
not high enough to be classified as diabetes. “Prediabetes/diabetes has become a worldwide epidemic and there are 57 million people in the United States alone who have prediabetes and most don’t know it, according to the American Diabetes Association,’’ said doctors. “ Unfortunately, many people who believe they’re “borderline diabetic” or have “a touch of diabetes” think that they’re safe. “However, research has shown that some long-term damage is being done to the body, especially to the heart and circulatory system. ‘It is time to go now and check the level of glucose in your blood. The Vanuatu Medical Laboratory (“VML”) can do this for you, quickly and inexpensively. Telephone for an appointment 777-4-111.’’ Doctors said there are two tests are commonly used to diagnose prediabetes: Fasting blood glucose. Measures ◊ blood glucose first thing in the morning before you eat. A normal fasting blood glucose is between 70 to 100 mg/dl (3.8 to 5.5 mmol). You have prediabetes if your fasting blood sugar is 101 to 125 mg/dl (5.6 to 6.9 mmol) ◊ Oral glucose tolerance test. Measures blood glucose after fasting and again 2 hours after drinking a glucose-rich drink. ◊ If you have prediabetes, you should do something about it. Studies have shown that people with prediabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent through changes to their lifestyle, including modest weight loss (as little as 5 to 7 percent of your current weight) and increasing physical exercise. That is huge! ‘’Call VML now for a diabetes test appointment,’’ said doctor in Port Vila . “It may save your health.’’
The Independent = equals quality = the best priced ads in town. For VT 20,00 you can have a 1/4 page advert in The Independent. You can’t get that anywhere else. The Independent/L’Indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Gardening
Christmas cheer with tropical tunes by Cornelia Wyllie
THE year is almost at and end and with the impending special celebration almost upon us it is time for a review. The heat and busyness tends to bring out the ‘troppo’ in people so a light relief of the articles that have appeared in the Indy is set to the well known tune of Twelve Days of Christmas with a true Vanuatu country flavour. The first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A pigeon in a coconut tree The second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree The third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree The fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. The fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. The sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, seven trees a bearing, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, eight gardeners gardening, seven trees a bearing, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, nine palms a waving, eight gardeners gardening, seven trees a bearing, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, ten perfumed plants, nine palms a waving, eight gardeners gardening, seven trees a bearing, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, eleven jungle fruits, ten perfumed plants, nine palms a waving, eight gardeners gardening, seven trees a bearing, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, twelve copies of the Indy, eleven jungle fruits, ten perfumed plants, nine palms a waving, eight gardeners gardening, seven trees a bearing, six breeding pigs, five golden mangoes, four orchid flowers, three fat hens, two tuberose and a pigeon in a coconut tree.
Last week’s challenge was too easy kava. This week’s mystery article is in line with Christmas flowers. The winner who correctly names it will receive a 5000vt plant voucher to be redeemed at Rainbow Botanic Gardens. Forward all answers by email to rainbowanswers@ gmail.com - don’t forget to include your contact number.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Page 19
Christmas Recipes Boiled christmas pudding with brandy custard recipe
White Christmas crackles Get mum to help you to make this !
Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
1/2 cup rum or brandy 500g butter, melted 500g currants 500g sultanas 500g raisins 250g chopped dates 250 g mixed peel 125g flour 1 tsp bicarb soda 125g slivered almonds 1 tsp vanilla essence 750g light brown sugar 375g fresh breadcrumbs 10 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp cinnamon
Note
Christmas pudding isn’t difficult to make you just need to set aside time to make it, boil it and store it before bringing the delicious pudding out for Christmas Day. Boiled for another hour just before serving, this Christmas pudding is divine served with homemade brandy custard.
Brandy custard: • • • • • •
1 cup (250mL) milk 1 cup (250mL) cream 1 vanilla bean, split 5 egg yolks 125g caster sugar 60mL brandy
Method 1.
Add all fruit to a large bowl and soak overnight in the rum or brandy.
2. Sift in the flour and bicarb, add the almonds, essence, sugar, breadcrumbs, eggs and spices.
Ingredients: • • • •
350g white chocolate, finely chopped 90g dried cranberries, chopped 150g Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles 80g pistachios, chopped
Method 1. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. Put chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until almost melted. Remove from heat. Set aside for 10 minutes, then stir until chocolate is smooth. 2. Add cranberries, rice bubbles and pistachios to bowl. Stir until well combined.
3. Mix all together (with hands is best) and divide mixture between three puddings cloths. Tie the ends of each cloth together with kitchen string.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared tin. Put a sheet of baking paper over mixture and use your hands to press down firmly, to create a level surface. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
4. In a stockpot large enough to hold all three puddings (or several large saucepans), bring water to the boil, add puddings and boil for 6 hours.
4. wrap.
5.
Check water level regularly and top up with boiling water if required.
6.
Cool and store in a cool place until Christmas Day.
7.
To reheat, boil for at least 1 hour. Serve with brandy custard or ice-cream.
Cut slice into 36 squares, using a sharp, serrated knife. Serve or gift-
Christmas tree pops
8. To make the brandy custard, place milk, cream and vanilla bean into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to simmering point.
Get mum to help!
9. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until light and foamy, then whisk in warm milk mixture. 10. Rinse out the saucepan and pour the custard into the pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring continuously with a spoon, until mixture thickens. 11.
Strain into a jug, cool slightly and stir in brandy. Serve warm or cold.
Christmas tree potatoes Here is a fun idea for the Christmas table - give the roast potato side dish a festive flair by giving them a Christmas tree shape.
Ingredients: • • •
12 chat potatoes 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 6 sprigs rosemary (lower leaves removed) se
rv
6
es
Method 1. Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for8 minutes until potatoes give slightly when pierced with a skewer. Drain and cool slightly, then place potatoes in a bowl with oil and sea salt, and toss well to combine. Slightly flatten each potato by pressing down with your hand and sit one potato on top of another, securing in place with a cocktail stick. Potatoes can be refrigerated at this stage for up to 24 hours. 2. Preheat oven to 190°C. Place potatoes on an oiled baking tray and bake for 10 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove cocktail sticks and replace with rosemary sprigs to serve.
Page 20 38
Ingredients • • • • •
395g can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup caster sugar 125g unsalted butter,cubed ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• •
¼ tsp salt 100g white chocolate, melted Green and white sprinkles,silver cachous, to decorate
Method 1. Line a 22 x 12cm loaf tin and a large oven tray with baking paper. 2 Put condensed milk, sugar, butter, cream of tartar and salt in a medium heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring, for 8 minutes or until mixture reaches ‘soft ball’ stage and turns a rich caramel colour. To test for soft ball stage, drop a small amount of mixture into a glass of cold water. The mixture is cooked when a soft ball forms. Remove from heat and continue stirring for 5 minutes or until very thick. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth top. Set aside to cool for 5 3 minutes. Cut fudge in half lengthways, then cut each half in a zigzag fashion, to make triangles (trees). While fudge is still warm, insert a short bamboo skewer into the base of each triangle and put on prepared tray. Leave to cool completely. Trim skewer ends. 4 Spoon a small amount of melted chocolate onto 1 side of 1 triangle. Coat in sprinkles, then top with 1 cachous. Repeat with remaining trees, chocolate and decorations. Serve or gift-wrap.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Celebration Recipes ... from local chefs favourite celebratory dishes
Pumpkin, fetta and basil pappardelle with chilli and garlic nut butter sauce From Ryan O’Halloran, Executive Chef at Tamanu on the Beach
Method
Ingredients:
Put pasta into boiling water and
Passionfruit cheesecake Ingredients:
Use an electric beater to beat the beater to beat the cream in another bowl
Spread half the cream cheese
Stir the passionfruit pulp and sugar
Method Combine the biscuit crumbs, butter
Buche De Noel Bûche de Noël or Yule Log is a traditional dessert served near Christmas in France and
parchment, leaving a generous overhang at the ends and sides, and folding the parchment into the corners to help the
The traditional bûche is made from a large, shallow Swiss roll pan, frosted, rolled to form a cylinder, and frosted again on the
the icing thinly over the sponge, going right
roll from the beginning, and roll up to the
dust this piece of parchment with a little icing sugar it may help with preventing
side to resemble a chopped off branch, and
Cut one or both ends slightly at a gentle angle, reserving the remnants, and The remnants, along with the trimmed-
Ingredients:
chocolate – either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water or, my preference, in a microwave following the manufacturer’s guidelines – and let it Put the icing sugar into a processor and blitz to remove lumps,
couple of dollops of the egg whites, folding whites in thirds, folding them in carefully to
Method
two; you get the effect by placing a piece
Spread the yule log with the remaining icing, covering the cut-off
Add the cooled, melted chocolate and the
remembering to do wibbly circles, as in tree
this by hand, but it does mean you will have to sieve the sugar before creaming it with the butter and stirring in the chocolate and
You don’t have to dust with icing sugar, but I love the freshly fallen snow effect, so push quite a bit through a small sieve, letting some settle in heaps on the
Preheat the oven to 180°C
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Page 19 21
Motoring
Mister-cars
All new A3 Sportback
By EWAN KENNEDY in Monaco
AUDI A3 has been a winner since its introduction when it changed the way people thought about small cars. Prior to the A3 the prestigious German marques were only selling cars built on medium to large bodies with high prices to match. Audi showed it didn’t have to be like that and the company’s arch rivals MercedesBenz and BMW have since joined the (relatively) affordable small-car brigade. Our preview of the latest generation Audi A3 five-door Sportback at its global launch in Monaco leaves little doubt that the success story will continue in Australia and globally. The latest five-door A3 takes a new direction in styling to previous models; while those leant in the direction of practicality and common sense the new model takes a strong sporting stance in the styling field. It has a lean and low look, with a wheelbase longer than in the threedoor A3 in order to minimise front and rear overhangs. The lines from the now-traditional ‘singleframe’ grille back through the dual sweeping highlights on the doors give it a low appearance, and the shape of the rear hatch is aimed at visually emphasising the horizontal shape. In an interesting move, there’s an adornment package that adds chromed strips around the side windows. It will be interesting to see if this blast from the automotive styling past is picked up by other makers. As someone who grew up
Shape of all-new Audi A3 sportback is low and sleek, yet it has a very usable interior. with chromed cars in the 1960s and ‘70s we must admit to being suckers for this brightwork. Cleverly, though the third generation Audi A3 is larger, more spacious and much better equipped than the original 1999 model it weighs virtually the same as that car. The engineers have managed to trim about 90 kilograms out of the body on the gen-two A3 by clever design that minimises the use of materials, without the need for expensive metals. Despite the relatively steep slope of the hatchback the Audi A3 Sportback has decent headroom in the rear seat. The
A3 is typical of this class of car in being aimed at the family unit of two adults and three children, but it’s possible to fit three adults in the rear provided they aren’t of the hulking variety. Indeed cars such as the Audi A3 are often used to carry four adults in their home markets in Europe. Fuel is so expensive and parking so tight that A3 and its German prestige competitors are often used for families where the kids are well into their teenage years. On the subject of fuel, the latest engine design from Audi sees its engines using as little as 3.8 litres per hundred kilometres,
with even the sportiest powerplants only consuming about 5.6 litres per hundred when measured on the combined European driving cycle. Petrol and diesel engines are available with capacities ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 litres for the former, and 1.6 to 2.0 litres for the diesels. An LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) engine and a plug-in hybrid will be offered in years to come. Australian specs for engines have yet to be announced, but it’s likely we will get the larger petrol and diesel units, with the hybrid being an outside possibility. Manual and automatic transmissions will be fitted, with a strong emphasis being on the the autos in Australia. We have driven both petrol and diesel engines and manual and automatic A3s during the event in Monaco and found them to be tractable at low engine revs with the petrol powerplants happy to rev high into the scale. The turbo-diesels aren’t particularly willing to rev much over 4000 rpm, but that’s not their lot in life so that’s no big deal. Ride comfort is very good and the nimble handling is so well balanced that it’s hard to realise this car is driven by the front wheels with all that means in the way of forward weight bias. Quattro models will be introduced shortly and be powered by big grunt turbo-petrol engines. Noise levels are very low and more like those you would expect in the larger A4 and A6 Audi models. This will further enhance the willingness of Australian buyers to trade down from large cars into prestigious Audis and the like. Adding to the desirability of this smallmedium car is a full range of information and audio systems. The topline versions of the Audi A3 will come close to the big Audi A8 in sophistication. Similarly, the A3 will have a full range of crash avoidance features and if a crash becomes inevitable the car will attempt to have it occur at the lowest possible speed. The most expensive A3 variants will have radar cruise control, automatic correction if the car wanders out of its lane and crash anticipation and passenger injury reduction. Audi A3 Sportback will begin its life in Australia in April or May 2013. Only fivedoor models are being imported as Audi Australia believes buyers looking for threedoor will opt for the smaller A1 instead.
* Mister Cars is the fastest growing motoring website in the South Pacific. Visit: mister-cars.com. Road tests are conducted in Australia and although many of these vehicles are not available in Vanuatu, this column is designed to be enjoyed by motoring enthusiasts.
Page 22
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday, 15 December, 2012
News
More graves found at reform school in America ANTHROPOLOGISTS have found evidence of 98 deaths and more graves than previously identified at a now-closed state reform school in the Florida Panhandle.
from the 1950s and 1960s claimed they and other inmates were beaten and abused in other ways. They called themselves “the White House boys” because they said the abuse took place in a small white building on the campus.
An interim report released by the University of South Florida in Tampa says the researchers found at least 50 grave sites at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, about 60 miles west of Tallahassee.
The university’s report is based on archival research, interviews with former students, family members and staff, remote sensing, soil chemistry, archaeological excavation and consultation with experts in forensic pathology, fire investigation and integrative biology.
That’s 19 more than had been identified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in a 2010 investigative report. The university’s researchers also believe there may be even more grave sites than those they’ve found so far. The FDLE was unable to substantiate or refute claims that inmate deaths were caused by the school’s staff, or that staff members physically and sexually abused them. The school opened in 1900 and was closed last year as a cost-cutting measure. The anthropologists, led by Associate Professor Erin Kimmerle, used historical documents to verify the deaths of two adult staff members and 96 children - ranging in age from 6 to 18 - from 1914 through 1973. “The cause and manner of death for the majority of cases are unknown,” the researchers wrote. In those cases where causes could be documented the most common were infectious disease, fires, physical trauma and drowning.
The report recommends further research including the use of ground penetrating radar in areas adjacent to Boot Hill, test excavations and the exhumation of remains for skeletal autopsies to determine causes of death.
Researchers from the University of South Florida have found evidence of 98 deaths at the Dozier reform school.
Other mortality patterns showed trends of deaths occurring after escapes and within three months of arriving at the school. Records indicate that 45 individuals were buried on school grounds from 1914 through 1952 while 31 bodies were sent elsewhere for burial. No burial locations are listed for 22 cases. The lack of information on who’s buried at the school and how they died has
Singapore turns away rescued boat people SINGAPORE has denied entry to a Vietnamese-registered cargo ship carrying 40 Burmese asylum seekers who were plucked from the sea after their boat sank in the Bay of Bengal. In an incident similar to the 2001 Tampa affair, where Australia refused entry to Afghan asylum seekers, Singapore said it had blocked the ship because ‘’those aboard do not appear to be persons eligible to enter Singapore’’. The asylum seekers are believed to have been in the water for 30 hours before the ship Nosco Victory rescued them on December 5, meaning they would have been in a distressed state. They are believed to be still aboard the ship anchored off Singapore. Their condition is unknown. Singapore authorities said the Nosco Victory’s captain ignored advice by Indian rescue authorities to take the asylum seekers to the ‘’nearest port of safety’’, which probably would have been a Bangladeshi port. The ship was due to dock in Singapore on Sunday.
The asylum seekers are believed to Rohingyas, a Muslim minority who were fleeing western Burma, where ethnic violence erupted in June. They were plucked from the sea after the overcrowded Bangladesh-flagged ship Nayou sank at about midday on December 4. Up to 160 other Rohingya aboard the ship are believed to have drowned.
The gravesites were found in an area known as “Boot Hill,” but the anthropologists suspect there may be more burials elsewhere on the 1,400 acre campus. Then-Gov. Charlie Crist ordered the FDLE investigation in 2008 after former students
The sinking is one of at least four in the area since October that has resulted in drowning of several hundred Rohingya - stateless people described by the United Nations as among the world’s most persecuted groups.
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More than 4000 Rohingya have attempted the perilous journey to Malaysia in the past eight weeks as the UN describes the situation in Rohingya camps in Burma’s western Rahkine state as ‘’dire’’, with widespread starvation. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees last month called on regional countries to keep their borders open to people seeking asylum and international protection from Burma.
‘’Under these circumstances, MV Nosco Victory was denied entry to the Port of Singapore.’’
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore spokesperson said the advice given to the captain of the Nosco Victory by Indian rescue authorities was made in consultation with the authority ‘’taking into consideration the safety and security of the ship’’.
Send your news stories to the independent
email: editor@independent.vu
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
“Very little documentation about the history of the cemetery or who is buried there exists, and the exact locations of individual burials were never documented,” the report says. - AP
OFFSHORE AND DOMESTIC FINANCIAL SERVICE MADE EASY
The Nayou was en route to Muslim-majority Malaysia, where there is a large Rohingya population.
‘’As information provided by the vessel’s master concerning the rescued persons is sketchy and there is no other official documentation to assist at this point, they do not appear to be persons eligible to enter Singapore,’’ the spokesperson said.
The ship’s agent could not be reached for comment.
led to “uncertainty, speculation, and folklore regarding these deaths,” the report says.
The Dozier School opened in 1900 and closed in 2011 after long-running controversy over allegations of widespread physical and sexual abuse. Picture: University of South Florida. The cemetery currently has 31 white metal crosses to mark graves, but they were installed in the early 1960s or mid-1990s long after the burials took place. The markers also do not correspond to the actual gravesites, which were not originally marked.
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PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL TRUST CO LTD P O Box 45, Port Vila, Vanuatu Tel: (678) 23410 Fax: (678) 23405 Email: security@vila.net www.financial.com.vu Send your advertisements to The Independent email:advertising@independent.vu Page 19 23
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Page 24
CHAISE LOUNGE / SOFA BED WITH ATTACHABLE GLASS TOP COFFEE TABLE. OPENS OUT TO A FOLDOUT DOUBLE BED. EASILY ASSEMBLED. AVAILABLE COLOURS RED, PURPLE, &GOLD/BLACK VT100,000 each Contact 7744303
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Gift Available in Vila for the exceptional price of VT60,000 Ring Mary during office hours on 23410 to view
FOR SALE
FOR SALE 2 X 2012 Seadoo GTS PRO; Heavy duty as used by surf rescue; includes trailer and cover. OPEN TO OFFER contact 7746495
USA BUILT TORO ZMASTER ZERO TURN MOWER; DRIVEN BY A 26 HP KOHLER PETROL ENGINE; 60 INCH CUT THAT CAN MOW TO 1 HECTARE PER HOUR; VERY COMFORTABLE AND FUN TO USE; PERFECT FOR MAINTAINING LARGE GRASSED AREAS; ORIGINAL COST OVER 2 MILLION VATU NEW, SELLING FOR 950,000 VATU ONLY. PLEASE CALL BEN ON 5500001 TO HAVE A TEST RUN
NOTICES
“Executive House For Rent - 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom, garage with internal access, large lounge/dining and kitchen, large deck with very good sea views over Erakor Island and beyond, fully fenced. Only 3 years old. Nice living on the end of The Golden Mile next to Amalfi Court in Eluk. Rent Bargain at V.165,000 pm and fully furnished. Ph. 5571030 or 5524333.”
House For Rent
Tastefully renovated 3 bedroom house with excellent indoor-outdoor flow, two bathrooms and office or playroom, situated in spacious garden setting overlooking Port Vila Bay. This property is secure and private and ideally suited to family on short or long term transfer. Available fully furnished if required. As the owners also live onsite swimming pool and garden maintenance is all taken care of. Tel 77 58079 for more details or to arrange for a time to view
3 Bedroom/2 Bathroom on closest white sand beach from Vila in Valevale Beach – Pango, from mid-December. 4 years old, excellent kitchen, living areas and deck - great living literally 4 metres from the beach on a beautiful sheltered Bay. Fully furnished including everything down to cutlery and plates. Single lockable garage. Safe - good security, excellent swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. In hot demand – be quick, V.185,000 pm. Ph. 5571030, or 5524333.”
PUBLIC NOTICE SIL Vanuatu is recruiting a Bible Translation Advisor to facilitate the work of Bible translation and literacy, and to train Ni-Vanuatu Bible translators and literacy workers. The applicant must have university-level training in linguistics, translation theory and Biblical studies. This is a volunteer position. No salary is offered. Apply to: Director, SIL, PO Box 174, Port Vila.
For Rent
Kawenu & Malapoa Estate: 1 bedroom apartment 27,000vt per month; 2 bedroom apartment 40,000vt. Contact Lori 7775393 for details
FOR RENT Elluk Drive, recently renovated Townhouse, 3 bedroom / 3 bathrooms, Double Lock-up garage, fully furnished. Call 7743151 for further details.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Can the listed persons please contact us by phone, email or PO Box to help us with our enquiries : 1. Pascal Tasso 2. Anthony Olsen 3. Douglas Ngwele 4. Johnny Arnhambat 5. Tania Wus 6. Omawa Ioane Simon OR If anyone can provide us with contact addresses it will be appreciated.. Telephone Leonie on 5571030 or 5524333; email: vancreditservices@ gmail.com or P.O Box 3304, Port Vila
Storage available :
Vanuatu Self Storage, 24hr security. Phone Lloyd Hately on 7114040
Australia to Port Vila Fr8 Logistics www. fr8.vu
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December 2012
News
Bosnian Serb general guilty of genocide over Srebrenica massacre
The Titlis Cliff Walk in the Swiss Alps.
Mount Titlis bridge will scare you witless THE dizzying Titlis Cliff Walk, Europe’s highest suspension bridge, has opened to visitors.
Officials said visitor interest has been “tremendous” but expect it will be most popular during warmer months.
TIDE PREDICTIONS FOR VANUATU – PORT VILA
Located more than 3000 metres above sea “It’s going to be really big next summer as 2012 TIME level DECEMBER in the Swiss– Alps, so those afraidLOCAL of a STANDARD high-adrenaline kind of new adventure Tide gauge zero is 3.6037 metres below VAN1 heights will find it challenging. But what a in Switzerland,” Ursula Beamish, a view! spokeswoman for Switzerland Tourism, said. SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
0.29 0121Rotair 0.30 Cable car operator Titlis said visitors 30 0048 0720 1.31 31 0754 1.32 0.75 1323 a 0.75 will be able1245 to experience panoramic view 1831 1.40 1908 1.38 of the surrounding mountains and catch 1.5m glimpses of Italy from above. 1.0m 0.5m
However a great view cannot be guaranteed. 0 its 6 12 18 0 opening 6 12 18 on 0 the weekend During official 0140 0.32 0215 0.36 0253 0.41 a huge 2snow storm dramatically reduced 0818 1.26 3 0859 1.26 4 0943 1.25 5 1339 0.79 1423 0.81 1515 0.82 1922 visitors 1.33 2001 1.29 2046 1.24 visibility, with unaware of what was beneath them. 1.5m 1.0m
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
0.30 The 98m-long and 91 centimetre-wide bridge 1 0106 0741 1.27 1300 0.77 was a challenge to build but is completely 1846 1.37 safe, according to Titlis Engelberg ski resort 1.5m spokesman Peter Reinle. 1.0m 0.5m
“It is 100 per cent safe... it’s really impossible 0 6NBC 12 18 0 to fall from the bridge,” Reinle told news.
0335 1032 1619 2143
6
0.46 1.27 0.82 1.18
0423 1126 1730 2253
0.52 1.30 0.78 1.13
7
8
0519 0.57 1219 1.34 1840 0.71
0016 0621 1310 1944
1.12 0.61 1.40 0.60
“The bridge is built for the next 1,000 years. It has to carry all the snow and the ice - this was the biggest challenge. So you can put around 500 tonnes of snow on the bridge.”
And 0.5myou’d better hold on tight – the glacier bridge, often blanketed in snow, sways as 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 visitors walk it, 0251 and1.19 wind gusts The1.33 bridge 0543 will 1.38 be “groomed” needed 0140 over 1.14 0353 1.26can 0449 0.07 0633 1.42 when0045 9 0724 0.64 10 0826 0.66 11 0923 0.66 12 1018 0.66 13 1111 0.66 14 1203 0.67 15 0723 1.44 reach up to1358 2001.46kilometres per hour. to avoid a pile-up 1444 1.52 1530 1.57 1618 1.61 1707 1.62of snow. 1757 1.61 1257 0.67 2040 0.48
2132 0.35
2221 0.23
2310 0.14
1848 1.57
2358 0.08
1.5m
Tide Chart for Port Vila Harbour 0
6
16
SUN MON 12
18
0133 0813 1352 1940
0
0.10 1.44 0.69 1.50
6
17
12
18
0220 0902 1450 2032
0
0.17 1.42 0.70 1.41
6
TUE
18
12
18
0308 0953 1553 2130
0
0.28 1.40 0.71 1.31
6
19
WED 12
18
0356 1046 1700 2233
0
0.39 1.37 0.71 1.21
6
20
THUR 12
18
0446 1141 1811 2348
0
0.52 1.36 0.68 1.13
6
21
FRI
12
18
0
0542 0.62 1235 1.35 1921 0.63
6
22
SAT 12
18
0112 0643 1327 2024
0
1.09 0.71 1.36 0.56
1.5m 1.0m 0.5m 0
6
23
12
18
0230 0746 1414 2115
1.5m
0
1.10 0.76 1.37 0.49
6
12
18
0
6
12
18
0
6
12
18
0
6
12
18
0
6
24Disclaimer: These25 26 in good faith27 28 tide predictions are supplied and believed to be correct. 0333 0845 1455 2159
1.13 0.78 1.38 0.43
0424 0933 1533 2237
1.17 0.78 1.39 0.37
0504 1016 1610 2311
1.21 0.78 1.40 0.33
0541 1055 1645 2344
1.25 0.77 1.41 0.30
Weather Forecast
12
18
0
0615 1.27 1131 0.76 1720 1.42
6
29
12
18
0016 0647 1207 1756
0
0.29 1.30 0.75 1.42
1.0m
Forecast issued by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department 0.5m Weather Forecasting Centre, Port Vila at 11:15am Thursday, December 13, 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 6 12 2012. © Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia 2011, Bureau of Meteorology (ABN 92 637 533 532)
18
Disclaimer: These tide predictions are supplied in good faith and believed to be correct. No warranty is given in respect to errors, omissions, or suitability for any purpose.
General Situation:A trough system extends from Tropical Cyclone Evan near Samoa to the north of Vanuatu. Port Vila
Saturday 15 Max 30 Min 22
Sunday 16 Max 30 Min 22
Monday 17 Max 30 Min 22
Tuesday 18 Max 30 Min 22
Wednesday 19 Max 30 Min 22
Thursday 20 Max 30 Min 22
Friday 21 Max 30 Min 22
Luganville
Saturday 15 Max 30 Min 24
Sunday 16 Max 31 Min 24
Monday 17 Max 31 Min 24
Tuesday 18 Max 31 Min 24
Wednesday 19 Max 31 Min 24
Thursday 20 Max 31 Min 24
Friday 21 Max 31 Min 24
Two out of three judges on the bench agreed with prosecutors, who had asked for a life sentence. The judges said Tolimir, now 64, was involved in “massive” crimes committed at the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves in July 1995.
“The majority of the court finds you guilty” of crimes including genocide, Judge Christoph Flugge said at the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
They said they were “of a massive scale, severe in (their) intensity and devastating in (their) effect.
“Zdravko Tolimir, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment,” the judge then told the gaunt former commander thisweek, who crossed himself three times before the verdict was handed down. Munira Subasic, president of the Mothers of Srebrenica victims’ association, told AFP the judgment was “good for the future of BosniaHerzegovina”. “We look towards the future, where we can live together with love, not hatred,” she said, speaking through an interpreter. The verdict was also hailed in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, where it was broadcast live on national television. A Bosnian woman mourns during a mass burial of 775 newly identified victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre at the Potocari memorial cemetery near Srebrenica in July 2012. Fahira Fejzic, whose husband and 17-yearold son were killed in the massacre, said Tolimir’s sentencing was difficult for her as “I have to live through July 1995 again.” “But I feel a bit less pain, my soul is a bit calmer,” she said.
“The suffering of the women, children and elderly who were forcibly transferred from the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves rises to the level of serious bodily or mental harm so as also to amount to genocide,” the judges added. Judges said Tolimir - described as the “righthand man and eyes and ears of (Bosnian Serb army commander) Ratko Mladic”, who is also being tried by the court - had overseen Bosnian Serb army officers conducting the slaughter of at least 6000 Muslim men and boys. Judges highlighted a number of incidents during the massacres including at a warehouse a few kilometres from Srebrenica, where about 1000 Muslim men and boys were taken after being captured by the Bosnian Serb army. When the warehouse was full, Serb soldiers opened fire with machine guns and tossed hand grenades. “They fired for hours,” only now and then pausing for a break, the judge said. Apart from genocide, Tolimir was found guilty on six other counts including extermination, murder, persecution and forcible transfer. - AFP
Depardieu flight sparks tax accusations
1.0m 0.5m
THE UN’s Yugoslav war crimes court has found Bosnian Serb general Zdravko Tolimir guilty of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe’s worst atrocity since World War II, and sentenced him to life in jail.
0
FRANCE’S Prime Minister has criticised rich citizens fleeing the country’s tax on high earners, saying they were greedy profiteers seeking to “become even richer”.
The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, controversially said he would “roll out the red carpet” for any French residents trying to flee the tax increase.
Jean-Marc Ayrault’s spoke out after France’s best-known actor, Gerard Depardieu, took up legal residence in a small village just over the border in Belgium, with hundreds of other prosperous French nationals seeking lower taxes.
Mr Hollande has since introduced other hefty new charges on capital gains and inheritance, while increasing France’s wealth tax, and an exit tax for entrepreneurs selling their companies.
“Those who are seeking exile abroad are not those who are scared of becoming poor,” Mr Ayrault declared after unveiling sweeping anti-poverty measures to help those affected by the economic crisis. These individuals were leaving “because they want to get even richer”, he said. “We cannot fight poverty if those with the most – and sometimes with a lot – do not show solidarity and a bit of generosity,” he said. Announcing plans to spend up to euros €2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) by 2017 to help the poor, Mr Ayrault said poverty affected 12.9 per cent of the population in 2002, but that figure rose to 14.1 per cent in 2010. France’s Socialist President Francois Hollande, who famously once declared “I don’t like the rich”, has pledged to tax annual income of more than €1 million at 75 per cent.
Last week owners of second homes in France were told the value of their properties could collapse after Mr Hollande’s administration announced an additional 3-5 per cent tax on capital gains above €100,000. Mr Ayrault did not mention Mr Depardieu on Monday, but the star drew fierce criticism from left-wing politicians and commentators. A Socialist MP, Yann Galut, called for the actor to be “stripped of his nationality” if he failed to pay his dues in France, saying the law should be changed to enable such a punishment. The consumption minister, Benoit Hamon, said the move amounted to giving France “the finger” and was “antipatriotic”. The leftleaning daily Liberation called Depardieu a “drunken, obese petit-bourgeois reactionary”. - Telegraph, London
8 am to 8 am rainfall records over Vanuatu Meteorological Stations (millimeters) Date Bauerfield Luganville
Thursday
Friday
06/12/12 26.9 5.8
07/12/12 16.9 26.5
Saturday 08/12/12 13.5 Nil
Sunday 09/12/12 33.2 2.2
Monday
Tuesday
10/12/12 11/12/12 2.6 2.6 Nil Nil
Wednesday 12/12/12 Nil 8.8
“Whatever the weather – have a good week” The independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Send your news stories to the independent email: editor@independent.vu Page 25
EDITORIAL
Rispek long protokol i lus Fasin blong ronron krange long taon long trak blong Protokol i soem klia se yumi no moa gat rispek, i no long trak blong gavman nomo we pipol blong Vanuatu nao i pem benzin blong hem be emi long saed blong Protokol hemwan we tede plante long ol minista blong yumi oli no moa tingting strong long hem, espeseli taem oli wokabaot long ol aelan mo long tufala taon, Port Vila mo Luganville.
mo i no nid blong folem Protokol... from we yumi stap long wan pisful envaeronmen, evriwan i ‘kind’ long Vanuatu”. Emia i tru be sapos yumi lukluk gud, pisful envaeronmen ia i gat fulap toti long hem we plante nao man nomo i mekem o man nomo i laekem blong jamp insaed long hem. So, long situesen olsem, wan long ol samting we emi impoten long taem we wan lida i wokabaot emi Protokol.
Wod ia Protokol wetem rispek blong hem i kamaot long wik ia afta we Vanuatu i lusum wan minista blong hem. Lus blong minista ia emi bin kam olsem wan ‘chock’ long ful Vanuatu. Emi no bin sik o ating emi bin gat sik be ating emi no wantem talemaot long ol famili mo ol fren blong hem. Plante kwestin i kam antap folem lus blong hem. Sam pipol oli tokabaot nakaimas, sam oli talem se emi bin gat sik mo sam oli go ‘as far as’ hangem mafia long ded blong hem.
Protokol emi no wan protekta olsem blanket we i blokem man long strong kolkol be emi wan narafala wei blong ‘avoidem’ problem we wan minista blong Stet i save kam viktim blong hem.
Ol tingting ia i mas kam antap from we emi fes taem we wan minista blong Vanuatu i lus long wan ples, olsem we emi no gat famili o fren blong lukaotem hem taem we emi stap aotsaed long Port Vila. Emi tru. Sam minista bae oli talem se “Yumi stap nomo long kaontri blong yumi
Wan minista blong Stet emi wan man we long evri wokabaot blong hem, emi mas save se Vanuatu i stap long solda blong hem mo taem emi visitim wan aelan o wan taon, ol pipol blong aelan o taon ia nao oli kam olsem “host” blong hem mo long evri ples we emi go, ol pipol oli mas save se emi kakae wanem mo emi silip wea ples mo long wanem haos nao bae emi go long hem. Long wik ia, folem ded blong wan minista blong Stet long nambatu taon blong Vanuatu, akting meya blong Luganville, Morris Emboi, i mekem wan strong apil i go
long evri minista se evri taem we oli go long taon blong Not, oli mas letem ol wokman blong ol dipatmen we oli stap anda long olgeta wetem munisipol kaonsel oli awea long tua blong olgeta. Apil ia i kam antap from we i gat ripot se sam minista, taem we oli go long Luganville o Santo oli no moa rispektem Protokol: i no gat “in advance” buking long ples we bae oli go silip long hem, i no gat program blong visit blong olgeta mo ol pipol blong Luganville o Santo oli no save “purpose” blong tua blong olgeta. Tede munisipol kaonsel blong Luganville wetem ol memba blong hem i sori from we wan minista blong Stet i go fuldaon long leg blong olgeta be i no long han blong olgeta, nomo from we oli no bin save se wan “big man” blong Vila i stap wetem olgeta. Toktok we i kamaot long Luganville i talem se ol pipol blong taon ia oli sori blong luk se tede i gat wan fasin olsem we sam lida oli fraet long Protokol mo oli fraet tu blong pas tru long doa be oli laekem blong pas long windo mo fasin ia i save spolem pisful envaeronmen we yumi gat: wan lida i save gat problem sapos emi pas tru long windo mo tu sapos emi mekem wan samting we i no folem tingting blong ol pipol. Folem
kastom blong Vanuatu, wan man i mas gat rispek taem emi go long wan vilij o aelan we i no blong hem, ‘even’ sapos emi go long wan taon we emi blong evri pipol. Taem rispek ia i lus wetem Protokol, kwestin mak i stap tu long problem se yumi trae had blong kilim daon be yumi foget se problem emi kamaot folem fasin blong man. Long pisful envaeronmen we yumi stap talem se yumi liv long hem, i gat helt we emi impoten long yumi ol pipol long grasrut level wetem ol lida blong yumi. Sapos wan smol man i tingbaot helt blong hem mo tingting blong hem ia i go kasem wanem yumi kolem “medical check up” be wan “big man” i no tingting long helt blong hem, i gat bigfala kwestin mak long fitnes blong gavman mo ol pipol we oli stap tekem desisen insaed long nem blong pipol blong Vanuatu. Ating emi taem blong yumi tingting moa long laef blong yumi wanwan olsem we yumi tingting strong long laef blong wan gavman we yumi pat blong hem mo emi blong yumi evriwan ! Gratien Molsoul
Kaonta mosen blong panisim oposisen Wan rilaebol sos insaed long koalisen gavman blong praem minista, Sato Kilman i talem se gavman i save putum wan kaonta mosen blong panisim ol memba blong oposisen we oli stap bihaen long fes mosen agensem praem minista Sato Kilman.
save go long pawa afta sam MP blong gavman, oli go saenem MOU wetem hem be long las minit, oli ronwe bagegen. Mosen ia, hemi klosap sem senario nomo, hemi happen. Ikat fo gavman MP igo saenem mosen wetem oposisen.
Sos ia talem se kaonta mosen, hemi save go long nekis miting blong palaman afta we ino wan gudfala risen blong oposisen, hemi autem Mr Kilman. Oposisen, hemi besem mosen blong hem se gavman we hemi stap tede long pawa, hemi no sapos blong stap long pawa from we ikat sam lida insaed long hem we oli bin pas long kot mo sam, oli tekem pat long ol alegesen blong korapsen.
Tufala MP blong gavman bae tufala i gohet blong stap long oposisen be ikat nara two we tufala igo bak long Mr Kilman. Tuafala ino go bak tufala nomo be bae tufala i pulum nara 2 MP blong oposisen blong mekem se namba blong vot long mande long wik ia, hemi semak olsem eleksen blong Mr Kilman long namba 19 Novemba.
Palaman, hemi bin elektem Mr Kilman long namba 19 Novemba mo hemi no wan manis iet be oposisen, hemi mekem blong hemi kapsaetem tru long wan mosen. Oposisen, hemi sabmitim fes mosen agensem Mr Kilman long namba 30 novemba igo long ofis blong spika afta we hemi MP blong gavman, oli bin go saenem wetem hem. Olgeta MP blong gavman we oli saenem mosen agensem Mr Kilman long taem ia, oli saenem from ol difren risen. Sam long olgeta i saenem mosen ia afta we oli talem se ino kat wan politisien blong olgeta, hemi wok long gavman. Ronwe blong 4 MP ia igo long oposisen , hemi mekem se kantri igo bak bagegen long taem afta long jenerol eleksen long namba 30 Oktoba we hemi lukim tugeta saed i faet from namba. Afta long eleksen, fait blong namba hemi bin stap from hu nao bae hemi kam praem minista mo wanem pati nao, bae oli stap long gavman. Las fait blong namba long ol de we i pas, hemi blong autem Mr Kilman long tsea blong hem olsem praem minista. Afta long eleksen, oposisen blong Edward Natapei, hemi bin kat namba blong hemi Page 26
Namba hemi bin semak long saed blong oposisen we hemi 23. 23 ia nao, oli bin vot long Mr Natapei long taem blong eleksen Mr Kilman olsem niu praem minista blong kantri. Long gavman saed from we spika blong palaman, Georges Wells ino save vot, hemi putum olgeta we oli vot agensem mosen, hemi 27 mo i bin kat wan abstensen. Fes mosen ia, hemi bin mekem oposisen, hemi bin kam smol lelebet wetem ol tok tok we hemi bin kamaut long gavman saed long taem ia. Gavman saed i talem se oposisen, hemi sapos blong tekem isiu blong korapsen long kot sapos, hemi ting se sam long olgeta gavman minista, oli mekem korapsen. Deputi praem minista, Ham Lini i talem se lida blong oposisen, Mr Natapei mo deputi blong hem, Serge Vohor, tufala i bin praem minista long wan taem mo tufala i olfala lida insaed long palaman mo tufala i save gud abaut fainensol situesen blong Vanuatu. Mr Lini i talem se problem blong fainens, hemi no wan niu isiu we hemi happen long gavman blong Mr Kilman. Hemi talem se kaon ia, hemi stat long taem finis mo iven taem we Mr Natapei mo Vohor tufalala
Niu agrikaltsa minista, Kalvau Moli e mekem numba blong PM Kilman.
ipraem minista, Vanuatu, hemi fesem problem finis long saed blong faenens.
boikotem palaman blong mekem palaman, hemi adjen long 3 nara de.
Gavman saed i talem se ol risen we opposisen, hemi putum long mosen blong hem agensem Mr Kilman, oli no kat bes blong kapsaetem gavman.
Sos blong gavman ia, hemi talem se hemia wan taktik blong oposisen, hemi traem blong winim namba long gavman be plan ino wokaut taem we Mr Kilman i difitim mosen ia long mande. Hemi talem se taktik mo mosen blong oposisen ia, hemi kakae ova long wan milien vatu blong pippol blong Vanuatu long 3 de nomo long saed blong aloens blong ol MP.
Sos blong gavman i talem se oposisen, hemi save gud se mosen blong hem, hemi no kat bes be hemi gohet blong konvinsim ol 4 MP blong gavman blong oli go saenem mosen blong statem wan instabiliti long kantri. Hemi talem se taem we oposisen i save se hemi nomo kat namba be hemi go fosem palaman blong hemi sidaon wetem wan kot oda. Hemi talem se long las fraede palaman, hemi sapos blong finisim storian blong mosen ia be oposisen, hemi kirap, hemi
se
Sos ia, hemi talem se bae pipol blong Vanuatu ino save akseptem ol kaen fasin mo gavman istap luk luk long wan kaonta mosen blong panisim sam MP blong oposisen. Long las palaman, palaman i bin panisim MP blong Port Vila long taem ia, Maxime Carlot Korman from we oli talem se hemi bin stap tan tanem palaman mo hemi mekem se kantri spendem bigfala mani.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Sarere 15 Decemba 2012
Nius
Ril wol blong niu titsa Long wednesde long wik ia, hemi lukim ol niu titsa blong praemeri mo sekendri, oli graduet o kasem diplom blong olgeta blong oli save joenem nara tausen titsa we oli stap finis long fil blong titsim ol pikinini insaed long klasrum. Long taem blong graduesen seremoni we hemi bin lukim ol famili mo ol fren blong ol studen ia, ikat plande nais tok tok we hemi kamaut long gavman tru long ministri blong edukesen mo manajmen blong Vanuatu Institute of Teachers Education. VITE, hemi promesem ol fiusta studen se ikat niu straktsa we bae hemi save mekem se ol fiutsa titsa we bae oli kamaut long skul ia afta long 3 stadi, bae oli no fainem tumas problem long stadi blong olgeta. Ol studen we oli graduet long wik ia, hemi fes frut blong wanem oli kolem ‘harmonization program’. Ikat ripot se ol fes studen ia, oli help plande blong mekem se program ia, hemi save benefitim ol fiutsa studen blong VITE. Ripot i talem se long taem blong stadi blong olgeta long klasrum mo praktikol blong olgeta autsaed long klasrum blong olgeta, ol studen ia, oli kamap wetem plande niu ting ting we oli putum igo insaed mo hemia we oli karemaut.
Main spika long seremoni ia, John Niroa, we hemi bin givim tok tok blong minista blong edukesen, Steven Kalsakau from we hemi no save stap, hemi talem se wok blong wan titsa, hemi wan impoten wok insaed long wan sosaeti olsem Vanuatu. Mr Niroa, hemi talemaut tok tok blong sam long olgeta internasional lida olsem foma presiden Nelson Mandela blong Saut Afrika mo presiden blong Amerika naoia, Barak Obama we oli tokbaut impotens blong edukesen se hemi save jenisim wol. Mr Niroa i talem se wok blong wan titsa, hemi no wan isi wok from we bae oli dil blong sepem laef blong wan pikinini igo long fiutsa. Hemi talem se samtaem bae oli askem kuesten se wanem nao, oli mekem blong wan pikinini ino save pas igo long nara klas rum. Prinsipol blong VITE, Jean Marie Virelala i talem se seremoni blong graduesen blong niu titsa ia long wednesde, hemi mekem se oli stap long wan level we oli kat plande difren ting ting. Oli wari mo semtaem tu, hemi wan stat blong niu laef blong olgeta olsem ol titsa. Hemi talem se laef blong olgeta olsem studen, hemi finis taem we oli kasem diplom blong olgeta.
Ol niu titsa. Mr Virelala i askem ol niu fala titsa blong oli ikat kuesten istap se bae oli save fainem mekem wok blong olgeta wetem respek long afta we oli lego skul. Hemi talem se wan ples we gavman bae hemi singautem olgeta long olgeta risen blong kuesten mak, hemi fainensol problem we ministri blong blong go tits long hem. edukesen, hemi fesem. Long yia ia, ikat se Long saed blong ol niu titsa ia, oli bin stat ikat plande titsa we gavman ino bin save blong filim ril wol taem we oli kasem diplom pem olgeta from we ino mani blong pem olgeta. Plande long olgeta titsa ia, oli bin blong olgeta. stap tits fri nomo. Wan spoksman blong olgeta i talem se olgeta i bin plande be sam oli no save stap kasem Long yia ia tu, ministri blong edukesen, en blong tri yia blong olgeta from ol difren hemi bin sot long mani blong ranem risen long VITE. Hemi talem tankiu long ol operesen blong hem. Ol kaen situesen titsa mo olgeta we oli bin helpem olgeta blong olsem ia nao, hemi mekem se ol niu titsa mekem se oli save stap kasem long en blong ia, oli kat plande ting ting abaut ril wol. Wan long trena blong ol niu titsa ia, hemi talem 3 yia blong olgeta. se kantri bae hemi lukim bigfala jenis long Niu titsa ia, hemi talem se oli bin trae hat edukesen wetem ol niu titsa ia from we oli long 3 yia we oli spendem long VITE be frut blong niu harmonization program.
Phocea ino go iet
Seling bout, Phocea ino save aut long Vanuatu afta long wanem oli kolem ‘deed of rilis’ blong wan bilien vatu we gavman i wanem se ona blong sip ia, bae hemi pem bifo sip i save aut long kantri.
Late minista blong pablik utiliti, Harry Iauko i bin talemaut long las wik se Phocea, bae hemi mas lego Port Vila haba ‘immediately’ from we gavman, hemi nomo kat wan isiu wetem hem mo ona blong hem.
Wan lo olgeta mama blong Epi wea hem tu i kam mekem market blem.
Epi maket long Port Vila
Morobe Maket long Port Vila, hemi helpem plande ol fama long ol aelan blong oli save kasem smol mani.
Long manis ia nomo, ikat tufala aelan we tufala i sendem ol fama blong tufala ikam long Port Vila blong salem ol frut blong graon long aelan blong olgeta long kapital. Long stat blong manis, ol fama blong aelan blong Maewo long Penama provins, oli bin kam sapraesem ol pipol blong Port Vila mo Efate wetem ol prodak blong olgeta. Pipol i bin sapraes long ol pig mo ol faol blong olgeta we oli bin salem long gudfala praes. Ol pig i bin stat long 2 000 vatu igo antap. Ol bigfala man faol, praes hemi stat long 500 vatu. Long wik bagegen, ol fama blong aelan blong Epi long Shefa provins, oli putum nara level blong Moroba Maket taem oli salem ol prodak blong olgeta two-taem long wan wik. Fes sip, hemi kasem Port Vila long mande mo long wednesde, pipol i bin flatem ol prodak blong olgeta. Nara sip, hemi kasem Port Vila bagegen long wednesde naet mo long tasde, oli stat blong salem ol prodak bagegen. Wan long olgeta mama we hemi kam wetem maket blong Epi, Jane David i talem se olgeta 10 fama evriwan we oli kamaut long vilej blong Fotlo we oli kam salem ol prodak blong olgeta. Aut long 10 fama ia, ikat 10 woman mo 3 man. Jane i talem se Epi hemi
wan long olgeta aelan we hemi rich long saed blong lokol prodak mo ol animol be ino kat maket blong hem. Hemi talem se ol prodak ia, oli stap blong kakae nomo long aelan mo samtaem oli sendem ikam long ol famili blong olgeta we oli stap long Port Vila. Jane i talem se hemi festaem we Fotlo vilej, hemi kam mekem maket blong hem long Moroba Maket mo oli harem se hemi helpem bigwan ol fama long ol aelan. Hemi talem se long wik ia nao, oli pruvum tok tok ia. Jane i talem se long 2 de nomo, oli winim blong salem ol prodak blong olgeta. Hemi talem se hemi talem se hemi kam wetem ol lokol faol blong hem mo hemi fainem se hemi save mekem smol mani. Askem long hem sapos hemi bin redi blong kam mekem maket be hemi talem se ol faol mo ol lokol kakae ia, oli stap roten nomo long Epi. Jane i talem se smol mani we hemi winim long ol faol blong hem, bae hemi iusim blong pem skul fi blong pikinini. Hemi talem se hemi kat 2 pikinini. Wan istap iet long praemeri mo narawan bae hemi go long sekendri skul long nekis yia. Morobe Maket, hemi stat samfala yia nao mo hemi helpem bigwan ol fama long olgeta aelan blong kam salem ol prodak blong olgeta narasaed long ol sas prodak we istap long maket blong munisipaliti long Port Vila. Hemi wan projek blong Shefa provins.
The independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 Decemba, 2012
Late Iauko i talem se sip i mas lego kantri from we naoia yumi stap long sisen blong saeklon mo hemi no gud blong sip ia, hemi kasem problem sapos ikat hariken. Late Iauko, hemi talem se gavman i kasem ligol advaes long ofis blong AG blong Phocea, hemi save aut. Klos sos insaed long port mo haba i talem se Phocea ino save lego kantri from we ol stret otoriti we oli sapos blong saenem pepa blong sip i aut, oli no wandem saenem. Darekta blong port mo haba, Morris Kaloran i talem se Phocea ino save aut long wan milien vatu mo hemi askem blong gavman, hemi luk luk bagegen long desisen blong hem. Mr Kaloran i talem se sip ia, Vanuatu i save mekem wan gudfala mani sapos hemi holemtaet istap mo hemi salem long wan bigfala mani. Long las wik wanem oli kolem ‘log buk’ blong Phocea, hemi bin stap iet wetem ol polis. Polis i bin kasem tu presa blong politik blong oli rilisim log buk ia be oli no rilisim. Wan man blong save long olsem wanem bisnis blong sip i wok i talem se Phocea ino wan sip olbaut. Hemi talem se hemi wan sip we hemi popula mo tede ol kantri ia, oli save se hemi stap long Vanuatu mo olgeta tu oli interes long hem from we hemi stap travel wetem ol kiaman pepa. Hemi talem se sapos Phocea, hemi aut tede, wan kantri olsem Australia, hemi save arestem mo hemi save mekem bigflala mani from we hemi brekem intanasional maritime
lo taem we hemi stap iusim ol kiaman pepa. Nara grup blong pipol we oli save abaut Pascal Ahn Saken, oli proposem blong gavman, hemi mas sendemaut kuiktaem ol memba blong kru we oli stap iet long sip mo hemi salem sip ia. Ikat tok tok long rod se Mr Saken, hemi wan man we hemi bin tekem pat long plande kruket fasin mo hemi neva felem wan operesen blong hem. Grup blong ol pipol ia, oli talem se Saken, hemi wan main saspek naoia long keis blong Phocea be Vanuatu ino save dil wetem hem afta we hemi bin manej blong hemi ronwe aut long kantri bifo polis igo mekem operesen long sip ia long namba 20 Julae. Ikat ripot se long taem ia, Saken, hemi bin stap spendem wan gudfala taem insaed long wan long olgeta naet klab blong Port Vila be hemi kasem nius se bae polis i arestem hem. Long taem ia, hemi nomo go bak bagegen long Phocea be hemi tekem rod blong eapot mo hemi ronwe. Grup blong pipol ia, oli talem se Saken, hemi wan main saspek long kes blong Phocea be hemi wan fri man istap wetem 2 diplomatik paspot mo diplomatik bag blong Vanuatu. Oli talem se Saken, hemi wan fri man mo hemi save stap nomo autsaed mo planem operesen blong hem blong sip, hemi save ronwe mo hemi gud blong gavman, hemi akt hariap mo hemi salem Phocea. Ikat ripot se oli bin lukim Saken long ol kantri olsem Rasia mo Saut Afrika wetem diplomatik bag blong Vanuatu. Hemi main saspek long kes blong Phocea be long semtaem tu, hemi klem se hemi diplomatik reprentativ blong Vanuatu long Viet Nam. Vanuatu gavman, hemi bin isium wan oda finis blong oli karemaut tufala diplomatik paspot blong Vanuatu ia long Saken be kasem tede, hemi kat iet tufala paspot ia.
Sendem ol stori blong yu i kam lo email ia: editor@ independent.vu Page 27
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The Independent/L’indÊpendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Life style
Life Style How to win an argument In personal disagreements, as in total war, an all-out assault is rarely the winning strategy. Keep calm: if you lose your cool, you’ve lost the argument. ■ Avoid statements that are mere retrenchment (That’s rubbish! or How dare you say that to me?). Instead, use words that invite the other party to let you have your say (I think you’ve misunderstood what I said or Can I just explain why I said that?). ■ However tempting it may be, don’t resurrect old conflicts, and never make things personal (You’ve never liked me, and you’re just saying that because you’re jealous.). Stick to the matter in hand, along with the relevant facts.
Embrace life
– one that leaves the reader satisfied that something of interest has been raised, wondered about, then at some level resolved. Good plots are hard – often found plotting to be the most difficult part of writing, but here are some strategies you might find useful. » Think of the story in terms of a question and an answer.
and are willing to take risks. And then, of course, there’s the job you have to leave because you have no choice. About 75% of respondents say they’ve been victims of bullying at least at once in their working lives. This can include not just yelling and screaming but being excluded from meetings or having emails ignored, being given meaningless tasks or being forced to work unacceptable hours. Whatever your reason for leaving, there are things to think about when it’s time to say adieu: Start looking around on employment websites. If you’re worried about confidentiality, simply ask for your details to be kept private and send your résumé and application from a home email address. Check your contract carefully for the amount of notice you need to give. If you don’t need to give any, find out from your HR department what would be an appropriate amount, or ask your boss if you can work something else out.
12 ways to build resilience
Here are some insightful tips to help you overcome adversity 1. Maintain strong supportive relationships with family and friends 2. Become involved with community, volunteer or religious organizations 3. Take care of your physical and emotional health, including regular exercise 4. Pay careful attention to your own feelings rather than avoid them 5. Avoid alcohol and drugs as a way of coping with stress or blocking pain 6. Engage in nurturing, relaxing and creative activities 7. Accept what cannot be changed and negotiate how to change what you can 8. Build your inner strength, spirituality or a sense of purpose
Your starting point can be something quite ordinary that has happened to you, or to someone you know. For example – Sally’s pet rabbit has escaped. So the question is – where did it go? Let your mind range wildly through possible answers. Jot them down – eg, the rabbit might be found under the Prime Minister’s desk; on a beach 3000 kilometres away; in the Easter display of a department store window. Choose the one that appeals to you most. Then work out a trail of events – credible or ridiculous – that could lead to this ending. That’s your story. Apply this principle to any simple situation – a lost umbrella, the sound of a harmonica, a smell of apple pie… » Use the form of a classic plot from myth or fairytale – a good deed rewarded, a broken or a fulfilled dream, true love not recognised until it is too late. Just rework it into a different situation. For example, a girl with long lovely hair stays inside her high-rise apartment all day, addicted to Facebook. One day she clicks on a button and wins a free haircut. She leaves the house, gets her hair lopped off and runs away with the handsome hairdresser. (Rings a bell?) » Envision a short story as having the structure of a joke. A joke sets up a situation and finishes with a surprise, or “punch line”. It need not be a joke, but any situation that resolves itself with a twist. For example – a person whose sight is failing goes to the eye doctor, asking for help. Punchline: The waiter says, “I wish I could help you, but this is a restaurant.” What you need to do to turn it into a story is fill in the gaps
How to say goodbye
9. Look for opportunities of self-discovery in adversity 10. Cultivate an identity as a survivor rather than a victim 11. Use your experience to help others
If you believe you’ve been unjustly fired or forced to resign, speak to a lawyer – because if you do resign, you may lose your long service leave benefits. While you can take legal action, the reality for many people is that the stress and cost of doing so is simply too taxing on their mental health. In which case, it may be simply better to leave. Keep your resignation letter short, frank and respectful. Simply say that you are leaving on a specific date to pursue a new endeavor. Briefly mention how grateful you are for your company’s, boss’ or colleagues’ input. Also offer to help in the handover to any new people. Ask for a reference and send a brief but casual (rather than official) farewell letter to your workmates, including your contact details. TOP TIP: Never leave on a disparaging note – no matter how you feel. You never know when you may meet them again down the road, and they will still be in the industry you are working in.
GOODBYE LOVE
If constant do-or-die warring, the silent treatment or lack of respect makes you feel as though your relationship is on the rocks, try the following tips. Make a time for an honest, calm discussion about whether or not you’re committed to staying together, and try to be creative with solutions. While many relationships fizzle out, quite often couples give in too early. Instead, they need to treat a relationship just as they would a business plan or work problem. Own your emotions. This means making a conscious effort not to finger point and lay blame. Instead of saying, “You never do this’’, try saying, “I feel upset when…”, or “I think the best way to get around the problem would be to…”.
12. Seek professional help if necessary
Get help. Often having an external perspective through counseling can help couples feel they’ve made an informed, objective decision, rather than one they may regret down track. TOP TIP: Is your house like The War of the Roses? If you think staying together for the kids is a better idea, think again. Research shows that it’s conflict, not separation that is most damaging to children.
How to write a story in 100 words If you want to enter the contest but are stuck on “Where do I start?” don’t fret. Here are some tips on how to say something interesting and meaningful, but more succinctly than you ever thought possible. The plot In a story as short as 100 words you need a strong plot
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Do you know how to say goodbye properly? Whether it’s a screaming child at day care, a work meeting you must leave, a job you hate or even a relationship on the rocks, here’s how to sing your swan song in style
GOODBYE JOB In years past it was admirable to have worked at the same company for three decades and get the gold watch, but these days it can signal lack of experience, and the plum jobs often go to people who move around
GOODBYE JUNIOR
Tearing yourself away from a crying child can be heartbreaking, but not if you’re goodbye-savvy. Be honest. Tell them you’re going to work, but will be back later after ‘sleep time’ to play or read their favorite story. Establish a routine such as high-five goodbyes, goodbye elbow, goodbye hands, and goodbye knees (and kiss each body part). Never skulk out without them noticing as this can make anxiety worse. Page 29
News
promedıcal news
promedıcal news By Operations Manager Michael Benjamin
hemi wan narafala regula keis blong ol staf blong mifala long manis ia, stat long isi keises kasem strong sotwin we mifala I mas kam insaed wetem tritmen blong openem rod blong ea, mo impruvum kondisen blong olgeta.
HEMI bin wan eksaeting manis wetem ol emejensi keis we mifala I atendem mo ol narafala insiden we media I ripotem araon. Festaim, mifala I stap tritim wan peisen long wan stoa long taon taem wan man I stilim ambulens trak mo I ron go daon long sanbis blong pango. Laki se hemi rikava smol taem afta I nogat any damej mo I nogat wan I kasem kil, mifala I manej blong transpotem peisen ia I go long tasiriki helt senta blong risivim mo manejmen. Tu yia emejensi eksasaes blong eapot we I happen sam wik I pas hemi testem ol emejensi sevises long rispons taem blong olgeta, disasta manejmen mo komiunikesen mo koperesen wetem ol narafala ajensies we oli rispon. Hemi wan saksesful eksasaes mo evriwan I lanem sam gudfala lessen.
Exsasaes long airport... Paramedic Roger Roy i stap putum patient i ko lo ambulens. Ol keises blong mifala long manis ia oli difren olsem oltaem stat long simpol keises kasem series keises. Ol keises olsem traot mo daeriha I plante mo I save kam series, sapos umi livim olgeta mo no givim tritmen bae oli save lusum bigfala amaon blong wota long body blong olgeta. Hemia I mekem se paramedikol I mas kam insaed mo tritim ol peisen wetem fluid blong ristorem blad presa blong olgeta. Sotwin
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Red Cross News
Keis we hemi mo series hemi jes hapen risentli taem we mifala risivim wan kol blong go long wan 29 yia old man. Man ia hemi stap travel long wan bas mo win blong hem I stap finis. Promedikol wetem VCH I risivim kol blong asistens. Peisen ia I lusum konses taem ambulens I araev mo mifala I putum hem I go insaed long ambulens kwik taem wetem help blong ol staf blong VCH. I hapen se man ia I kasem hat atak mo CPR I stat. Rod blong pulum win blong hem I fulap wetem traot so mifala putum wan tiub blong pulum win blong protektem trot blong hem. I happen tu se ea I nomo kasem lang blong
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meteorological, - tropical cyclones and other storms, hydrological, - including different types of flooding, and biological - epidemics or pest infestations,” said Mr Garae.
we hemi wan mein kos blong hem blong foldaon from ea I no kasem lang so mifala insetem tu nidel long jes blong hem blong karem aot built ap blong ea. Mifala insetem wan I.V mo aplaem sam medesin blong adrenal gland blong rispon long stress beh sori nomo se taem bodi blong man ia I kasem VCH, hemi no rispon long eni tritmen mo hemi pas awei. Promedikol I wantem talem tankyiu long ol staff blong VCH long help blong olgeta long taem ia.
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He stressed that disaster risk refers to the potential for losses due to disasters over a specific period of time. These losses may include injury, illness or loss of life, destruction of property or assets, interruption in services, harm to or loss of livelihoods, damage to ecosystems and psycho-social impacts.
By Charley Sikal MORE than 20 participants attended a Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Training that has been carried out on Litzlitz, Malekula, on December 3 - 6. The workshop was facilitated by two Red Cross staff, to make people understand the impact of such disasters so they can effectively carry out an action plan in order to reduce the risk to people’s lives and the surrounding environment. The facilitator of the training, Augustine Garae said, hazards may occur due to natural causes or they may be the result of human activities, while recognizing the importance of conflict and other humaninduced hazards. “Participants will now know the different natural disasters, such as geophysical, - earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,
Page 30
“The more likely a hazard event is to happen, the higher the disaster risk,” said Mr Garae. He also said Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), is an approach to reduce disaster risks caused by hazard events. It refers to the practical actions that society, communities or other stakeholders take to reduce the risk of disasters. “DRR aims to reduce the likelihood that a hazard causes a disaster. DRR actions may include: Reducing exposure to hazards, reducing vulnerability of people and property, improving land and environmental management, improving preparedness for hazard events,” he said. He further explained that vulnerability reduction efforts must therefore consider the different hazards people are exposed to, and how these different hazards may interact with each other to exacerbate vulnerability. This is particularly important in the context of climate change.
Participants and group discussion and presentation.
Mr Garae believes that increasing industrialization and human activities are releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which is causing an overall increase in the earth’s average temperature and sea level rise. He said communities and people that are already vulnerable, like those where we work every day, are feeling the effects and they have varying capacity to adapt, starting with getting better at managing current
climate variability, building connections with livelihood security and other vulnerable sectors “In a community both DRR and CCA aim to carry out activities that: minimize exposure to hazards, such as planting mangroves to protect homes from cyclones; reduce vulnerability to hazard impacts, diversifying livelihoods to include strategies outside agriculture, increasing capacity to manage hazards and increasing access to seasonal forecasts to facilitate livelihood planning.”
The Independent/L’Indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Health
Other STD symptoms and signs Continued from last week
Self-Care at Home Home treatment of STDs is not recommended because prescription medications are usually necessary.
Medical Treatment The treatment of an STD varies depending on the type of STD. Some STDs require a person to take antibiotic medication either by mouth or by injection; other STDs require a person to apply creams or special solutions on the skin. Often, reexamination by a doctor is necessary after the treatment to confirm that the STD is completely gone. Some STDs, such as genital herpes and HIV (which leads to AIDS), cannot be cured, only controlled with medication.
Follow-up
Symptoms of STDs caused by protozoan Trichomonas • •
Frothy vaginal discharge with a strong odor Treated with antibacterial/antiprotozoal medicines
Symptoms of STDs caused by fungi Jock itch (genital itching or Tenia cruris)* (not always an
STD)
• •
Itchy groin skin, sometimes has a reddish color Is treated with topical antifungal medicines
Yeast infection (Candidiasis)* (not always an
STD)
•
•
Cheese-like vaginal discharge or whitish exudates sometimes with a reddish hue to the skin; it may occur around the foreskin of infected males; common symptoms are itching and burning sensation of the vagina or penis. Is treated with topical antifungal medicines in most cases
Symptoms of STDs caused by parasites Pubic lice • • • •
Very tiny bugs that are found in pubic hair, sometimes referred to as “crabs” Can be picked up from clothing or bedding First noticed as itching in the pubic area Are treatable with creams, anti-lice agents, and combing
Sometimes people with STDs are too embarrassed or frightened to ask for help or information. However, most STDs are easy to treat. The sooner a person seeks treatment and warns sexual partners about the disease, the less likely the disease will do permanent damage, be spread to others, or be passed to a baby. If diagnosed with an STD, follow these guidelines:
• • • • • •
Prevention
The best way to prevent STDs is to avoid sexual contact with others. If people decide to become sexually active, they can reduce the risk of developing an STD in these ways:
•
•
Scabies • • • • •
Skin infestation caused by a tiny mite Highly contagious Intense itching is the primary symptom, which worsens at night Spread primarily by sexual contact or from contact with skin, infested sheets, towels, or furniture Is treated with creams
When to Seek Medical Care
A medical examination may be necessary if a person believes he or she may have an STD or if he or she may have been exposed to someone with an STD. Being seen by a doctor as soon as possible after exposure to an STD is important; these infections can easily spread to others and can have serious complications. Go to a hospital’s emergency department in these circumstances if: • an STD problem worsens; • a fever develops with other symptoms; or • if it will be a couple of days before the individual can be evaluated by a doctor.
•
• • • •
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday, 15 December, 2012 Page 28
Practice abstinence (refrain from sex entirely) or be in a monogamous relationship (both sexual partners are each other’s only sexual partner). Delay having sexual relations as long as possible. The younger people are when they become sexually active, the higher the lifetime risk for contracting an STD. The risk also increases with the number of sexual partners. Correctly and consistently use a male latex condom. The spermicide nonoxynol-9, once thought to protect against STDs as well as to prevent pregnancy, has been proven to be ineffective for disease prevention. Do not rely on it. In addition, condoms are only about 90% effective in preventing STDs Have regular medical checkups even if you do not have symptoms of an STD. Learn the symptoms of STDs. Avoid douching because it removes some of the natural protection in the vagina. Vaccines against HPV and hepatitis B are available and effective.
Outlook Most of the common STDs can be cured with treatment.
•
Exams and Tests
Some STDs can be diagnosed without any tests at all (for example, pubic lice). Other STDs require a blood test or a sample of any unusual fluid (such as an abnormal discharge from the vagina or the penis for gonorrhea or chlamydia) to be analyzed in a lab to help establish a diagnosis. Some tests are completed while a person waits; other tests require a few days before a person may obtain the results (for example, syphilis).
Seek treatment to stop the spread of the disease. Notify sexual contacts and urge them to have a checkup. Take all of the prescribed medication, even if symptoms stop before all of the prescribed medication(s) are taken. Sometimes, follow-up tests are important so comply with the instructions given by the health care practitioner. Consult a doctor with specific needs and any questions about reinfection, sexual partner notification, and prevention. Avoid sexual activity while being treated for an STD.
•
In addition to the discomfort of the infection, some STDs can cause other, more serious, longterm problems, including infertility and problems in newborns infected by their mothers during pregnancy such as blindness, bone deformities, mental retardation, and infrequently, death. HIV can only be slowed, not eliminated, and may cause death.
Exposure to Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Aside from colds and the flu, sexually transmitted diseases(STDs) are some of the most widespread infections
in the world. STIs affect both men and women, and almost half of all STDs occur in people younger than 25 years old. Exposure to an STI can occur any time you have sexual contact with anyone that involves the genitals, the mouth (oral), or the rectum (anal). Exposure is more likely if you have more than one sex partner or do not use condoms. Some STDs can be passed by nonsexual contact, such as by sharing needles or during the delivery of a baby or during breast-feeding. STDs are a worldwide public health concern because there is more opportunity for STDs to be spread as more people travel and engage in sexual activities. Some STDs have been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers and infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Pregnant women can spread STDs to their babies. Many people may not have symptoms of an STD but are still able to spread an infection. STD testing can help find problems early on so that treatment can begin if needed. It is important to practice safe sex with all partners, especially if you or they have high-risk sexual behaviors.
If you think you may have symptoms of an STD: • •
Do not have sexual contact or activity while waiting for your appointment. This will prevent the spread of the infection. Women should not douche. Douching changes the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina. Douching may flush an infection up into your uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
Sexually active teens and young adults Sexually active teenagers and young adults are at high risk for STDs because they have biological changes during the teen years that increase their risk for getting an STD and they may be more likely to: • Have unprotected sex. • Engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. • Have partners who have high-risk sexual behaviors.
Studies show: • Sexually active teens and young adults: o Ages 15 to 24 years old get almost half of all new STDs each year.
o Have the highest rates of chlamydia and
• •
• •
gonorrhea. About 1 out of 5 women and 1 out of 9 men get genital herpes, and it is more common in women than in men. As many as half of all sexually active men and women have been infected with genital types of human papillomavirus (HPV) at some time in their lives. Syphilis rates have increased. New HIV infections have increased in people ages 13 to 29.
It is important to seek treatment if you think you may have an STI or have been exposed to an STI. Most health departments, family planning clinics, and STI clinics provide confidential services for the diagnosis and treatment of STIs. Early treatment can cure a bacterial STD and prevent complications.If you are a parent of a teenager, there are many resources available, such as your health professional or family planning clinics, to help you talk with your teen about safe sex, preventing STDs, and being evaluated and treated for STDs.
Risks specific to women with sexually transmitted infections In women, STDs can cause a serious infection of the uterus and fallopian tubes called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID may cause scar tissue that blocks the fallopian tubes, leading to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic abscess, or chronic pelvic pain. STDs in pregnant women may cause problems such as: • Miscarriage. • Low birth weight. • Premature delivery. • Infections in their newborn baby, such as pneumonia, eye infections, or nervous system problems.
Risks specific to men with sexually transmitted infections •
Infection and inflammation of the epididymis, urethra, anus, and prostate
Any child or vulnerable adult with STD needs to be evaluated by a health professional to determine the cause and to assess for possible sexual abuse. If you have symptoms of an STD or have been exposed to an STD whether by oral, anal, or vaginal sexual activity, check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a doctor.
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9 chickweed lane
Drabble
Adam @Home
Flo & Friend
Andy Capp For Better or for worse
Agnes
Fred
Peanuts B.C
Pickles
Calvin & Hobbes Shoe
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The Independent/L’indÊpendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012 Page 27
News
Apple Maps ‘life-threatening’ to motorists lost in Australia OFFICERS in Mildura, Victoria, say they have had to assist drivers stranded after following the new Apple Maps software’s directions. Some of the drivers had been without food or water for 24 hours. Apple’s software was heavily criticised by users when it was released in September. Last week, chief executive Tim Cook admitted Apple had ‘screwed up’ and was working to improve the program. In a press release, Victoria Police’s Acting Senior Sergeant Sharon Darcy made her force’s concerns clear. “Tests on the mapping system by police confirm the mapping systems lists Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park, approximately 70km away from the actual location of Mildura,” she said. “Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the park and temperatures can reach as high as 46[C], making this a potentially life-threatening issue.” The force advised travellers to use an alternative mapping service until the issues had been fixed. In September, Apple dropped Google Maps from its iOS software in favour of its own mapping program. However, users were quick to complain it contained many inaccuracies, poor imagery and unreliable directions. Users have complained about the quality of satellite images in Apple’s software. The company defended the software at first, telling users it was ‘confident about our map quality’. However, Apple soon backtracked, posting an apology notice on its website. “We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are
Marijuana-smokers in Seattle sparked up as the law took effect.
The lower pin shows where Apple Maps puts Mildura - the pin top right shows the actual location of the town. doing everything we can to make Maps better,” said Mr Cook. A specially created section on the App Store highlighted alternative mapping software. However, an app for Google Maps has yet to be made available - although some reports suggest one is in its testing phase. The fall-out from Apple Maps saw highprofile senior executives leave the company. Apple’s mapping woes come as researchers at Carnegie Mellon University warned about newly discovered vulnerabilities in the world’s Global Positioning System (GPS). The research paper suggested that just $2500 of equipment could be used to knock out 30 per cent of systems supporting ‘safety and life-critical applications’. The researchers proposed ‘defences such as hardening GPS software against RF [radio frequency] and network attacks, as well as an attack detection system’. They added: “Until GPS is secured, life and safety-critical applications that depend upon it are likely vulnerable to attack.” - BBC
HSBC ‘to pay $1.9bn’ in US money laundering settlement HSBC is to pay US authorities $1.9bn in a settlement over money-laundering, say reports, the largest ever in such a case. The UK-based bank was alleged to have helped launder money belonging to drug cartels and states under US sanctions. Earlier this year HSBC admitted having poor money laundering controls following a US Senate investigation. Last month announced it had set aside $1.5bn to cover the costs of any settlement or fines. The deal could be announced this week, the Wall Street Journal reports. It follows the announcement of a similar but much smaller settlement with UK-based Standard Chartered bank, which will pay $300m in fines for violating US sanction rules. The cases are seen as part of a crackdown on money laundering and sanctions violations being led by federal government agencies and New York state authorities.
The $1.9bn sum in the HSBC settlement is expected to include around $1.25bn forfeited by HSBC - the largest amount ever paid out in such a case - and a $650m civil fine. The bank will also admit charges of violating bank secrecy laws and the Trading With the Enemy Act, reports suggest. The settlement had been widely expected following a report by the US Senate, published earlier this year, that was heavily critical of HSBC’s money laundering controls. The report suggested HSBC accounts in Mexico and the US were being used by drug barons to launder money. It cited examples including the transfer of $7bn between HSBC’s Mexican and US subsidiaries between 2007 and 2008, made despite Mexico’s reputation as a centre of drug smuggling. It also said HSBC regularly circumvented restrictions on dealings with Iran, North Korea, and other states under US sanctions. HSBC admitted its money laundering controls were not strong enough following the Senate report.
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Marijuana decriminalised in Washington state POSSESSION of marijuana has become legal in the US state of Washington, a month after voters opted for decriminalisation. Anyone aged 21 and over can now to carry up to 28.4g of cannabis, but smoking it in public will remain illegal. It has been legal for medical use in the state since 1998. A law legalising gay marriage also came into effect in Washington state this week. On November 6, Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first US states to back same-sex marriage in a popular vote, and Washington is the first of those to enact the law. As the law changed, a group of largely middle-aged people gathered amid reggae music in the city of Seattle to countdown to the marijuana legalisation taking effect, before sparking up. The celebration at the Space Needle attraction defied a key provision of the law, which forbids users from smoking the drug outside the privacy of their homes. But there were mixed messages from officials: hours earlier, Seattle’s city attorney issued a warning that pot smoking in public would carry a $100 fine. “If drinking in public is disallowed, so is smoking marijuana in public,” Pete Holmes said. However, the Seattle Police Department instructed its officers not to write citations for those smoking in public until further notice, instructing them to give a verbal warning instead.The law also legalises possession of up to 16oz of solid cannabis-infused goods such as brownies or cookies - and up to 72oz of weed in liquid form. Ultimately, marijuana will be legally sold from state-licensed stores, and taxed at 25 per cent. However, there will be nowhere to purchase marijuana legally in Washington for at least
another year, as the state has yet to set up the licensing system. The Washington law also sets the standard for being charged with marijuana impairment while driving, similar to the blood-alcohol level. It remains unclear how federal law enforcement agencies will deal with liberalisation of drug laws in Washington and - eventually - Colorado. Colorado voters approved their own ballot measure in November. It is similar to the Washington law, but goes further by allowing individuals to grow small amounts for themselves. The Colorado measure goes into effect on January 5. Any decision to crack down on states with liberal drug laws could affect Washington’s plans to raise tax revenues from the licensed and controlled marijuana market. Experts believe the taxation could bring the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new revenue, but the justice department has not said whether it will sue to block the regulatory schemes. Backers of the Washington law insist it does not encourage or require anyone to break federal law. But marijuana remains illegal under US law. That means federal agents can still arrest people for it, and it is banned from federal properties, including military bases and national parks. A regional federal prosecutor in the state, Jenny Durkan, said in a statement that “growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law”, no matter what law comes into effect in Washington state. The drug remained in the same category as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, she said, adding that only Congress could change that designation. - BBC
Send your news stories to The Independent email: editor@independent.vu Page 33 39 Page
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H H
CROSSWORDS
Libra - You may feel as if you’re caught between your desire to be real now and your 23 Sept. 22 Oct.
natural tendency to put others at ease. However, your emotions continue to deepen today, even if you try to gloss over any unexpressed negativity. A wave of enthusiasm later in the day can raise your hopes, but you’ll be happier in the long run.
Scorpio - Be as natural as you can today, rather than trying to fit yourself into someone
O O
R R
23 Oct. 22 Nov.
else’s expectations. With so many planets currently in your emotional sign, it’s crucial to express yourself as clearly as possible. If you worry about what others might think now, you could lose touch with your own integrity. Don’t forget that your guiding star shines from within.
23 Nov. 21 Dec.
Sagittarius -You may be on the edge of spiritual renewal as rational Mercury enters your philosophical sign today, followed by the Moon tomorrow. But this metaphysical reawakening doesn’t require you to go to church or practice specific rituals. Just acknowledge the magic of your inner world now. Take time for contemplation while you can since you might be pushed into the spotlight sooner than you think.
22 Dec. 18 Jan.
O O 19 Jan. 19 Feb.
S S
Capricorn - You may start off fairly certain about what’s happening, but grow less sure of yourself as the day continues. Even a little dance with doubt can make it progressively more difficult to separate your fantasies from your perceptions. Instead of announcing any significant decisions now, try to let the day slide by without changing your direction or surrendering your position. There’s no need to make a move until your clarity returns. Aquarius - You should be able to maintain a clear perspective on your current reality now as long as you concentrate on outer events. It’s always wise to set goals and focus on accomplishing them. Unfortunately, it becomes more challenging to follow through on your projects if you start to daydream. Keep in mind that staying on track and getting things done today will give you more time to relax tomorrow. Pisces -
The thought of embarking on a trip is quite enticing now and you may be intent on finding a way to escape your responsibilities. However, you’re less concerned about actually going anywhere in the present moment; you are happy just planning for the future. Keep in mind that it’s not even necessary to follow through with your current 20 Feb. 20 March dreams. The very act of imagining all the possible adventures today
Aries - You might pursue the path that appears to engage less conflict, even if you’re
C C O O
willing to handle the intensity of your feelings. Although you are tempted to choose the easy way out, you probably won’t be able to enjoy yourself until you address an unresolved emotional issue. Just don’t expect an immediate solution; this one could 22 March 20 April take some patience and persistence to unravel.
Taurus 21 April 20 May
Gemini 21 May 21 June
You don’t need to wait until the end of the year to make a resolution. In fact, an important decision today could set you on a positive course that significantly improves your lifestyle. But instead of dreaming about distant goals, pick something manageable you can do right now and then get started. Living in a healthier manner begins in the present moment.
22 June 22 July
Cancer - Your tenacity is one of your greatest strengths, so don’t be afraid to hold on to a feeling that’s important to you now. This need for emotional security can be the basis for enduring love, especially if you worry about changes you cannot control. But don’t waste energy being too judgmental of your cautious nature; your persistence will bring success in due time.
P P
E E S S
A coworker or friend may react strongly to your stubbornness today, but an unexpected confrontation might not make much of a difference. Keeping your emotional turmoil to yourself makes the situation easier to manage. However, floating through the day without getting involved won’t likely be an option. Stop fighting the inevitable; the sooner you face your own resistance and share what’s on your mind,
Leo 23 July 23 Aug.
24 Aug. 22 Sept.
If it feels like you’re running into an immovable wall of emotion, don’t think that you can crash your way through the resistance today. Navigating relationships isn’t about getting your way; it’s about recognizing someone else’s desire to participate in controlling the course of events. Instead of automatically fighting for something you don’t need, show your strength and just let it go. Think cooperation instead of competition.
Virgo - Your highly focused passion can be a real lifesaver today because you don’t have a lot of time to waste. You know exactly what you want and are ready to do whatever is necessary to get it. This no-nonsense approach may scare others away, but that’s not your main concern now. Your current primary directive is to stay true to yourself and follow your bliss.
SUDOKU ROCKU Last Solution 460
ACROSS 1. Cummerbund 5. Fanatical 10. Counterfoil 14. Operatic solo 15. Poplar tree 16. Backside 17. Not horizontally 19. Honey insects 20. French for “Summer” 21. Fine thread 22. Banquet 23. Scorn 25. Calabash 27. Flee 28. A certain sports official 31. A bodily fluid 34. Renegade 35. Fury 36. A titled peer of the realm 37. Makes well 38. Urgent request 39. Actress Lupino 40. Ill-gotten gains 41. Back tooth 42. 5-sided figure 44. Black gunk 45. Donated 46. Preordain 50. Home 52. Enumerate 54. Stir 55. Chooses 56. A language of India 58. Hawaiian feast 59. Canker sore 60. How old we are 61. Feudal worker 62. Ganders 63. Annoyance
10. Swords 11. A walking exercise device 12. Applications 13. Finest 18. Homeric epic 22. Gas or petrol 24. Trudge 26. 1 1 1 1 28. Gain knowledge 29. District 30. Close 31. Radar signal 32. Prospector’s find 33. Large long-armed ape 34. Bring into accord 37. Large 38. Harbor 40. Wash 41. Sail supports 43. Kleenex 44. Incumbency 46. Guys 47. Picture 48. 9 9 9 9 49. Be 50. Puncture 51. Creative work 53. A single time 56. Embrace 57. Faucet
Last solution - 460
DOWN
The grid of 81 squares consists of nine blocks each containing nine cellls. Solve the puzzle using logic and a process of elimination. Fill in the blank cells using the numbers from 1 to 9. Each number must appear just once in each row, column and block. Solution next edition.
Page 32 4
1. Rescued 2. Mountain crest 3. Fathers 4. Cap 5. Bigotry 6. Humiliate 7. Chime 8. Unreadable 9. Former North African ruler The Independent/L’Indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Children’s Page
3-D standing christmas star Eggshell collage Create a 3D standing christmas star with this art and craft kids activity. Kids will love how simple this project is and how beautiful the result. You can hang it on your tree or place it on your table for all to admire! What you need:
•
Glue
•
Pencil
•
Printer (optional)
•
Plain paper
•
Stiff paper or craft board
•
Christmas wrapping paper
•
Scissors and/or craft knife
What you need: •
Washed eggshells
•
Paint
•
Paintbrushes
•
PVA glue
•
Paper (any colour)
•
Newspaper
•
Tray
Activity: At a newspaper covered bench, paint the eggshells inside and outside. Set aside to dry.
Activity: Print or draw a star onto a regular piece of paper. Cut out your paper star - this will be your template. (Note: a 5-point star works best for this project.) Trace around your template star with a pencil onto a piece of craft board, to create two identical stars.
Arrange in patterns or colour groups. Set aside to dry. Once dry your child has a beautiful eggshell collage to hang up or turn into a card for someone.
When the eggshells are dry hold over a tray and break them into pieces. Lay out a page of paper and paint with glue.
Notes: •
When painting the eggshells, add glitter to the wet paint to create sparkly eggshells.
Then cut out your stars.
Stick the colourful eggshell pieces to the wet glue page.
Now use your paper star template again to create four more identical stars with some pretty Christmas wrapping paper.
Fruity ice cubes recipe
Glue your four wrapping paper stars on to your two craft board stars. You need to cover both sides of each of your craft board stars. Once the glue dries, make a slit in each of your two covered craft board stars.
Fruity ice cubes can be used in cordial, water or fruit beverages. Use seasonal fruit and complementary flavors to chill and flavor your drinks.
In one star the slit starts from an inner corner and goes to the centre point of the star. In the other star, start your slit from an outer point, and cut to the centre point of the star. Slip the two stars together through the slits you just cut. You may need to place some tape at the centre for stability. Stand your star on a table, or attach a string to use as a pretty 3-D tree ornament. Notes : • •
•
Be as creative as you like when decorating your stars. Use glitter pens, tinsel, family photos, pretty craft scraps, or draw pictures with marker pens. Use your 3-D Standing Stars as unique place markers at your Christmas table. Use a decorative pen to write a guest’s name across both stars before you slip them together. Or use a photograph of each guest on each star (note: you’ll need four photos per 3-D star, one for each side of each single star panel). Thread a number of 3D Standing Stars onto a fishing line, and hang about the house as gorgeous home-made Christmas decorations.
Ingredients: •
fresh orange juice
•
pineapple juice
•
watermelon puree
•
passionfruit pulp
•
blueberries
•
raspberries
•
strawberry slices
•
lemon slices
•
boiled water
sheet so you can easily move them to the freezer. Add fruit pieces to each slot and cover with boiled water. Or fill with juice and fruit or juice on its own. Place in the freezer to freeze.
Notes: •
You can add these cubes to sugar-free cordial, fruit punch or just to some chilled water.
•
Use boiled water as it tends to make clearer ice cubes.
Method: Place ice cube trays on a baking
Create a magic painting with black crayon, making sure you cover the color underneath with black crayon.
Broaden your little one’s artistic repertoire and allow them to create a wonderful artwork with this clever painting technique.
Using the end of the paintbrush, scratch a design through the black crayon so that the color underneath shows. This creates a beautiful bright painting.
What you need: •
Paper
•
Colored pencils or paint
•
Wax crayons
•
Paintbrush
Method:
This activity is quite removed from
the sorts of artworks with which your child will be familiar as it calls for the complete use of all the paper without leaving any white space. The first step in creating this unique artwork is to have your little one completely
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
color the piece of paper using bright colored pencils or paint.
Extension: As this is such a striking picture you may wish to use a canvas If using paint, wait until it is rather than paper as it will definitely completely dry before doing the be an artwork worth keeping and next step. Color the entire picture displaying or giving as a gift to a relative. Page Page 35 31
Weird and Wacky news Darwin the ‘Ikea monkey’ sparks frenzy A MONKEY who shocked onlookers when he walked into an Ikea store wearing a winter coat and nappy, has sparked a wave of jokes across social media. Dubbed on social media networks as the “Ikea monkey”, the Canadian rhesus macaque monkey was spotted in a parking lot near an Ikea in Toronto before he walked in to the famous Swedish furniture store. Police believe he escaped from a car before he ended up wandering into the Ikea store, The Daily Mail reports. The monkey, known now as Darwin, has been described as a “smart monkey” by Canadian police. Loyalists sit near a burning car in east Belfast, Northern Ireland after a march in protest against Belfast city council’s decision to restrict the number of days the Union Flag will be flown over the city hall.
Rioters in Belfast petrol bomb cops RIOTERS in Belfast pelted police with petrol bombs in the latest violence to flare up in Northern Ireland over a decision by the city’s council not to fly the British flag all year round.
Eight police officers were injured during clashes close to the city centre on Friday night and five people arrested, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.
Officers were targeted on the Upper Newtownards Road near the offices of the east Belfast lawmaker Naomi Long, a member of the non-sectarian Alliance Party who has been warned her life is under threat.
Loyalists have held nightly protests in several parts of Northern Ireland since the ruling.
Police said they were treating the attack as attempted murder. Tensions have risen in the British province since councillors voted on December 3 to limit the number of days the Union Jack can fly over the City Hall to 17, outraging loyalists who believe Northern Ireland should retain strong links to Britain. Loyalist demonstrators blocked several roads on Monday and showered police with a volley of petrol bombs and fireworks close to the M1 motorway.
Some 3,500 people died in the three decades of violence between Northern Irish Protestants favouring continued union with Britain, and Catholics seeking a unified Ireland. A 1998 peace agreement largely ended the conflict, but sporadic unrest and bomb threats continue as dissident offshoots remain violently opposed to the power-sharing government in Belfast, formed of Catholic and Protestant parties. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Northern Ireland on Friday, winning praise from the province’s leaders for her role in helping to build peace. - AFP
Man charged for leaving baby with pit bull terrier DOGS can do many things, but have you ever heard of a pit bull terrier being left to babysit a 10-month-old. James R Irvine, 41, of Palm Coast, Florida, has been charged with child neglect after he allegedly left his son home alone with the dog, Orlando WESH reported. Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies allege that Irvine went out for a drink. The baby’s mother, whose name has not been released, told authorities that she was at work on Friday night (in the US) and had left Irvine, her boyfriend, to care for their child, NBC Miami reported. The baby’s mother has told police that she called Irvine several times before 11pm. When he finally answered, he allegedly said he was “watching the game” before hanging up on her, according to a sheriff’s report obtained by the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Page 36
The woman came home to find Irvine urinating on himself while attempting to get in through the garage. She told police that Irvine admitted he had been out drinking, but claimed he hadn’t really left their son alone because the “pit bull was watching the baby.” The mother reportedly found her child crying alone in a room with the door shut. The dog was reportedly sitting outside. The woman contacted police and Irvine was arrested. Police said Irvine claimed he had been home all Friday evening but a bartender at a local bar, however, told officers that she saw Irvine at around 9:30pm that night, the sheriff’s report states. She also noted that he did not pay his tab. Irvine was taken into custody. He was released on $1500 bail.
Shoppers who saw the monkey immediately started posting photos of it on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. Shopper Bronwyn Page told Toronto CTVNews: “We saw a crowd of people and
a little animal and I was like ‘oh my gosh it’s a monkey.” “It started darting all over the place. It was scared. “It was very bizarre to see a real live monkey there. It was really small and just funny dressed in the coat.” Local animal catchers caught the monkey inside the store. The monkey’s owners, who had been shopping in Ikea, came forward after their beloved primate was spotted by fellow shoppers. Unfotunately, they now face $240 fine for having an illegal pet. The rhesus macaque species is not endangered but it is illegal to keep the animal in Ontario. It is with animal services and is in good health and recovering from the distress of the incident.
Would-be thief threatened with gun calls cops A ROBBER in Texas hid in a car and called the police when a home owner confronted him before coming after him with a gun. The suspect, identified as Christopher Lance Moore, allegedly broke into a home in Springtown in Texas in the early hours of this week. He was soon confronted by James Gerow who pointed his pistol at Mr Moore and asked him what he was doing in his house. Mr Moore soon gave up his keys saying he was “unlucky’. Mr Moore fled as Mr Gerow’s wife called 911 while her husband was in hot pursuit with his weapon pointed at the man. Mr Gerow followed the man out to his truck where Mr Moore called police for help as “some guy has a gun on me”. Mr Gerow locked Mr Moore’s car in with his own truck and had his 13-year-old son cover him with a shot gun.
Cash-strapped Swaziland urged to hike witch-doctor tax A SWAZI Member of Parliament has urged the government to hike taxes on traditional healers and soothsayers to help solve a funding crisis in Africa’s last absolute monarchy. The mediums, known as sangomas in the landlocked southern African nation, pay an annual 10 emalangeni ($1.15) license fee, but MP Majahodvwa Khumalo said they had jacked up their fees fourfold in the last few years and should pay more. “A majority of our people consult traditional healers but the money they pay to government falls far too short of the money they make,” he told parliament. Swaziland’s budget deficit ballooned to 15 percent of its annual economic output in 2010 but the government managed to keep itself afloat by running through central bank reserves and delaying payment of wages to civil servants. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined to launch a bailout because of reluctance by King Mswati III, who has at least a dozen wives and a personal fortune estimated at $200 million, to cut royal or military spending. The IMF has continued to press for reductions to what is officially Africa’s most bloated bureaucracy. In an in-depth assessment of the economy published in February, it rated the scope for raising more taxes as “small”. ($1 = 8.6745 South African rand) - Reuters
Commercial & Personal Effects Fr8 Logistics Ph 27744 The Independent/L’Indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Sport
Rowed to Rio THE 2012 Olympic Games held in London may be over, the stadiums empty, with the athletes and spectators alike having returned to homes scattered across the globe, but already thousands of hopeful athletes have their hopes and ambitions firmly fixed on the next Olympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 2016. This year Vanuatu saw a burgeoning group of home grown and trained athletes achieving entry and attendance at the London Olympics in judo, table tennis and athletics, with varying degrees of success. For the next four years, a new sporting group in Vanuatu will start that long road to Rio – the Vanuatu Rowing Club. The Vanuatu Rowing Club hopes to send a team of rowers to the Games in 2016. When we think of rowing we think of Eton and Oxford, Henley, the Awesome Foursome from Australia or the fantastic achievements in the London Games of New Zealand, with six medals in rowing. It is into this rich vein of Australasian experience and relationships that our hopeful Ni-Vanuatu rowers are tapping. “Rowing? Does someone here in Vanuatu row? Is there really a Rowing Club?” you might be thinking. “Where is it?” The Vanuatu Rowing Club was set up in 2009 by 10 foundation members. From these small beginnings and with the support of Wilco and VASANOC (Vanuatu Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee), the Australian and New Zealand Rowing Federations and local business community members and private citizens, the club now boasts a full time manager, a rowing shed with more than $120,000 worth of equipment and a culturally diverse, inclusive and vibrant
membership of about 100 Francophone, Anglophone and Ni-Vanuatu rowers. Many of the older rowers learned to row at school and are now gladly sharing their knowledge and love for the sport with a very rapidly increasing number of Ni-Vanuatu rowers trying out this ancient sport for the first time. Of this total of around 100 paid members and regular rowers, about half are Ni-Vanuatu. The club offers discounted and/ or fully funded membership to Ni-Vanuatu and to volunteers currently serving in Vanuatu with Peace Corps, Australian Youth Ambassadors and Red Cross. The VRA has a large, modern rowing shed on the Second Lagoon, a 7km long expanse of still water protected by cliffs. This pristine, spectacular stretch of water is unparalleled in the South Pacific and affords Vanuatu the opportunity to establish itself as a seriously competitive rowing nation fielding rowing teams in international competitions. The club has just received new rowing equipment fully funded by local corporate sponsorship from the National Bank of Vanuatu, Incite, Law and Partners, Sharper Image, PDL, BRED Bank, Novodental, Caillard et Kaddour, First National, VASANOC and Aon Risk Insurance. The corporate sponsors are very supportive, recognising the potential for NiVanuatu to enter the world stage of rowing. The club regularly offers Learn to Row Programs. A four-part Learn to Row Program sees involvement on a regular basis of large numbers of potential new rowers. The Rowing Club Shed is situated below The Holiday Inn’s golf course. The small inlet behind the islet where The Holiday Inn has its over-the-water bungalows provides a protected and safe place for beginner rowers.
Luigi Teilemb and Kevin Hivard (right) rowing at the Second Lagoon. If you do fall out, it’s not so far to swim to shore pushing ‘The Tub’ ahead of you – but very few beginners tip out, especially after their learn-to row sessions. Learn to Row Programs for Adults On several successive Saturdays adult beginners or those wanting to refresh long lost skills from school days, are started in the Rowing Clubs fully equipped gym. There on the Concept Rowing Machines, they are shown the basic stroke before heading out onto the Training Tub. ‘The Tub’ is a broad rowing scull well suited for is task of giving learner rowers a stable platform on which they can practice their new skills. Learn to Row Programs for Schools The schools program sees a number of schools such as Malapoa College, the Central School, Ecole Francais Collardeau and Port Vila International School negotiating regular rowing sessions as part of their school sports program. The Rowing Club hopes to identify young rowing talent from this program. If the club is looking at Rio in four years time or the following Olympic Games in eight years’ time, these schools or the youth groups brought to it by local Non Government Organisations (NGOs) are where they will find the NiVanuatu rowers of the future. Learn to Row Programs for NGOs Wan Smal Bag and Youth Challenge have also taken up the opportunity to learn to row. The Ni-Vanuatu youth who participate in rowing gain social and health benefits.
Paralympic and Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius of South Africa races against a pure-bred Arabian horse.
Pistorius faster than a Maserati SOUTH African Oscar Pistorius, who became the first disabled runner to compete in the Olympics when he ran in the 400 metres, beat Arab horse Maserati in the 'run like the wind' race here on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner because of the carbon fibre blades he runs on after having his legs amputated below the knee before he was aged one because of a congenital condition, beat the horse over 200 metres. Pistorius, who reached the 400m semi-finals in London and also ran in the 4x400m relay final to realise his boyhood dream of competing at the able-bodied Games, took full advantage of starting 15 metres in front of Maserati, who ruined its chances of winning by making a terrible start. The race was not the first time athletes have competed against horses with some of the most notable champions such as 1936 Olympics hero Jesse Owens and 1992 Olympic 100m gold medallist Linford Christie also going up against their four-legged friends, who generally outpaced their human rivals. - AFP The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
The free schools and NGO program has given access to economically, educationally and socially disadvantaged Ni-Vanuatu youth to participate in the sport. As a young nation, Vanuatu benefits from the inclusivity and team building that sport offers. Learn to Row Programs for Companies & Government Departments I n addition the Rowing Club has offered free lessons to Government Departments and private sector companies. Arriving in buses and trucks, groups of 15–20 adults who have never rowed backwards quickly pick up the basic skills. By the end of the afternoon, the group is split up into teams of four and head out onto the lagoon in the boats or ‘quads’. Giggling groups turn into serious rivals as the teams head for the finish. “It’s a great afternoon for team building. Afterwards we talk about what we have learned from the rowing experience. The participants suggest working as a team,
keeping in rhythm with each other and all rowing in the same direction toward a target. Apart from that, just getting out of the office and taking up the challenge of something totally new is great for office morale,” said a participant. Even if you are not wanting to be an internationally competitive rower, rowing has considerable benefits for good health and fitness – physically and mentally. The top selling neon-fiction book The Brain That Changes Itself extols the value of rowing for the simultaneous stimulation of both hemispheres of the brain – now proving to be one of the ways of encouraging the health and stimulation of new brain cells and mental activity, so important in battling degenerative mental illnesses such as Altzheimers. Many rowers can show the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots of physiques toned and built by rowing. Rowing uses every muscle group, building core body strength and flexibility. The downside? Some say it’s getting up early for the ‘still water’ of dawn – the time before the wind gets up and the water gets rougher. “I was never much good at getting up early but I do now. It’s just amazing being on the Second Lagoon early in the morning at 5.30 am when the water is still, the mist lifting off the water. The rhythm of the rowing is a very meditative experience. I come back into the Shed by 6.30 am after the row feeling fantastic - exercise over for the day, mentally and physically ready for the day ahead – whatever it brings,” said one rower. But you don’t have to be an early riser if you want to row. For those with flexible working hours or wanting to row at lunchtime – the Shed is open and help available. Tom Sam, the Rowing Shed manager and himself a qualified rowing coach, is there from 6am, Tuesday to Saturday. Tom is not only experienced rower himself but is very patient helpful as well as knowledgeable. Many members come down to the shed after work and are on the water just after 5 pm. With the long summer evenings, you can see the rowers out on the water until well after 6.30pm most evenings, especially now that our elite Ni-Vanuatu rowers are preparing themselves for a big competition – a regatta – in New Zealand in the second week of December. This participation in the New Zealand Regatta is part of the long road ahead for Vanuatu Rowing Club and its young NiVanuatu rowers. The first steps along the ‘Rowed to Rio’ are A grade winner Jose. being taken.
Page 33 Page 37
Sport Feature
Rallye de Port Vila du 15 au 16 décembre 2012 ---- Port Vila Rally, 15-16 December 2012
Les meilleurs pilotess du Vanuatu et de leurs « animaux »
Who will be your favourite at the weekend?
ANDREA TRAVERSO Le poisson volant - The flying fish
ARNAUD RUSSET Le taureau - The bull
CAROLINE BRUNET Le cheval - The horse
Drawings by GUY DEROIN
JULIEN LENGLET Le serpent - The snake
PHILIPPE BLANCHE Le coq - The rooster
PIERRE HENRI BRUNET L’ours - The bear
CHINH NGUYEN L’abeille - The bee
JEAN CHARLES PANDOSY Le tigre - The tiger
RICHARD GUTTADAURO Le - The rottweiler
PROGRAMME ET INFORMATIONS SUR LE RALLYE :
RALLY PROGRAM AND INFORMATION:
Samedi 15 décembre 8h à 13h: Centre Port Vila, à Saralana (Terrain du parlement). 15h à 18h : Pointe du diable. 18h30 à 20h30: Spéciale de nuit à la Pointe du Diable.
Saturday, December 15 8am to 1pm: at Saralana, Parliament Grounds 3pm to 6pm: at Devil’s Point 6.30pm to 8.30pm: Night race at Devil’s Point
Dimanche 16 décembre 8h à 14h: Pointe du diable, remise des prix. Les compétiteurs et les spectateurs qui désirent assister à la soirée qui aura lieu au Tennis Club de Port Vila peuvent dès à présent acheter les tickets en vente à Top Signs pour 3000 vt (1500 vt pour les moins de 12 ans) . L’ACPV nous promet un événement atypique et étonnant à ne pas rater !
Sunday, December 16 8am to 2pm: At Devil’s Point Competitors and spectators wishing to join the ACPV for the Sunday dinner, which will be held at the Tennis Club of Port Vila, can now buy tickets on sale at Top Signs for 3000 vt (1500 vt for those under 12 years). The ACPV promises an unique and exciting event… Not to be missed!
Surtout le Dimanche MATIN ! Ne ratez pas la Tombola ! Des prix a gagner de Vila Hardward, SSP, Sharper Image, Bon Marche, Sound Centre etc... Seulement 100 vatu le ticket !
Important: Sunday morning is not to be missed! There will be a big raffle with prizes from Vila Hardware, SSP Sharper Image, Bon Marche, Sound Centre and more - only 100 vatu for a ticket!
Page 38 Page 20
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Feature
A Victorian Christmas IT’S hard to imagine now, but at the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated. Many businesses did not even consider it a holiday. However by the end of the century it had become the biggest annual celebration and took on the form that we recognise today. The transformation happened quickly, and came from all sectors of society. Many attribute the change to Queen Victoria, and it was her marriage to the German-born Prince Albert that introduced some of the most prominent aspects of Christmas. In 1848 the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree, a tradition that was reminiscent of Prince Albert’s childhood in Germany. Soon every home in Britain had a tree bedecked with candles, sweets, fruit, homemade decorations and small gifts. In 1843 Henry Cole commissioned an artist to design a card for Christmas. The illustration showed a group of people around a dinner table and a Christmas message. At one shilling each, these were pricey for ordinary Victorians and so were not immediately accessible. However the sentiment caught on and many children - Queen Victoria’s included – were encouraged to make their own Christmas cards.
After a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree was published in 1848, Victorians rushed to embrace all things Christmas, including cards, crackers and Christmas feasts.
In this age of industrialisation colour printing technology quickly became more advanced, causing the price of card production to drop significantly. Together with the introduction of the halfpenny postage rate, the Christmas card industry took off. By the 1880s the sending of cards had become hugely popular, creating a lucrative industry that produced 11.5 million cards in 1880 alone. The commercialisation of Christmas was well on its way. Another commercial Christmas industry was borne by Victorians in 1848 when a British confectioner, Tom Smith, invented a bold new way to sell sweets. Inspired by a trip to Paris where he saw bon bons – sugared almonds wrapped in twists of paper – he came up with the idea of the Christmas cracker: a simple package filled with sweets that snapped when pulled apart. The sweets were replaced by small gifts and paper hats in the late Victorian period, and remain in this form as an essential part of a modern Christmas. Decorating the home at Christmas also became a more elaborate affair. The medieval tradition of using evergreens continued, however the style and placement of these decorations became more important. The old custom of simply decking walls and windows with sprigs and twigs was sniffed at. Uniformity, order and elegance were encouraged. There were instructions on how to make elaborate synthetic decorations for those residing in towns. In 1881 Cassell’s Family Magazine gave strict directions to the lady of the house: “To bring about a general feeling of enjoyment, much depends on the surroundings… It is worth while to bestow some little trouble on the decoration of the rooms”. Gift giving had traditionally been at New Year but moved as Christmas became more important to the Victorians. Initially gifts were
rather modest – fruit, nuts, sweets and small handmade trinkets. These were usually hung on the Christmas tree. However, as gift giving became more central to the festival, and the gifts became bigger and shop-bought, they moved under the tree.
and popularised. The Victorians considered carols to be a delightful form of musical entertainment, and a pleasure well worth cultivating. Old words were put to new tunes and the first significant collection of carols was published in 1833 for all to enjoy.
The Christmas feast has its roots from before the Middle Ages, but it’s during the Victorian period that the dinner we now associate with Christmas began to take shape. Examination of early Victorian recipes shows that mince pies were initially made from meat, a tradition dating back to Tudor times.
The Victorians also transformed the idea of Christmas so that it became centred around the family. The preparation and eating of the feast, decorations and gift giving, entertainments and parlour games - all were
essential to the celebration of the festival and were to be shared by the whole family. While Charles Dickens did not invent the Victorian Christmas, his book A Christmas Carol is credited with helping to popularise and spread the traditions of the festival. Its themes of family, charity, goodwill, peace and happiness encapsulate the spirit of the Victorian Christmas, and are very much a part of the Christmas we celebrate today. - BBC
However, during the 19th century there was a revolution in the composition of this festive dish. Mixes without meat began to gain popularity within some of the higher echelons of society and became the mince pies we know today. The roast turkey also has its beginnings in Victorian Britain. Previously other forms of roasted meat such as beef and goose were the centrepiece of the Christmas dinner. The turkey was added to this by the more wealthy sections of the community in the 19th century, but its perfect size for a middle class family gathering meant it became the dominant dish by the beginning of the 20th century. While carols were not new to the Victorians, it was a tradition that they actively revived
The Independent/L’indépendant - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Page Page 39 19
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