Air Pacific and Christmas Island

from w
I was very much surprised to read that Air Pacific will resume flights to Christmas Island. Well, the Christmas Island in the news is a depot for asylum seekers, west off Australia so it is a sorry place. However then I discovered another Christmas Island, this time in Kiribati and the island is called Kiritimati and it too has a very sorry tale to tell. Google to here Christmas Island Bomb Tests Bomb to find Jane Resture's information about the terrible atomic bomb tests in this place.

Air Pacific looks at new markets
11/26/2009 from Fiji Sun
Air Pacific revealed plans to recommence flights to Christmas Island next year as they prepare for the aviation war with the arrival of Continental Airlines, V Australia and Jetstar into Fiji. etc. etc. “We have a number of routes under consideration and expect to recommence services to Christmas Island and beyond to Honolulu in the new year following repairs to the runway on Christmas Island. etc etc.

When I was searching through Christmas songs to plan for a family program for December 20th I came across a quaint song and with a change of only about six words I subverted the niceness of it.

Christmas Island
By: Lyle Moraine (1946) (USA_
Let's get away from sleigh bells, let's get away from snow,
Let's make a break some Christmas dear, I know the place to go.
How'd ja like to spend Christmas on Christmas Island?
How'd ja like to spend the Holiday away across the sea?
How'd ja like to spend Christmas on Christmas Island?
How'd ja like to hang your stockin' on a great big coconut tree?

How'd ja like to stay up late like the detainees do,
Wait for Santa to sail in with your presents in a canoe?
If you ever spend Christmas on Christmas Island,
You will never stray, for ev'ry day you will ask
can your Christmas dreams come true?

142 turned back from Christmas Island

In case you are not aware of the Christmas Island off Australia here's one story about it by Piers Akerman From: The Daily Telegraph
November 25, 2009 9:09AM The latest boat load of asylum seekers arrive for processing at Christmas Island today. Pic: Allison Millcock Source: The Daily Telegraph

AS A further 52 asylum seekers were brought ashore on Christmas Island yesterday, a fleet of fishing boats carrying 142 Sri Lankans bound for Australia was intercepted.
Sri Lanka's navy last night said it seized the four fishing trawlers off the island nation's southern coast and handed them over to local police.

Join Piers Akerman's blog here.

"The passengers had paid large sums of money to people smugglers to take them abroad," navy spokesman Athula Senarath said.

In recent months there has been an increase in the number of Sri Lankans trying to enter Australia, many claiming political asylum - most famously the 72 who ended up aboard Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking.

At Christmas Island yesterday, however, the 52 new arrivals - brought to land under the watchful eye of an Australian Federal Police contingent - were Afghans. They were transferred from an Australian Customs vessel standing off the island and conveyed by barge to the public wharf in Flying Fish Cove, where interpreters were waiting with buses to take them to the island's detention centres.

Sources said the latest group comprised 39 adult males, one adult female and 10 minors, plus two crew.

Extra security precautions have been in place since Saturday night's violent riot at the island's principal immigration detention centre - where the men will be housed while their identity and security checks are carried out.

The women will be put in temporary accommodation of prefabricated huts behind barbed wire in the grounds of the recreation centre and at an adjacent construction camp. The male arrivals will put further stress on the already overcrowded camp, which was built to hold 400, expanded to cope with 800 and has recently held more than 1000.
On Monday, nearly 70 people who were processed on Christmas Island were informed they were to be granted permanent visas and taken to Australia.

* A FEDERAL Parliamentary committee has called for the high-security facility at the Villawood Immigration and Detention Centre to be demolished and replaced.

-------
So whether Air Pacific flies to Christmas Island One, or Christmas Island Two, there are sad stories attached to both places, stories about colonialism, power and powerlessness.

Ladybirds

One of Fiji's letter writers emailed me these observatons about life in Lautoka. I haven't seen ladybirds lately at all, in fact small creatures are few and far between these days and I wonder why they are absent.

Contributed by Allen Lockington, Lautoka
Life goes on....

I was traipsing around Lautoka on Monday in one of the more secluded spots on Tagimoucia Road I spotted Lady Birds.

I was surprised because I thought they had died out. I remember in my primary school days at Marist Suva Street there were Lady Birds everywhere. They seem to have disappeared like the butterfly that would seen everywhere. Many of our little insects can no longer be seen in urban areas because of what we call development. Their habitats have been destroyed.

And there are the pandanus trees that line Drasa Avenue adjacent to the Botanical gardens. As I walked pass I got a whiff of a sweet smell and saw the trees bearing yellow and orange fruit and birds were everywhere eating them. Pandanus usually grows on the coastal areas but there are many growing in the heart of Lautoka. Our coastal areas are making way for development also but it’s good that this costal plant is able to grow in-land.

As for mangoes they are not as plentiful as last year. But like the Lady Bird, life goes on in Fiji however humble and tough things may be. And my sighting of those Lady Birds, it tells me that there is still hope and life.

Okay, okay, I've changed my mind

from w
For the sake of those who do log in to babasiga despite the eyes peering over their shoulders, I will continue to post! The busy bee journos from Labasa (Fiji Times and Fiji Sun) give us stories of Ravenish and his watermelons in the Labasa market, kindergarten kids graduating at the Cawaira settlement near Labasa, a footpath in Naseakula village, and donors from Korea extending the Labasa hospital. Nice positive stories spinning good times - (because other stories cannot be told). Here is one of the stories. Ah, those people up North are pragmatists!
Villagers celebrate construction of footpath

11/25/2009
Women of Nasekula Village, Labasa were busy preparing a feast yesterday. The feast was in appreciation for the work the community was undertaking - the construction of a footpath throughout the village. Community members and people of Nasekula are working together to build footpath of 400 meters long.

Former Police Inspector Leone Nuimataiwalu and leader of the footpath project said it was very important to have a footpath in the village for many reasons. “During wet season it is very difficult to walk in the village because the ground becomes very muddy and footprints are left behind,” said Mr Nuimataiwalu. He said children found it difficult to walk to school during rainy season as their uniform got stained with mud. The footpath will lead right up along the track to Nasekula District School.

Retired Head teacher Josateki Rokotovitovi and a member of the community said they felt it was very important to have a footpath as Nasekula is a chiefly village and most gatherings took place there. “The building of the footpath will uplift the standard of the village,” said Mr Rokotovitovi. He added that about $10,000 was provided by the Government after various application forms were filled in and $4,000 was contributed by the villagers for building a footpath. Work began last month and hopefully will end by end of this month.

Sunrise

from Peceli,
This morning I woke up as usual about 5.30 a.m. for our devotional and outside the sun was rising so I took these two photographs.

Problem with reading blogs in Fiji

from w
Looks like we need to take a break from posting. I was surprised when the stats counter indicated that fewer Fiji readers were accessing babasiga. Well, now I've been told why. From Fiji it seems that anyone wanting to read blogs gets a message that they will be monitored if they want to read a blog and have to go through another site first. Monitored? Most blogs are innocuous and well-meaning.

And just one more for the road: go to the tribewanted website for Jimbo's farewell interview from Vorovoro Island. Now that is one honest but good story - the eco-tourism venture near Labasa.

Not the Fiji news

from w
Though this is not the Fiji news, it is relevant to Fiji because it's about a world problem of crossing borders, of people who are either refugees or opportunists.
While a karaoke singer lunges out with a song, the Tamil asylum seekers are placed in an Indonesian (but Australia funded) detention centre.

I am sailing, I am sailing home again cross the sea
I am sailing stomy waters to be near you to be free

I am flying, I am flying like a bird cross the sky
I am flying I am flying to be near you to be free

On the other hand, there are others waiting, waiting, waiting to move on from a detention centre, or others fill out fifty pages of forms and are patient in their preparation to move to places like Australia.
What about me? It isn't fair? Moving pictures
I've had enough and I want my share!
Can't you see? I wanna live!
But you just take more than you give.

Are they jumping the queue? Yes.

From the Australian newspaper today:
Detainees' plea: what about us?
• Stephen Fitzpatrick, Tanjung Pinang, and Matthew Franklin
• From: The Australian
• November 19, 2009 12:00AM
INDONESIA and Australian officials worked through the day yesterday transferring the 56 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers still on board the Oceanic Viking to the Tanjung Pinang detention centre. The Sri Lankans, along with 22 who disembarked on Friday, will be segregated from the more than 80 other detainees at the Australian-built centre.

Amongst these other inmates, however, there is growing anger at the special deal done to get the Tamils off the Oceanic Viking, including resettlement in Australia within a month for those who qualify as refugees. "We feel jealous because of what's going on," said one, a young Afghan man who asked to be identified only by the pseudonym "Zulfiqar" for fear of violent reprisals from the Australian-trained guards at the centre.

"We've been here seven months, and some of the boys have only now been registered (with the UNHCR), and half of the people have not been interviewed, but in less than one week (the Oceanic Viking Sri Lankans) have been interviewed and registration is going on. So everyone is feeling jealous."

The bitter criticism came even as Kevin Rudd denied the group would receive preferential treatment in the centre, insisting that after their claims for refugee status had been assessed by the UN the "normal procedures" would apply. Last night the Rudd government said five women and five children among the 56 would stay in an "adjacent" building "separate" to the detention centre. However their quarters remain inside the centre compound. Mr Rudd said the government had rejected a request by the asylum-seekers to have their claims for refugee status processed in Australia.

But Coalition justice spokeswoman Susan Ley asked whether an offer of housing assistance to those asylum-seekers granted resettlement in Australia meant they would be given preference over Australians already on public housing waiting lists.
And former Howard government immigration minister Philip Ruddock said Mr Rudd had caved in under duress from the asylum-seekers by agreeing to fast-track the resettlement of the 78.

In the detention centre, Zulfiqar asked why those already there could not receive the same treatment as the new arrivals. "Some of the Afghans have been accepted by the UNHCR for more than a month but they are still inside of detention -- what will happen to them?" he asked. "I want to request to the Australian government that please if you have a policy that you accept these refugees, so what about us? We are also refugees who want to go to Australia -- the only difference is that they were arrested a little nearer to Australia, and we were arrested a little bit farther from Australia."

Zulfiqar revealed that he was detained in Sumatra seven months ago after travelling from Kabul via Malaysia, having escaped death at the hands of the Taliban. He said the Taliban had insisted that, because of his good English, he work as a jihadi for them translating for US or other foreign organisations."If I go back to Afghanistan I will be killed," he said. "They said if you don't want to (work as a translator) we're going to kill you."

He said he escaped by convincing his Taliban captors they should let him take his mother to safety before beginning work with them -- and managed to flee Kabul with the help of a people-smuggler, who took $US6000 ($6440) to get him to Indonesia. Zulfiqar said the Afghans at the Tanjung Pinang centre, as well as 10 Sri Lankans who have also been there for several months, were confined to their dormitory rooms as the new arrivals were processed. CCTV cameras were used to monitor all activity.

And I thought Fiji drivers weren't so good

Hit the road, Jack and don't you come back no more,
no more, no more, no more)
Hit the road, Jack and don't you come back no more
What you say?from w
I heard this story on the radio this morning and it's a warning to us folks who are getting a little older.... Now Yass is in the middle of NSW in Australia and Avalon is just out of Geelong where we live. Here's the story from the Herald Sun. Apparently he was on his mobile phone to his wife at one stage and she asked where he was - were there any landmarks, and he replied that he thought he saw the Westgate Bridge! You see it's possible that once you get onto a freeway you could go for hundreds of k without even one red light to slow you down!

NSW man makes wrong turn... to Geelong
Anne Wright November 17, 2009 8:45PM
ERIC, 80, said he loves to drive. And drive, and drive. Even if it is in the wrong direction, through a different state. He was missing for nine hours after he left his friend's house in Yass at 7.15am attempting to drive home to Pambula on the NSW south-East coast. But the man, named only as 'Eric', took a wrong turn and kept driving unconcerned about his unfamiliar surroundings.

He travelled nearly 600km before stopping at the Avalon BP service station on the Princess Hwy to ask for help from two police officers. Constable Tom Windlow and Leading Senior Constable Clayton Smith, from the Traffic Drug and Alcohol section, had stopped at the service station about 3.45pm after an operation in Corio.

'I was stretching my legs, waiting for Tom to come back to the car when this little old man came up to me saying he was lost," Sen-Constable Smith said. He handed me his mobile and asked if I could speak to his wife."

Eric's wife told the officers her husband, who police said suffers slight dementia, had been missing for nearly nine hours.

"Believe me, we never expected for her to say he had driven from Yass," Sen-Constable Smith said.

Eric was then taken to Sunshine police station where he was reunited with family friends who had driven down from Mt Eliza.

Sen-Constable Smith and Constable Windlow said the accidental adventurer had been very grateful for their help and told them many stories as they waited for his friends to arrive."When we asked him why he hadn't stopped earlier he replied, "I just like to drive," Sen-Constable Smith said.

Eric and his wife were reunited late yesterday afternoon.

Lomaivuna showing the way

from w
I know that Lomaivuna is a long way from babasiga land and the soil there is rich and wonderfully suited to intensive farming, but here is an example about growing cassava that could be copied in Macuata. This story was in both the Fiji Times and Fiji Daily Post - pic here from Fiji Times.
The following story has been reposted from the Fiji Daily Post - from a government handout without editing it seems.

Cassava farming in Lomaivuna
13-Nov-2009

Lomaivuna, better known for ginger production, is also well known as a producer of root crops and vegetables in the Central Division. Needless to say farmers in Lomaivuna are so dedicated to farming that every farmer has a success story to tell. While travelling along the circular road that link all farms in Lomaivuna, one can see big blocks of dalo, cassava, ginger, pineapples and many other crops planted on the sloping hills and flatlands utilising every piece of available land.

Among the root crops, cassava is one of the most common crops supplied by the farmers in the area to the exporters and the local markets. A multi- racial farming community, Lomaivuna is well represented by highly dedicated Fijian, Indian and even Chinese farmers.

One of the farmers who have come to call Lomaivuna home is Hublasi Lal (53) who hails from Qarawalu in Taveuni. In 1966, when only eight years old, he accompanied his parents and siblings to settle in Lomaivuna.

According to Lal, at that time, the late President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara had recruited around 200 farmers from Taveuni to work in the banana plantation in Lomaivuna.

“The first batches of farmers were called in 1964 and then 1966 another set of farmers were recruited,” Mr Lala recalled. “The farmers were provided with 10 acre blocks each and a house to earn their living and work in the banana plantation”, he added.

He recounted that unfortunately in the late 60s, several hurricanes struck Fiji and badly damaged the banana plantations. As a result the New Zealand-based company which was operating had to close down due to bankruptcy. He said some farmers were lucky to get the opportunity to stay in Lomaivuna and continue with their farming work. “I had a strong farming background and since my father was an expert farmer we started with root crops and vegetable farming,” said Mr Lal.

While helping his father on the farm, Mr Lal also managed to complete his education. Instead of looking for white collar jobs, he chose to have a farm. “I was passionate about farming from the very beginning and my determination and hard work has made me an established farmer today,” said Mr Lal. As days passed by, Lal gained a lot of experience in growing and managing his crop farm and began raising the level of his farm production.

Married with four children, he realised that only through working hard on the farm he can earn enough money to get his two daughters married and the younger daughter through school. His son has already got a job.

Mr Lal owns ten acres of Native leased land which is due to expire in coming five years. His brothers are also among the top farmers in Lomaivuna involved in large scale root crop farming.

Besides being a hard working farmer, Mr Lal has been an advisory counsellor for the area for more than 18 years. He also used to do part time driving to transport the farmers produce from Lomaivuna to Nausori and Suva markets. He is also a social worker and a trustee of the Lomaivuna High School. Over the years he had been encouraging students to get a proper education.

Mr Lal believes in cash crop farming and he grows cassava, dalo, ginger, pineapple and vegetables. On his farm, half acre of land is cultivated with ginger, one and half with pineapples and three acres are covered with cassava plantation. “There is a big potential for growing cassava in Lomaivuna and with the availability of the market it is a good opportunity for people to pursue as a good source of income,” he added. “I have grown two varieties of cassava, the pink cassava and the Nadelei variety which fetches good demand both locally and overseas,” said Mr Lal. Mr Lal added that they have formed farmers youth group under which group members share their farming experience and knowledge.

He has grown cassava in different stages of production and extreme care is taken at every stage of growth.

While he prefers to do farm alone, sometimes he hires labourers when there is a lot of work at the farm.

“One thing good about growing cassava is that it is a year round crop and cassava can withstand dry as well as rainy weather conditions,” said Mr Lal. Lal added that he has been in this business for a very long time and his experience says that land preparation is the kingpin in getting good produce out of the farm. Mr Lal said that farms are mostly on the hills so he is bullocks rather than machines for land preparation.

“I normally hire labourers to prepare mounds mixed with poultry manure at good spacing. Poultry manure is applied to nourish the soil,” he added. “As soon as the land is prepared planting materials are sown, plant care starts at that very stage.”

When the plants are a month old, Paraquat is sprayed to control the weeds. He went on to say that at the seventh month N.P.K is applied and almost a year later, the plants are ready for the market. In between the growing stage, he ensures that the farm sanitation is maintained to ensure that the crop is pest, disease and weed free. The plants are helped on their growth by the perfect climatic conditions in Lomaivuna.

Mr Lal hires labourers to harvest the crop and as soon as the first crops are harvested another set is planted to ensure a continuous supply. He makes his own planting materials and sometimes gives the surplus to neighbours. “We are very fortunate that we don’t have to look for market as the demand and price for cassava is quite good. I sell my crops to Balthan exports and sometimes the surplus goes to the Nausori and Suva market,” he said. “Farm gate price for cassava keeps on fluctuating and currently the price is $0.40 per kilogram but some times it goes to as high as $0.80 per kilogram as well”. Mr Lal said normally a bag of cassava is sold to the middlemen in the markets at $20 per 50kg bag. He added that while the rising price of agro inputs is a common issue, it is incumbent on the farmers to make the necessary adjustments to cope with the price fluctuations.

Apart from cassava farming his pineapples are also ready to be supplied to the market especially at this time with the approaching festive season when the demand is usually high. Mr Lal said it is good that a lot of infrastructural development is currently happening in Lomaivuna and very soon people will be blessed with the electricity service.

Agriculture Extension officers frequently visit the farmers and assist them under the Departments capital programmes.

Mr Lal has also been assisted under the Rural and Outer Island project of the Ministry with agro inputs in a bid to increase his farm production. He is also frequently liaising with the Agriculture office for technical and advisory services and he advised others to work in collaboration with the Department. Mr Lal encouraged the farmers to work hard, sacrifice time, be loyal and determined to go to the top by always raising their level of farming.

Monika Mala - Ministry of Primary Industries

Singing that song about Vorovoro

from w
We have two lovely young visitors this evening - Labasa brother and sister from the Caniogo family, so there are two guitars, plenty of yaqona flowing, and curry and rice cooked. Bula si'a Junior and Lucy. They were on to phone to Mum in Suva while I took the photos.