Why is KFC closing down in Fiji?

from w
Radio Fiji reports that the KFC outlets are closing down in Fiji so I wonder why. Perhaps the clients can no long afford the high costs of purchasing a fast food meal - such as Kentucky Fried Chicken - for a family of eight or more! Our grandchildren really like fried chicken so one of the lads decided to make up his own recipe - with a bit of help from the internet - and he certainly had trouble making breadcrumbs. Then he decided to make a marinade with flour and soy sauce and - okay- the chicken turned out tasty. Chickens are not expensive where we live because we can buy wholesale from a nearby factory - though we don't ask questions about how the chickens were raised, in cages or roaming free. Better not to ask.

KFC outlets in Fiji face closure
Monday, August 01, 2011

Taken from / By: Google

Prominent fast food outlet KFC is on the verge of closing down operations in Fiji. Sources have confirmed to FBC News that the global fast food giant Fiji franchise is taking steps to close down its three outlets in the country. Two outlets in Suva and Nadi are already displaying signs that they are re-locating, however we have been informed KFC may soon cease to operate. A statement from the KFC head office in Hawaii is expected soon.

Report by : Edwin Nand
-----
and from Fiji Sun on Tuesday:
KFC CLOSES FIJI OUTLETS

writer : RACHNA LAL

8/2/2011
All Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) lovers will be in for a surprise as all their outlets in Fiji may remain closed until further notice.

This was after Kazi Foods Corporation Fiji announced the suspension of all their business operations in Fiji with immediate effect.

KFC general manager Steve Johnson, in a letter dated July 29 to all KFC-Fiji suppliers, informed them of this closure. While he attributed the decision to suspend the Fiji operations to rising costs and deteriorating sales, Mr Johnson said the ban placed by Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) some months ago on importation of key ingredients also impacted their business. “The decision by BAF to ban importation of a key ingredient used in the making of the Colonel’s Original Recipe Chicken, delivered a fatal blow to our business,” he said. “The milk and egg is used widely in 170 countries worldwide without any conditions and health risks to consumers and we have been regularly importing it since KFC opened its doors for business almost 10 years ago,” Mr Johnson said.

He revealed that BAF imposed 15 prerequisites some months back before any new import approval could be granted. “The company fulfilled 14. The manufacturer and our Singapore supplier is at a loss to understand the motive and real purpose of import restriction.” Mr Johnson said the company would dispose their assets in the event KFC failed to resume operations. “We will revert to all our suppliers, small and large, as to how we propose to pay off the debt that may be owed.”

KFC opened its first restaurant in April 2002 in Suva slowly expanding to KFC Centre Point at Laucala Beach outside Suva and KFC Namaka in Nadi.

KFC also opened its first Pizza Hut Restaurant to compliment KFC in July 2007 at Centre Point location followed by Suva and Namaka locations.

According to the KFC-Fiji website, every day more than 12 million customers are served at KFC restaurant in 109 countries and territories around the world.
KFC operates more than 5200 restaurants in the United States and more than 15,000 units around the world.

Pizza Hut, on the other hand, serves nearly two million pizzas a day in its 12,000 plus locations. It has an estimated four million customers worldwide. Questions sent to BAF remained unanswered when this story when for press. Meanwhile, a statement from KFC’s head office in Hawaii is expected to be released tomorrow.
--
and from Fiji FBC:
Fiji Bio-security accuses KFC of false claims
Tuesday, August 02, 2011

The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) has clairified that they are not responsible for the closure of KFC outlets in Fiji and says the global fast food chain has employed mischievious public relations tactics to divert blame.

The Authority says they have not put any ban on the importation of KFC's key ingredients as claimed by the company.

Chief executive Elvis Silvestrini says KFC's consignment of milk and egg mix is temporarily held up because Veterinary Certification is required from KFC assuring that the products are free of diseases - and safe to bring into Fiji.

Silverstrini says this is consistent with international obligations and the conditions for all imports into the country.

He says they have held-up 2 cartons of KFC’s ingredients because they did not provide a Veterinary Certificate with its last consignment.

Silverstrini adds KFC's move to blame BAF is a tactic to divert attention from the fact that KFC's closure is due to rising costs and deteriorating sales - as they themselves have admitted.

Silvestrini says KFC had been given a number of options by the Authority to clear their consignment, and were informed at every stage of the process abou the import requirements.
Report by : Ritika Pratap

We mourn with the people of Oslo

from w
An article in Eureka Street reflects upon the terrible situation when madness causes death, linking the Norway massacre with one in Melbourne several years ago. Bronwyn Lay is a writer of sensitivity. I am proud to be her aunt.

REFLECTION
Silence for Norway's dead
Bronwyn Lay July 27, 2011

While Norwegians mourn I am reminded of 25 years ago when I lived on Hoddle Street in Melbourne. On a quiet Sunday night Julian Knight committed Australia's first urban massacre on the street outside my home. That night, except for the helicopter light pouring through our windows, the quietude of death pervaded. We woke to a television screeching horrific noise and a disorientated nation.

Making my way to school I stepped away from the hysterical television and into the aftermath of war. Outside, the normally roaring Hoddle Street was covered in an eerie hush and with debris, dried blood and the drawn faces of police, media and emergency services personnel.

Sobriety fell from the grey sky to permeate everything. There was no running commentary, no flashing images, and no shiny newsreaders barking speculation. At the mourning site anxiety stood still. Nothing felt safe or familiar and I was completely silent inside.

At Clifton Hill Station the commuters were stone. Unlike other mornings where a hum rose from the crowd, everyone was frozen and silently faced the desecrated street before us.

I stood with this spontaneous memorial to strangers who, hours before, had left us. It was as if we stood at a cemetery, at the lip of the abyss, where our trust in others lay obliterated. Made mute, we stood together and met the silence of the dead. This act of solidarity between strangers resisted the blind individualism of Knight, who violently denied humanity to the strangers on the street.
i

It is powerful to watch the Norwegian people meet the silence of their dead at mass gatherings and marches. They poured from houses to remember together in silence, to reclaim public space and transform the streets into arteries of quiet solidarity. The Norwegian people are teaching us how collectively to mourn and reclaim social trust after it has been decimated.

Hysteria and noise still arise but, mainly, not from the directly affected. Many survivors from the island shooting have made a pact not to speak to the media about what they witnessed, not yet anyway. They don't want to contribute to the clamour that can cloud profound mourning.

Does it add anything to probe the wound while it's fresh? To report, to give an account, risks transforming trauma into spectacle, and disrespects the instinct of the wounded to recoil. There will be a time for public speech.

In the battle to understand what kind of mind perpetuates such evil, mute victims and the truth can get smothered. Australia was unprepared for Hoddle Street. The police, the media, everyone, struggled to comprehend the event. It's tempting and natural to fill incomprehension with blind noise. Collectively and individually the experience of incommensurable loss, the murder of the status quo, can fill us with existential anxiety. Impulsive words rush to fill the void.

In the first hours of the Norway attacks there was screeching about Al Qaeda and radical Islamic clerics. Perhaps in that moment silence was required, for the truth revealed it was someone from within who held the gun to his own people.

The murderer wishes to speak. He wishes to make noise. He wishes to explain himself in court. Like Knight he did not commit suicide and retreat into the final silence he forced upon others. He desires to claim this event for himself and to maintain narrative control.

Criminal law shouldn't exist for this purpose. It shouldn't be a podium for the perpetuation of harm. Once Knight and this man chose to breach our, often silent, ethical pact to respect each other's basic humanity, they lost the moral right to control collective narrative.

This event also belongs to the dead, the survivors and the society that tries to restore the sudden social void. The narrative belongs to the collective and must be wrested away from destructive individualism. Legal processes focus on the individual and shouldn't be hindered, but wisely the Norwegian courts have banned televising court proceedings and thus reduced the potential for the mourning process to be mutilated into a noisy circus. Procedure will be followed but diluting the polemical justifications of the accused respects the victims' humanity.

The scramble to isolate the trigger inside Knight's mind followed us for years. While important, this anxiety dominated at the expense of those affected — the victims. We were so busy being anxious about what kind of society we inherited we inadvertently forgot the fallen.

Watching a few survivors of Norway's massacre speak to the media, it seems boundaries have been lost. Trauma, the extreme slash between the inside and outside and into our bodies, makes speech difficult. Words arrive rushed, stunted, incoherent or slow and cold.

In time they might be able to reclaim their narratives but for now I wish them a deeper kind of silence which, when shared, will ensure they aren't forgotten.

Bronwyn Lay is an Australian writer living in France who has a background in law and political theory.

Cost of living in Fiji

from w
The high cost of living in Fiji makes is so hard for ordinary people to feed their families. Meanwhile people with status continue to eat cake and travel overseas extensively. Quoting from a blog site:
-----
Some food items and basic goods have gone up 55 per cent in the past six months according to a Fiji Labour Party survey.

Last week's survey compared current prices of everyday items with prices in January 2011 after VAT was increased to 15% under Budget 2011.

Garlic, onions and potatoes have come down but staples such as sugar, sharps, butter and cooking oil have gone up. The price of flour/sharps shot up by 30% from $10.99 to $14.26 for a 10kg bag. The price of cooking oil (Punja’s Soya Bean) rose 16% from $3.56 to $4.11 for a 750ml bottle.

The survey found that Rewa butter had gone up 21% putting at $7.34c for a 500g pack. Pre-devaluation 500g of was $3.29. The increase has been put at 123%.

The price for sugar has jumped almost 90% in six months from $2.39 (2kg bag) to $4.50. In recent years it was was selling for 95c a kg. Cooking gas is almost $50 ($49 a 12kg cylinder) - a 31% hike from its pre-devaluation price of $37.50.

FLP says the price of unleaded Super has jumped 60% since pre-devaluation – from $1.57 a litre to the current price of $2.50. Taken over a 6 month period from January 2011, the increase is 5.5%.

Diesel is up almost 80% from $1.33 per litre to $2.37 ltr, rising 15% since January.

Milo has jumped 55% from $6.99 (500g) to $10.79.

In the meat section, lamb/mutton cuts have increased in price by about 5% while Crest chicken has gone down slightly - 1.6% from $12.59 to $12.39 for a size 15. Canned fish and meat have increased by between 5-7% in price since January.

Prices for one or two items surveyed have remained static over the six month period such as Cold Power laundry detergent and Breakfast cracker biscuits.

Tomatoes continue to be expensive fluctuating between $10-12 a kg, despite being in season.

The FLP says its survey did not take into account market produce, prices for which have gone up 100% or more in the past six months since VAT went up to 15%. (original source FLP website)

Lapita pottery

from w
I was surprised when I read this piece in Fiji Village because I'd been told that lapita pottery had been found in the Labasa area several years ago so the title of the article is incorrect. One of the local legends is that the Kaunitoni sailed around the top of Vanua Levu and got stuck on Vorovoro Island and that's another piece in the jigsaw about early Fijian migrations.. Of course the archaological digs for lapita pottery links Fiji with other Pacific Islands and is about a particular migration from up to three thousand years ago. The tribewanted visitors have earlier written about finding lapita pottery on Vorovoro Island.

A Hawaii based website writes as follows (though I wonder about the accuracy of some of the statements.)
The Melanesian people made their way to Fiji from the islands of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the eastern Solomon Islands. These settlers were dark skinned with many of the physical characteristics of the Negro race.

The other settlers of the island of Fiji were taller, lighter skinned, and with straighter hair. They are often referred to as the Lapita people, named for an area in New Caledonia where large deposits of their distinctive form of pottery were found. Lapita pottery, marked by geometric designs formed by stamping the unfired clay with a tooth-like implement have been found from New Guinea eastward to Samoa.

The Lapita people were also skilled sailors and navigators who subsisted largely, but not entirely, by fishing along the coasts of the islands on which they lived. These people and their descendants form what is now known as the Polynesian race.

Scholars debate which race arrived in Fiji first, although evidence suggests that the Lapita people may have been the first to arrive - from Southeast Asia via New Guinea and New Caledonia, settling along the shorelines of the major islands of Fiji.

The Melanesian people arrived sometime later and were forced to settle further inland in the less hospitable areas of the islands.

Over the centuries the population of the Melanesian people increased and tensions arose between the two races. A large portion of the Lapita people were forced, or chose, to leave the islands of Fiji for places further east - Tonga, Samoa and eventually the other islands which today comprise the area known as Polynesia. The Melanesian people remained in Fiji and became the dominant race of the islands.

Interestingly, however, many aspects of the Lapita culture were adopted by the Melanesians, including their chiefly hierarchical structure.
-------------

Lapita pottery discovered for the first time in Vanua Levu
Publish date/time: 26/07/2011 [16:51]

For the first time ever, Lapita pottery has been discovered on Vanua Levu. The pottery dating back 1100BC has been found on Vorovoro Island near Labasa.

Fiji Museum Chief Archeologist, Sepeti Matararaba said they thought Bourewa in Nadroga was the first settlement in Fiji however with this new find at Vorovoro, it meant that the first people to come to Fiji not only settled in Baurewa but split up and also settled in Vorovoro.

Matararaba said at this point in time a professor from Simeon Fraser University and some students are doing surface collection of pottery in Vanua Levu.

Story by: William Waqavakatoga

the good old days

from w
I found some sketches from years gone by - by me in the days when I was sketching around Suva and nearby, but one of Lelean school was painted by one of my students at that school - maybe 1963. One of Veitalacagi, the teachers' house near the girls' dormitory in Davuilevu where I once stayed. One of the mosque in Toorak from the time I lived opposite in a room at the back of the house of my Indian friends. Sounds of the call to worship was intertwined with the tonic solfa choir practices at Jubilee. Two pictures I altered using photoshop, a program I am playing with at present and post some results mainly on the geelong visual diary blog. Better than doing housework I reckon.

Birthday with the grandkids

from w
Not very often we have our birthdays with our grandchildren so it was good yesterday to have a small party for the household of eight here in Newcomb, Geelong. The grandsons wanted to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken so that was added to the prawns etc. and my daughter-in-law made an excellent Lemon Meringue Pie. Of course kava was part of the evening as well. Peceli and I had spent the day in Melbourne, mainly to visit Matereti who is a patient in the spinal unit of the Austin Hospital - he's having a long journey of recovery. We given thanks to God for our health at this stage of our life and grieve for some young people such as Matt who have so many difficulties to overcome after an accident.

Birthday in Geelong

from w
Happy birthday watiqu sia. Seventy-five today. The grandsons got up before 7 a.m. though it was 10 degrees, and made pancakes with lemon and coffee for Peceli. The two photos - one taken for Diversitat's photos around Geelong, the other at a Rotary gig visiting Foundation 61 for disadvantaged men.

Fiji rural and urban children

from w
The topic of the rights of children to question adults has been raised when someone is telling the children of Macuata to exercise their human rights and sometimes not to be silent. The traditional role is for children to obey elders and not to argue back... though I'm sure that city kids in Suva may be different! Sometimes. Well, it's an old story - one of the earliest pieces of advice from thousands of years ago was that 'children don't obey their parents like they used to!'.

Here is how the Fiji Times wrote up the story;
Exercise your rights, Northern children told

Maneesha Karan
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

THE Fiji Human Rights Commission has encouraged students in the Northern Division to exercise their rights.

It has been noticed that students of the division do not exercise their rights compared to the counterparts in the Central Division, according to Fiji Human Rights Commission legal officer Sova Colavanua. She said children in the North were disciplined and hesitant to raise their views on issues. "There is a difference among the children of Labasa and Suva and that difference is the students of the north lack the practice of their rights," Ms Colavanua said.

"Children in the North are aware of human rights, what it is about and their impact but they aren't exercising it in real life. For example, a child (in Suva) will question a teacher if something is handed to him which he or she is uncomfortable with.

"Children here are much more disciplined and they would choose not to voice their concerns." She said there must be a change from the traditional way of not questioning elders. Ms Colavanua said children must exercise their rights with responsibility. "Students need to be disciplined and have respect for others and if they need to voice their concerns against a particular issue, then they must do it the right way, which is respectfully and responsibly," she said.

The Fiji Human Rights Commission will visit 11 schools in the North this week to create awareness and training on child rights, human rights and the responsibility of teachers, parents and students.

The team of four will visit Seaqaqa Central College today.

Murdock, media and morality

from w
This makes the Fiji Times and Fiji Sun look very innocuous, but whether it's editorial control by a billionaire or not knowing what the journos are doing, or control by censorship, the media should always be under scrutiny.

Murdock, morality and the media

It’s hard to avoid the mayhem created when the sleaze of much of today’s media is in the spotlight with accusations of phone-tapping, - as if that is a new thing. Of course editors must know/guess that the sleaze on media personalities, politicians, policemen, sports people becomes stories after speculation and intrusion into privacy such as phone tapping. Murdock has huge power over the media and at the top he is kind of responsible for content if not details. Not to know the details does not mean he isn’t partly responsible because the content is so often stupid and about human frailty. Why we bother to buy the papers (made from beautiful trees) or watch much of TV is beyond me. In Australia we do like to cut down tall poppies – that is the filthy rich and powerful and so Murdock is such a target.

Okay he and his son have apologized. If they are serious then I suggest they donate half of their billions to the poor of the world, the kind of people not in the spotlight but the suffering. Hmmm. I wonder if that could happen!

One journalist writes as follows about the circus in Britain at the moment.

A morality play: When Rupert Murdoch entered Parliament
Posted on July 19, 2011 by Gavin Chait under free speech, journalism, justice, law, media, news, newspapers, politics, UK, World [ Comments: 5 ]

Any morality play has its set-piece characters. The villain, the outraged public, the crusading representatives of order.
Democracy in the UK is very tactile. Parliament is the voice and instrument of the people. Anyone, no matter how powerful, can be summoned to answer questions before the people. These performances can destroy careers and reputations but are an adjunct to the more dull and complex process of police investigations, judicial review and eventual judgement. They permit the public to see their anger expressed.
Rupert Murdoch’s role before his questioning was clear: he is the villain of this set-piece. He was there to be a subject of the collective outrage of British society and to hold himself to account.
Yet you don’t get to be an 80-year-old media tycoon without understanding that a story is made in the telling.
From around 15h30 UK summer time, Rupert and James Murdoch appeared before the Commons media committee.
The questions betrayed a fantastic gulf in understanding of how a modern corporation is run. A gulf best summed up by Lord Alan Sugar, the business mogul who runs the UK version of The Apprentice: “Bloody stupid questions to Rupert about micro detail when N.O.W represents 1% of his empire. Waste of time trying humiliate the old man.”
Politicians were well-aware that they could ruin their performance by appearing to be running a malicious vendetta and so, on the whole, they confined themselves only to the occasional petty aside. But they also expressed exasperation in weird places:
“It is revealing in itself what he does not know and what executives chose not to tell him,” said Tom Watson, a Conservative Party MP. Yet this reveals a limited knowledge about running a company.
I sit only a few dozen metres away from the CEO of one of the world’s largest corporations. He never hired me personally, has no idea I exist and while some of my work may appear before him, that is of no consequence. I work several levels away from people he hired and delegated responsibility to.
Now imagine how remote News of the World must be in a massive media empire that spans everything from sports on cable, to book publishing, to newspapers, and across multiple countries and time-zones. CEOs delegate and managers are entrusted to manage. Large diversified companies collapse if they’re micro-managed.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a failure of corporate governance but, if there was a failure, it is hardly surprising that senior executives may not have been aware of it until it had escalated beyond simple remedy.
All Murdoch had to do was be reasonable, apologise profusely and be consistent. He was reviled going into the interview; it couldn’t really get worse, and maybe people would just see an old man trying to cope with a difficult situation.
I found him impressive, measured and interesting. However, except for one occasion, everything he said came across as very carefully thought out in terms of context and consequence.
The committee also spent time trying to allege that Murdoch directly interferes in the direction of news at his papers. Piers Morgan, who used to edit News of the World writes: “Rupert called me every week for 18ms on News of the World – rarely asked about anything but what stories we had that week.”
Conservative MP Damian Collins asked if it is right that people in public life can expect total privacy. Rupert Murdoch’s reply: “Nope.”
Collins followed up: “In the Watergate investigation, looking at that, to what extent do you think that the use of confidential private information and phone records and phone hacking is permissible in the extent of a news story?”
“Phone hacking is something quite different, but investigative journalism, particularly competitive, does lead to a more transparent and open society, inconvenient though that may be too many people, and we are a better society because of it.”
The truth is coming out. No matter how inconvenient for Rupert Murdoch, and he appears to appreciate the irony of his situation.
So, who “won”? I think the Murdochs, and Rebekah Brooks in her later interview, acquitted themselves rather well.
The MPs would often make rather flippant – almost editorialising – questions. The Murdochs and Brooks would immediately start to answer, earnestly and seriously. Realising their mistake, the MPs would interrupt and clarify their question, taking the often spurious allegations out of them.
The experienced journalists wouldn’t let the original question go, choosing to answer before moving on to the redacted question. If people were hoping to see the Murdochs bruised and scared, they got no such reward.
If you were hoping for a fulsome day of entertainment, we got that. We even got to see Murdoch’s wife floor an attacker who tried to launch a foam pie at Rupert. “Mr Murdoch, your wife has a very good left hook,” said Tom Watson.

Shipping to Malau

from w
It's good to read in one of the Fiji papers that there is now a link between Lautoka and Labasa which should facilitate sending containers and passengers between the two places.

Suilven trial run at Malau a success
Maika Rabeleilekutu
Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Suilven anchored at the Malau jetty yesterday morning. Picture: SERAFINA SILAITOGA
THERE was an air of excitement as the community in the Friendly North took time out yesterday to witness the achievement and historic event of Bligh Water's Labasa-Lautoka direct voyage. People crowded the Malau seawall to get a glimpse of the Suilven that comfortably anchored at the Fiji Forest Industries jetty.

The much-anticipated trip has stirred a lot of excitement and pride for the Labasa Chamber of Commerce that had pushed for such development. Chamber president Ashok Karan praised the shipping company for its efforts in helping them achieve a dream. "The business people have to travel hours to Savusavu and Nabouwalu to send our products across to Viti Levu but now, we will just drive 10 to 15 minutes to our nearest jetty," Mr Karan said. "It's convenient and easy for the business community as it saves us a lot of time. It will also give travellers a rest as they don't have to wake up early hours of the morning to travel to Nabouwalu."

Bligh Water chief executive Mervin Lepper said the trip was made possible after Tropik Wood allowed them to use the jetty. "This is a great day for us and today's first trip was a trial run and has been a success," he said. "We have brought in fertiliser and will take back timber from FFI. The passengers will also be part of this achievement and we should be loading passengers in the next two weeks."

Students and teachers also look forward to the travelling to Nadi from Malau. For students, groups would not have to travel to Nabouwalu or Savusavu, but get on the ship from Malau when they travel to Nadi for the Kaji rugby and netball tournaments later this year.

Rotary Club of Labasa

from w
The Labasa Rotary Club changeover:
from Fiji Sun
North Rotarians welcome leader

writer : SHRATIKA NAIDU

7/18/2011
The leadership of the Rotary Club’s Labasa branch changed hands over the weekend.

This is after the outgoing president handed over the leadership band to his successor.

2010 Labasa Rotary Club president Jagat Prasad wished his successor Avinesh Karan all the best when he handed over the band in Labasa on Saturday night.

Mr Prasad said Rotary was formed on February 23, 1905 by Paul Harris, an attorney who wished to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth.

“The Rotary name was derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members’ offices,” Mr Prasad said.

He said as Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving club members’ professional and social interests.

“Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need,” Mr Prasad said.

He said the organisation’s dedication to this ideal was best expressed in its motto ‘Service Above Self’.

“During my one year of leadership I led five special projects in Labasa which was only made possible through the numerous support I received,” Mr Prasad said.

This was such as the donation of medical equipment worth $1 million to Labasa Hospital, renovation of the Rotary squash court, 20 computers and one generator for Solove Primary School in Seaqaqa, two water tanks to Waiqele Secondary School and organising free interplast surgeries for Northerners.

Incoming president Mr Karan said he had been a Rotarian for three years and to uphold such a position was an honour for him.

Mr Karan, the managing director of Local Woods and Hardware Limited had been providing service to the people of Labasa for 12 years.

“Rotary is all about service to mankind and keeping this in mind I had already planned some needed projects for Labasa,” Mr Karan said.

The father of two would be leading the ten-member club.

The world’s first service club, the Rotary International today has 1.2 million Rotarians belonging to over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

Fiji Methodist Conference

from w
So when is the Methodist Conference? And is it still for one day only - perhaps one minute past midnight to one minute to midnight? Control of possible (or past) dissent seems to be the motive for the ban on having a two week conference with time to meet friends, make resolutions, pray, install leaders, and welcome new ministers as well as enjoy the bazaar and choir competition. It is most unfair when other religious bodies can have parades, fund-raising, gatherings and conferences.

Haven't heard anything new since April so what's up?
From NZ media:
Posted at 23:29 on 26 April, 2011 UTC

The deputy general secretary of Fiji’s Methodist Church says the interim government’s allowing its annual conference to proceed this year - but only for one day. Reverend Tevita Banivanua says for the past two years the the regime has prohibited the gathering under the Public Emergency Regulations imposed in April 2009. He says while the church is grateful for permission to meet this August, it usually takes up to a week and a half to get through conference business. “This is tabled for the 55 divisions and each of them has to give an account from their perspective and to cut it down to one, to one-day meeting, is just not possible.”

Reverend Tevita Banivanua says the Public Emergency Regulations are the only remaining obstacle to the church being able to operate freely.

Fiji’s Attorney General says they won’t be lifted until local considerations have been addressed.

News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand

How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm

from w
It's a hard life for some farmers in Dreketi, trying to make a living from growing rice. Fiji really ought to be able to fulfill all the rice needs for the people but if the price is so little, why try hard? So it is rather disturbing to see the waste of money in court cases in Suva, the gallivanting around the globe by leaders when the backbone of Fiji - the rural people, have difficulty putting food on the table for their children!

from today's Fiji Times
Rice pay setback

Maneesha Karan
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

RICE farmers in Dreketi in Macuata have raised concerns on the poor payment by the Rewa Rice Limited for the rice they have supplied.

Farmer Chandrika Prasad of Malawai in Dreketi told this newspaper he was paid only one tenth of the total supply yesterday.

He supplied 1387 tonnes of paddies at $750 per tonne last week.

The total amount he looked forward to receive was $1040.25 but returned disheartened holding a cheque of $100 only.

Mr Prasad said he was told by staff at Rewa Rice Limited in Labasa that he would receive a monthly payment of $100.

He said the payment was insufficient to meet his family and farming needs. "Rice farming is our only source of income.

There are many other farmers who have not been paid and they are struggling to make ends meet. Rewa Rice Limited is buying paddies but isn't paying us," he said. Mr Prasad said they had their children to send to school to, buy food, pay water bill and pay the bank loan.

He said it was hard for families to survive with a monthly payment of $100.

Mr Prasad borrowed $8000 from the Fiji Development Bank for the purchase of a farm machine and is yet to pay about $2000.

He said poor payment for supply was being experienced by farmers in Muanidevo, Malawai and Nabulu.

Mr Prasad said it was expensive for farmers to travel to Labasa to collect the monthly payments because bus fare from Dreketi to Labasa was $6.

He supplies about 2.8 tonnes of paddies annually from his five and a half acre farm. While attempts to obtain comments from Rewa Rice Limited Board chairman Colonel Inia Seruiratu proved futile, a response is expected from Public Enterprise permanent secretary Elizabeth Powell.

Our relatives on Mali Island

from w
In a workshop on 'climate change' some of our relatives from Mali Island off the coast near Labasa have complained about their difficulties in obtaining food sources these days - less fish, more pollution and so on. I really don't think this has much to do with 'climate change' though. Pollution and rubbish on the shores is a human problem and we all know how the Labasa Sugar Mill pollutes the river systems there! And people throw rubbish and plastic into the rivers too. Mining a sand bar also isn't a good look. Also the fish resources are perhaps less for other reasons, one being that off-shore foreign fishing companies probably sneak into the reefs to get their bait and take away the locals food resources. Other islanders such as in Lau also report less fish for the villagers so it is an important topic for discussion in Fiji.

From the Fiji Sun today:
Mali islanders face ‘devastating reality’

writer : CAROLINE RATUCADRA
7/8/2011
Villagers of a northern island are witnessing visible signs of climate change which is directly affecting their food source and livelihood. Islanders of Mali, an island off Labasa Town described the climate change effects as “a devastating reality.”

With so much concern over the impact of climate change on the island, three representatives from the district of Mali were part of a three-day workshop by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Pacific on climate change in Labasa this week.

Tikina Mali representative, Savenaca Koliniwai said the islanders depended on the sea for their source of livelihood and food.

Mr Koliniwai said there was a noticeable drop in the fish population in their fishing grounds, a significant signs of dead corals and mangroves, and the coastal shores were heavily polluted with plastics and milling timber waste. The Mali district had three villages on the island, Nakawaga. Ligaulevu, Vesi and the fourth on the mainland, Matailabasa. Mr Koliniwai said not only has climate change affected the islands flora and fauna, it was also the result of poor land use practised in the past.

He said many islanders had in the past practiced slash and burn farming and uncontrolled burning which had resulted in the survival of very little of the original native forest.

While all villages were located near the coast on flat tracts of land with easy access to the sea, Mr Koliniwai said life was now a struggle for most islanders.

“At this WWF workshop on climate change, Mali is well represented by the district women and youth representatives because we’re keen to learn strategic ways of combating the effects of climate change.”

“We mean business now in taking back what we learn to our villages and tell the people that it is time to change now and to think about our future.”

“We’re starting to suffer from the result of climate change with great contributions by mankind like us. The sea’s food-chain has been destroyed which is affecting us and our children now,” Mr Koliniwai said. He said it was time for the people to take ownership of projects that would help them protect the environment and ecosystem which they heavily depended on.

Tikina Mali women’s representative, Pola Vakayadra said their women were eager to work together in bracing themselves over the effects of climate change. “I’m so happy to be part of this workshop because I now fully understand the issue of climate change, its effect and what we can do to deal with and overcome it. I’m eager to go back and relate what I have learned to the women on the island,” Ms Vakayadra said.

Fiji kids and reading

from w
In some Fiji villages and farm settlements there is a real scarcity of reading material and even in many schools in Fiji. Despite the numerous donations from overseas by groups such as Rotary, there still is a need for more books and apparently small libraries in villages. In Vuo village near Malau Port out of Labasa, the poor reading skills of the children was noticed and something was done about it with the establishment of a small library, table and chairs. Not that children need chairs - I have noticed that children can still read lying flat on the floor! The main point is of course appropriate reading material.

Here in Geelong we sort books every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to pack into containers for Fiji (though a glitch in Fiji customs has stopped that at present by demanding high duty rates even on secondhand goods), Papua New Guinea, etc. But I wonder if some of the books such as sets of encyclopaedias with small print are really helpful for primary school students. Sometimes we pack really beautiful books, but at other times, the books are a bit old. Anyway, good on you Vuo for the initiative at the local level.

Of course the eco-tourism visitors to Vorovoro over three years have given many books to the school on nearby Mali Island. Way to go.

Village library lifts literacy
from Fiji Sun
writer : SHRATIKA NAIDU
6/29/2011
Children of Vuo Village in Labasa received a boost to their literacy with the establishment of a village library. The need for a library was highlighted by the Vuo Bhartiya Primary School headteacher Bal Sanju Reddy. The library was part of the school’s community outreach programme and was set up with the assistance of the Ministry of Information’s Department of Library Services.

Children of Vuo village in Labasa now have a table to study on and access to educational information after the successful establishment of a library yesterday. The need for a library set-up was raised by the school management and Vuo village community with the Ministry of Information’s Department of Library Services. “There are about 32 preschool students and primary school students in Vuo Village that attend my school,’’ Mr Reddy said.

He said these students in the past usually gathered every afternoon from school under a bure in the village to do their assignment. “Students used to sit on the floor to study in an overcrowded room since there was no study table and chairs,” Mr Reddy said. He said thanks to the Department of Library Services not only do the children have a table to place their books for study but now they have a library to access needed information.

“Now the children don’t have to pay extra money to travel to Labasa Town to gather information from the libraries to compile their projects instead they can visit their doorstep library,” Mr Reddy said. Mr Reddy said this library would not only serve the Vuo village students but also the other nearby school students.

Department of Library Services project officer Vasenai Bai said in the library one can find fiction books, non-fiction books, reference collection and Pacific collection. “In the library we had placed a big table that can cater 12 students and an issue desk,” Miss Bai said.

She said also she had placed a blackboard, compiled Fiji Focus special lift outs from the Fiji Sun newspaper and put up numerical charts on the walls.
------------
There are some lovely photos of the people of Vuo village on flickr so a google search of 'Fiji Day Vuo Village' will find the photos taken (probably) by one of the tribewanted visitors to Vorovoro Island. I wasn't allowed to download them!

Islander kids and rugby in Oz

from w
There's talk about weight or age for junior rugby players in Sydney and it's so noticeable that boys and girls who are about twelve years old are not all the same height and weight. Particularly Islander kids, so Westmead Hospital in Sydney is doing a study on age and weight for the Under 12s. This seems a great idea as we've noticed that some players are as big as the Dads of other kids!

Little league sizes up the issue

EXCLUSIVE by Paul Kent
From: The Daily Telegraph
June 25, 2011 12:00AM

UNDER-12s rugby league players will have their height and weight measured from today as officials consider ending age-based divisions because of startling differences in the size of kids.

With parents increasingly worried about their children getting hurt, details are being compiled as part of a major study between the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the NSW Rugby League.

Anecdotal evidence suggests hundreds - perhaps even thousands - of junior footballers are turning away from the code because they consider themselves too small against the increasing number of Polynesians playing the sport.

Between January 2010 and April this year, 66 youngsters were admitted to the Children's Hospital with head injuries or concussions from playing AFL, rugby union and rugby league.

After years of debate, NSW Rugby League coaching and development manager Martin Meredith believes real decisions have to be made. (They will be ) weighing and measuring every player in the under-12s Penrith junior league. The results will be used to determine if the junior competition moves to weight-based divisions.

"We've got a significant Islander population in some of our more popular areas, " NSW Rugby League chief executive Geoff Carr said.

"And there has been a lot of work done in trying to sort out the weight issue."

Mr Meredith said a scientific approach was essential.

"Rather than go on hunch and opinion, we're getting actual data," he said.

"The hospital is going to help us ... they're going to compare players' weights and heights against the national norms and get a position on do we have a problem in regard to height and weight, big kids and little kids. If the data shows that we have got a problem we'll sit down with the hospital. We have to work out what the right age and what the right weight are."

While a switch from age-based divisions to weight-based appears to be the most agreeable solution, it could lead to new problems.

For instance how does a 12-year-old Polynesian boy, weighing 70kg, fare against a 16-year-old Caucasian boy who also weighs 70kg?

what's happening on Vorovoro Island nowadays?

from w
I was wondering whether Tribewanted are still on Vorovoro Island near Mali these days because it became quiet some time ago. This is the response I found when I looked up their website. Sounds like it is very very quiet.

Update on Vorovoro - June
Community → Tribewanted News → Ben Keene's blog


Ben Keene By mr.ben, nomadic, Posted about 5 hours ago

Heading back to Fiji for the first time in almost a year it felt like going home. The warm welcome first by Tui Mali and his family and then Poasa & Francis on Vorovoro was as generous as ever.

We discussed at length (around the tanoa – where else) the re-opening of Vorovoro and the different partnership options. What is clear is that the Mataqali (the landowners – Tui Mali and his three brothers and families) are determined to re-open the island for tourism but are also not in a rush to do so. They are keen to get the structure of any new partnership absolutely right and are going through a long process of consultation with different government bodies.

After paying our outstanding debts I explained how a new partnership model with Tribewanted might work with us providing a guaranteed minimum monthly income for the land and jobs but the business being majority owned by the Mataqali. We spent several hours on Tui Mali’s veranda going through ‘banana cake’ pie charts with torchlight. We have learned a lot together over the last few years!

The NLTB have endorsed the offer we made and it was well received by the landowners. Tui Mali is aware that lots of people still want to visit Vorovoro and at the moment they can’t – which is frustrating to all. He is currently waiting for the FTIB (Fiji Trade & Investment Board) to visit the island and at his request re-value the land. I’m not sure this is going to make any difference to the future of Vorovoro but I understand why the landowners want to do it.

I am in contact with Ulai, Tui Mali and the NLTB on a regular basis and as soon as there is any progress in Fiji I will let you all know. The good news is that Maddy & Savenaca will be getting married on Vorovoro with their families in July. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing them a great day and a happy long-life together.

Whilst Sierra Leone is in rainy season (project is closed for July & August) I am working with righttodream.com in Ghana – amazing education and sport project. Check it out.

Please send me questions you might have about Vorovoro at anytime

Moce mada

Ben

ben@tribewanted.com

The Davui Trumpet Shell

from w
The other evening while we were drinking kava and yarning, I noticed two very large Fiji trumpet shells which we call davui. So we asked where our friends had got them during their recent trip to Fiji. The reply was that a cousin had been on the reef, had brought them in, cooked the animal inside and then given the shells to them. I thought these were very precious kind of shells so wondered about the customs but it was explained that they were not 'bought' but were caught by a relative. On the internet such shells are for sale for about $3000. They are actually very important in the ecology of the reef these days as the davui creature eats the crown of thorns starfish that does so much damage to the reef.

Fiji, clouds and Ethical Tourism

from w
We do live in isolation these days. A cloud of ash moves around the southern hemisphere disrupting the lives of people thousands of miles away from Chile. People are camping at airports waiting for flights and others are anxious about whether it is safe to even fly.

AIR PACific FLIGHTS ON
writer : LOSALINI RASOQOSOQO
6/22/2011
International carrier Air Pacific is monitoring the volcanic ash cloud over Australian airspace which has led to numerous flights by other major airlines being cancelled. But it says it will continue operations as normal until such time that it becomes unfeasible. “Today’s (Tuesday) Air Pacific service to Sydney operated normally and tonight’s (last night) Melbourne flight has also departed,” Air Pacific spokesman Samisoni Pareti said.

“As for Sydney tomorrow (today), we are scheduling for normal operations, although our Flight Operation team is monitoring the volcanic ash cloud over east Australia. If there’s going to be any change in any of our flights to Australia, we will inform customers accordingly.”

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the volcanic ash cloud continued to disrupt flights, with Qantas cancelling yesterday’s services in and out of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Qantas said all other domestic flights would operate normally, while international services arriving into Sydney and Melbourne, including from New Zealand, would be delayed until tomorrow.

For Sydney, all domestic Qantas and Jetstar flights to and from the city from 3pm yesterday were suspended. All Virgin flights from 4pm were also cancelled.
Qantas said it was reviewing its international flights to and from Sydney. Four flights departing Sydney and bound for London and Frankfurt via Bangkok and Singapore were rescheduled to leave earlier at 2.15pm. Flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney was diverted to Brisbane. All Jetstar flights arriving and departing Newcastle have also been cancelled from 3pm. Virgin’s Newcastle flights were suspended from 4pm. Tiger Airways has grounded its entire fleet in Australia. Passengers were urged to stay in touch with their airlines.

Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said: “We simply don’t have enough information and it will be safety before schedule. We don’t know the density [of the cloud]. ... The Qantas group will not be flying or around the particular cloud. Customers are advised not travel to the airport if their flight has been cancelled. A fare waiver is in place and full details can be accessed on qantas.com,” Qantas added in a statement.

Airservices Australia said “significant nationwide flow-on delays” were expected. It added that flights from Perth heading towards south-eastern Australia would be affected and advised passengers to contact their airlines directly.

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin said the cloud crossed the South Australian coast yesterday morning and then the southern NSW coast late yesterday. Earlier the plume was 2000 kilometres south-west of Western Australia but was moving rapidly at 80 to 100 knots. It was predicted to run into a strong low-pressure system in the Great Australian Bight, which would drag it northwards, the ash advisory centre’s director, Andrew Tupper, said.

Chile’s Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano began erupting on June 4, shooting a plume of ash into the air which made its way across the Atlantic and Indian oceans before reaching Australian and New Zealand airspace. The air cloud has travelled around Earth one-and-a-half times and is “particularly persistent in the atmosphere”, Airservices Australia said. Last week, almost 100,000 people and 700 flights were affected by the ash plume over six days of air chaos spanning from Perth to New Zealand. Mr Tupper said as the plume was a rare occurence, a third loop back to Australia was not likely.

Ash poses a significant threat to aircraft because once sucked into engines it can be converted into molten glass, as a result of the high temperatures, and potentially cause an engine to fail.
--------
The other item of interest is about the ethics of tourism as relating to Fiji. Should people go and have a lovely holiday at resorts and visit villages in Fiji at the time when the people are suffering very much from economic hardship and living under very very strict rules of a public emergency condition? My opinion is that Fiji does need mork for the resorts and visitors, but thouse who do visit Fiji need to keep in mind the situation and be sensitive and perhaps extra kind to the people they meed who work for very little in the resorts. Go, but keep your eyes open!

This article was published in Perth recently. An Australian Union Leader cautions potential tourists from visiting Fiji, or at least thinking about ethical tourism.
• Ged Kearney
• From: PerthNow
• June 13, 2011 1:28PM
With more than 333 islands Fiji is an amazing tropical island paradise.
WHEN it's this cold many of us think of escaping to a warm island paradise, but when it comes to Fiji the postcard images of warm water lapping pristine beaches mask an uglier picture.

Many travellers have been able to ignore the fact that Fiji is under a military dictatorship, but when the government is using their absolute power to stifle free speech and attack the rights of the workers who are serving you, it’s time to ask some serious questions.

The problem is what do we do? Making calls on how we treat developing nations, especially our neighbours, is always tough. Tourism keeps the Fiji economy afloat and is vital to the living standards of all its people. Fiji is far from being North Korea with palm trees – there is still some civil society and freedom left.

But the military regime that has been in power since 2006 is steadily eroding basic freedoms and crushing any democratic opposition, in particular journalists and unions.

The regime pays lip service to democracy with a vague promise that elections will be held in 2014. There is no reason why elections could not be held earlier than 2014, even this year, and I have no faith that the regime intends to deliver on its vague promise.

Military strongman Commodore Frank Bainimarama heads a government that has no democratic legitimacy. At a time where people across the globe are embracing democracy, most recently seen in the uprisings in the Arab world, it is tragic that a nation like Fiji is sinking into this type of dictatorship.

Fiji is not the worst dictatorship in the world, but it is in our neighbourhood and the one where Australia and Australians have the most influence.

Bainimarama may sound like an 80s all-girl band but he is guilty of human rights violations in the first degree. In May this year proposals surfaced for new laws which would effectively outlaw unions and neuter any effective representation of Fijian workers.

A report released last week by the International Trade Union Confederation has found that repression of unions in Fiji is worsening.

The regime had already adopted tactics to intimidate union leaders. Earlier this year the head of Fiji’s trade unions was detained twice and assaulted once by the military. Senior union members in Fiji have been harassed, arrested or threatened with the sack if they maintain involvement in their union. Other critics of the military regime have been detained and beaten.

The regime has implemented a set of Public Emergency Regulations that limit freedom of speech, expand police powers and curb media freedom. Interim administration personnel accompanied by police have been placed in all major news outlets, which may be shut down if they publish stories deemed ‘negative’.

Courts are increasingly biased and cowed by the military regime and many judges owe the positions to the military.

Military personnel have the power to use arms to break up gatherings and have detained individuals without charge.

Many Fijians with the ability to leave have chosen to emigrate, taking their skills and money with them.

The victims of all this are ordinary Fijians, 40 per cent of whom live on less than $1.25 a day - and for them the role of trade unions has never been more important.

Stopping unions from representing ordinary Fijians will only make their situation worse, while the wealth of the country goes to cronies of the regime.

The Australian Government has introduced high-level sanctions against members of the military regime in Fiji, stopping them from travelling to Australia. We have also suspended defence co-operation with Fiji.

And this is where it gets tough: should we call for a tourism boycott? While I know it would cause pain to the regime, further sanctions would also hurt ordinary Fijians who rely on tourism or sugar exports as their main source of income.

Instead I want Australia to renew diplomatic and political pressure on the Fijian Government and hold it up to the scrutiny of the world. In particular I want Australian companies that do business in Fiji to demand respect for human rights.

But we must keep the idea of a tourism boycott in our back pocket if all else fails.

And if you are still tempted to travel to a resort in Fiji this winter, talk to the locals working there, find out what they are going through – and know that although the smiles are real there is pain in this island paradise.
An Australia

Now wouldn't that be loverly

from w
The interference in the lives of people is amazing though this one would be quite an interesting ban, as if.... In Fiji many, many people smoke and it's not a good thing, but a total ban for the whole country would be amazing. Converting tobacco fields to vegetable farms - dream on!
from Fiji Village:

Suggestions made to ban smoking in Fiji
Publish date/time: 17/06/2011 [16:04]

Suggestions have been made that smoking should be completely banned in the country. The Fiji College of General Practitioners in their recent annual conference had made this suggestion that Fiji should be declared “smoke free”.

President Dr Ram Raju said this was well supported in the conference by various stakeholders as the high rates of heart attacks and deaths related to other cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and stroke is all related to smoking.

Dr Raju said therefore smoking has to be banned if the health sector is serious enough to reverse this trend.

He added that declaring Fiji Smoke Free will be a win-win situation as all rich and fertile land used for tobacco farming should be converted to planting vegetables and fruits.

Tobacco factories will also be converted to vegetable and fruit processing to create more jobs.

He further added that short term losses from tobacco taxes and revenue will soon be outweighed by long term benefits and a smoke free atmosphere will create a much healthy and polluted free atmosphere in which tourism will also be given a boost.


Story by: Sofaia Koroitanoa

Some minor news

from w
A fwo items from Labasa are in today's news but other news don't make it such as a special meeting in Queenbeayan in Australia with a line-up with an urgent message on Fiji politics. Not an unexpected lot except for the the one who took a trip on a sailin' ship and reached Nukualoafa where he made a stop! The blogs are overtime though of course with the stories and the speeches are predictable, even for one on a tourist visa.

Congratulations to students in Labasa.
Labasa Graduation
THREE hundred students of the National Employment Centre have secured jobs in the tourism industry since November last year.
A training program conducted by the Service Pro-Centre under the NEC has so far educated more than 1000 unemployed individuals in the hospitality and tourism sector.
Centre director Epi Gonewai said the graduates had obtained jobs in the laundry section, housekeeping, front office and food and beverage.
Addressing 102 students at the NEC graduation ceremony in Labasa yesterday, Mr Gonewai said the students' efforts and sacrifices had paid off. He said their participation in the eight weeks of training had reflected a positive image of the Northern Division.
"They have shown their interest in the economy and have chosen a career path that will boost economic growth," Mr Gonewai said.

Excellent news for Labasa to have a tourist ship in and visitors enjoying the mangroves and shopping.

Ship visits Labasa
From Fiji times
HISTORY has been created for Labasa after it was visited by Captain Cook Cruises' MV Reef Endeavour yesterday.
Popular Indian music nagada welcomed about 80 tourists from the cruise as they stepped out of buses to attend a cultural event organised by the Labasa Multicultural Centre at Civic Centre.
Cruise management director Sydney, Anthony Haworth said the Northern Division has been a wonderful site.
"This cultural cruise provides the opportunity to explore the north and get a feel of the various lifestyles," Mr Haworth said.
"This is the first time for such a cruise and the passengers are overwhelmed with the various cultural experiences and the generosity of people.
"The people are friendly and always smiling. We have experienced Polynesian and Micronesian cultures and now we are experiencing the beauty of Indian and Fijian cultures." Their next destination was the Dreketi River ù the deepest river in Fiji.
Tui Macuata Ratu Aisea Katonivere said the arrival of the visitors to the north was a positive response for the Look North Policy. He said the cruise management will plan a seven-day trip bimonthly.

And, no longer a holiday for Fiji's honoured gentleman, some schools still do remember.

Remembering Ratu Sukuna
From Fiji Sun

Students, parents and teachers of Saint Augustine Public School in Labasa gathered at the school on Friday to commemorate the life of the late Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vanayaliyali Sukuna.
Chief guest and Ministry of Education senior education officer for Bua and Macuata, Peni Saune said Ratu Sukuna was one of Fiji’s heroes who would be remembered, not only as the ‘Father of the Modern Day Fiji’, but for his contribution to education.
“His illustrious career, his achievements, his wisdom and foresight speak volumes of a great man whose influence on our people are immense,” Mr Saune said.
He told the students that Ratu Sukuna remains an exemplary role model because he was a man of discipline and persevered to achieve his goal.
“The legacy he left behind remains a challenge, not only for our students, but also for modern day leaders,” Mr Saune said.
“Ratu Sukuna’s education complemented his status. He was a descendant of Bau and Lau royalty and no other chief held a university degree during his time.”
Through his hard work, he said, the decorated chief earned the respect of his people.
“Many people remembered him for promoting the learning of traditional skills in handicraft, fishing and farming to prevent estranging us from our identity.”
“Tavelling from village to village, Ratu Sukuna listened to the common people and took their concerns back to the colonial authority.
“The adage ‘Man’s greatest gift is remembrance’ reminds us to remember our heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the betterment of our beloved Fiji.”
He thanked the school for commemorating the life of a scholar and statesman who had left many inspirational footprints in Fiji.
Ratu Sukuna was born in 1888 into a chiefly family on Bau. His father, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, was the son of the Bauan noble and rebel leader Ratu Mara Kapaiwai.
Ratu Sukuna did not live to see Fiji gain independence. He died en route to England on the ship Arcadia, on May 30, 1958.

Kava and lovo in Geelong

from w
Yesterday the lads cooked a lovo with chicken, lamb, pork, dalo etc. and we had a good party last night with about forty people cramming into our house. It was a meeting for the Fiji Geelong Friendship Club but also there were four people having birthdays - Jordan, George, Pangea and Andrew. Lots of kava drinking, loud conversation, kids playing on the X box in another room, and a good time. Two friends who now live in Queensland were down for the weekend so it was good to catch up with Ken and Selai. Some new friends too, Janita, Mark and Jo. Vina'a va'alevu.

Milk for babies - breast or bottle

from w
The Fiji Health Department apparently wants to insist that young mothers breast-feed their new babies, but sometimes this just ain't possible and they have to buy special formula and bottle feed. It seems a bit harsh that powdered products are being taken off the shelves of shops - so what do the young mums do meanwhile if they can't produce the goods! I can see that the idea is well-meaning in that breast-milk is best, but... I wouldn't say that infant formula milk is 'unhealthy'! It's better than tea anyway. Just who is making these decisions - men I suppose!

from Fiji Village.
Health ministry adamant that infant formula milk is unhealthy
Publish date/time: 03/06/2011 [17:09]
The Health Ministry stressed that it stands by its decision that babies using infant formula milk are unhealthy. Ministry spokesperson, Peni Namotu said this is the main reason why the ministry wants all pictures of healthy babies removed from the formula cans and to be replaced with new labels in big and bold letters clearly stating that breast milk is best.

This is under the Marketing Control for Food for Infants and Young Children Regulation 2010 which promoted breast feeding and adequate nutrition for children from birth to five years.

Businesses found not complying with the regulation will have to pay a maximum penalty of $50,000 or imprisonment for 10 years or both.

While many understand that breast milk is the best for babies, questions have been raised on whether the Ministry is taking into account the issue of the mothers who cannot produce enough milk for their babies.

Parents who have contacted Fijivillage say they are already affected as they have not been able to purchase any infant formula for the past few days after it was taken off the shelves due to the labeling issue.

Namotu said these are personal issues for the mothers but the government is trying its best to encourage breast feeding and healthy living.

Distributers of all infant milk formula and food products in the country will have to put the temporary labels on the formula cans before they are put back on the supermarket shelves.

The deadline was June 1st and the distributers have failed to comply with the new labeling which has led to the removal of the milk formula products from the shelves.

Story by: Vijay Narayan

Fiji women CAN sew

from w
When I read many of the articles on-line by Fiji journalists I am amazed and annoyed that there is an assumption of ignorance by rural men and women, that they need to be taught, or shown how. Here is one where it is assumed that the women in Labasa need to be taught how to use sewing machines. Well, Fiji women CAN sew. A class is fine with a few new tricks such as cutting and designing, but already many women make their own clothes and clothes for their children. A sewing group has another function - socializing and that's good of course and they can pick up tips from one another just as much as from a teacher. Most Fiji Women are smarter than I am in designing and making clothes for sure.

From the Fiji Sun today:

A group of 12 unemployed mothers are attending a sewing class in Labasa. This is to help them in their livelihood. Fiji Multi-Ethnic Cultural Centre Labasa branch had begun offering sewing classes every Wednesday for women. This started two weeks ago simultaneously with the start of school Term Two.

Fiji Multi-Ethnic Cultural Centre Labasa branch administrator Prabha Naicker said all her students were unemployed mothers from various parts of Vanua Levu. “We have organised a sewing class to help women acquire sewing skills and use them to set up their businesses,” Mrs Naicker said.

She said the centre aimed to help the women generate income for their family and be self-sufficient. “Most of the women have sewing machines at home, but do not know how to use it well to sew beautiful clothes,” Mrs Naicker said. She said a sewing machine was a useful tool that could be used to generate income. “In the olden days, women used to sew their families’ outfits instead of buying them.”

Malia Koloa of Labasa, a participant, was happy with the course. “We are not only taught how to use sewing machines to sew clothes but also how to do cutting and designing,” Mrs Koloa said.

A prolific letter writer

from w
From Lautoka an enthusiastic writer of often engaging and funny letters comes this one about bus travellers. Great ideas for a pleasant bus journey. I would add one more - don't show the movie 'Speed' on a journey from Nadi to Suva which was slightly strange as the travellers forgot the erratic driving skills of the bus driver and watched Keanna Reeves in action. Thank you Allen Lockington for your stories about everyday life in Fiji.

From the Fiji Times which is now on-line again after a rest.
Passenger behaviour

I often travel by bus and there have been times when I would have gotten off half way to my destination because of loud music played by the driver, school kids behaving like thugs, people talking to each other like there was no one else around them and bus drivers who talk on mobile phones or are having a running conversation with a passenger friend or bus checker.

I have also encountered men who were drunk and were swearing and harassing people, especially women. People get on a bus to travel from one place to another in comfort.

In the afternoons working people just want to get on the bus and go home without having to endure loud music and unruly children, many of them will have had a tough day at work.

I would like to suggest to the bus companies and the Land Transport Authority to also put up signs in the bus about passenger behaviour.

And to include that the driver can put a passenger off the bus if the passenger was annoying.

I was reading on the Internet about how to behave on the bus, here are some tips:

* Don't eat messy food on the bus. No smelly food as well ù tuna, eggs, etc.

* Move in when you are sitting in the aisle seat of a three-row seat.

* If you are not travelling for two or more hours, just do it. Also, you shouldn't have to be told to move for pregnant women and the elderly.

* No loud cell phone talking!

* Step out of the way of people leaving the bus. If you are at the door then step out and allow the people to enter. Likewise, they should be stepping aside at the bus stand or bus stop for you to get off.

* Don't sing. Don't hum. Don't whistle. Don't yodel.

* Deodorant is always a good idea and so is gargling some mouthwash.

* If you missed your grooming opportunity at home, your commute is not the time for nail clipping, hair spraying, or any form of gargling.

* Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. If you feel ill wait for the feeling to pass before boarding a bus filled with passengers with open-toed shoes.

* Schoolchildren should behave on the bus and not talk loudly or swear and call out to friends on the bus.

* And if you had a few beers after work, keep to yourself.

Allen Lockington
Lautoka
-------
PS In Australia there's a new law about swearing - it can incur a penalty of over $200.What is the world coming to! Big Brother is watching you, indeed.

Fiji Customs stalls donated goods in containers

students watching a container being unloaded in Vanua Levu. Now this one did get through!
from w
From February onwards containers sent to Fiji of donated goods have been stalled in Lautoka by Customs wanting duty to be paid on gifts for schools, hospitals, and communities. They were sent from Geelong Donation in Kind where Peceli and I and dozens of friends spent one or two mornings a week packing excellent goods. The list of goods given are always in response to a 'wish list' and not just ad hoc. I emailed the Fiji PM about it but received no reply.

Anyway another person has tried the same, disillusioned because their container of gifts are stuck at the wharf. Well, they went to the Fiji media who picked up the story so we'll wait and see what happens next.

It seems like the policy has changed and they don't want anymore second-hand goods, even in excellent condition. We have been informed that there are now new rules that require a specific 'wish list' from the intended recipient of donated goods that has to be screened by someone from the Fiji government even before the donors in Australia or New Zealand even start packing! How long would that take I wonder?

Or, are they just trying to make some money out of the donated goods? These are the kind of items that now are problematic - even when gifts for schools etc and certainly not for re-sale.
ZHere is a list of items detained from one shipment.
- computers
- metal cabinets & shelving’s
- television sets
- Student chairs &desks.
- sewing machines
- scanners
- books & children’s clothing
- house hold items
- Medical supplies.

It costs about $6000F to send a container from Geelong to Fiji, then the wharf fees in Suva or Lautoka are added and transport to the schools etc. may be paid for by Australians or by the recipient. If there's a problem in customs then there may be extra charges for keeping the goods in the sheds at the wharf, making a huge bill. Is it all worthwhile I wonder when it's not a smooth process?

----------
In the Fiji Sun:

Donors Bill and Margaret Hamilton are asking for Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama’s support in their project. This is in clearing items to be shipped to Fiji free of duty especially items to be donated to children living in the interior of Nadarivatu. Mr Hamilton said many people and groups from around the world wanted to donate items for children in Fiji, especially students who were finding in hard to cope with the highland terrains. He said they had shipped a lot of items such as basic necessities that children needed in schools but they were not able to get it through customs.He said they were told to inform the Prime Minister of the matter and they hoped to get the message across by going to the media.

He said they were doing everything for the children; they had donated items such as televisions, exercise books, clothing, library books, computers and also medical equipment that were going to help the people in the highlands get regular checkups at the medical clinic. ‘Some of the really important things that the children in Nadarivatu need, since the area is always cold are warm gloves which they need when going to school in the early morning and that is also being charged duty by the customs,’ he said. “It’s not that we’re saying it’s bad but we are basically giving this as a donation and not something that we bring here to sell. We are only concerned for the children and we want to express our love by providing them with the necessities that they will use in their everyday lives. Exercise books have always been something parents struggled to get during the start of the school year and we are giving that for free,” Mr Hamilton said.

The Hamiltons have been around for some time and understand the basic needs that the children lacked especially in education. Mr Hamilton said they just wanted to give something to the community and they needed the support from the Government in getting these necessary items to the people living in the interior of Fiji. “We have been able to do this with the help of the Nadi Rotary Club who have supported us throughout and we are indeed grateful to them,” Mrs Hamilton said.

Mr Hamilton said they had also brought in a wheelchair for a lady who, they read in the papers, had carried his physically-disabled son on her back for years and thought to provide a wheelchair especially for them.

“We have also donated sewing machines and curtain materials for the schools which are Nabobuco Primary School, Nadrau Primary School, Lewa Seventh Day Adventist School, and Savatu Primary School,” he said.

“The sewing machines are going to help in the sewing of curtains which are to be put up in the various classrooms, because we have noticed the children’s studies are being affected by the heat from the sun streaming in through the windows. This is so that students can concentrate on their classes and not be disturbed by other things.” He said they wanted to get approval from the Prime Minister’s office on the matter and they needed the help so they could help the children more.

Bill and Margaret Hamilton of Victoria, Australia, one of the most dedicated and committed couples to visit our shores, are focusing their attention in helping the people of Nadarivatu.

The couple, who had helped various communities in Fiji, visited Fiji as part of their voluntary work as members of Docklands Melbourne Rotary Club in Australia. Mr Hamilton, with the help of his lovely wife, rendered assistance to schools and medical clinics by donating basic necessities which would help students in their educational studies.

The Hamiltons, who have a grandson of Fijian origin, fell in love with the country and have provided assistance to various schools and communities in the highlands. Mr Hamilton said they were always happy to give something to children who need their help.

He said donating a 40-foot container containing basic necessities for school children and the medical clinic was one of the ways in which they expressed their love for the people and for Fiji.

"It is not about gaining something in return; it is purely just love and nothing more for us and we are always here to help those who need it the most," he said.

"The authorities were there to help us on Tuesday; Customs, Health, Police and Quarantine Department officers were all there to help us transport and unload the container. The villagers from Nadarivatu and the nearby areas also helped.

"It took us about two to three days to unload the container and it was all thanks to the villagers who were present there.

Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Doctor Jiko Luveni said the assorted items donated through the Docklands Melbourne Rotary Club and distributed in conjunction with the Nadi Rotary Club, included computers, library books, sewing machines, clothing, and medical equipment, etc.

The couple also donated 15 cartons of clothing to Navala Village in Ba following the tragic fire in 2010.

Dr Luveni said the couple's enthusiasm and commitment to continue their generous and most worthwhile projects for the people of Fiji was most appreciated.

She said the time, resources and effort they contributed to the various projects here were greatly appreciated by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation.

More yachts for Vanua Levu

from w
Palmlea is doing some good work of hospitality for visiting yachties. In the Fiji Sun today:

The north shores of Vanua Levu reportedly received an increase in number of yacht arrivals over the last three years. The shores of Macuata have recently been identified as a new destination for yachts.

Macuata resort owners, Joe and Julie Smelser believe there is potential to develop the yachting industry along the north shores of Vanua Levu. They operate an anchorage for yachts from their eco-agritourism resort, called Palmlea Lodge and Bures (villas) along the Tabia-Naduri Road.

Since the establishment of the Palmlea anchorage in 2008, Mrs Smelser said they had witnessed an increase in the number of yacht arrivals. "The north shore of Vanua Levu is now becoming more popular for sailing because our winds are lighter and our seas are calmer," Mrs Smelser said. "Everywhere else on the other shores, they get more trade winds blowing in, so seas get quite rough over there." With the start of a new yacht season this month, the anchorage received its first yacht a fortnight ago, a 36 metre long sailing vessel Infinity.

Mr Smelser said the north shores of Vanua Levu was pristine, untouched and a beautiful area to cruise - an attraction for yachtsmen from around the globe. With Savusavu and Taveuni predominantly known as destinations for yachts, Mrs Smelser said the northern bay also had the potential. "Our anchorage is a new destination for yachts on the north shore and Vanua Levu is starting to become more of a destination for the yachts. At our anchorage, we would receive up to 12 a season and who come to stay for days and even a couple of weeks."

Being expert sailors themselves, Mrs Smelser said the season for yachts was between May and October. "We started off three years ago with just a few yachts and now it's become quite a destination for yachts in the north shore. "

"They come to our place because the anchorage is intact and protective and offer quality service where we look after the sailors." In the last three years, the anchorage has received guests from 34 foreign states. "There is development on this part of the northern island with the fact that we're the first resort to be built on the northern shore of Vanua Levu in 18 years."