Islands Business

Labour mobility

I was pleased to see Mr Downer's article on the labour mobility issue published in full in the January edition.

I was, however, disappointed that the article was published under the headline (Why We Don't Want You In Australia) which is manifestly at odds with the content and spirit of the article.

I think this does a disservice to an important regional magazine with a particular responsibility to promote frank and unbiased journalism.

-Jennifer Rawson
High Commissioner
Australian High Commission
FIJI

Turtle mis-information

I refer to your Pacific Year of the Turtle article in your January issue. Nobody wants to see the demise of sea turtles and only a few want to see the collapse of the longline industry in the Pacific.

Longline fishing is probably the smallest component of the many threats facing sea turtles. In that light, one line in your otherwise very fine article got my attention more than others.

You state that, “Typically scores (of turtles) are strangled or drowned in the gill nets of longliners”.

No turtle has ever been strangled or drowned in the gill net of a longliner because longliners do not fish with gill nets.

The longline industry in the Pacific is suffering from many things right now including dwindling fish stocks, high fuel prices, increased operating costs and threats of closures fuelled by mis-information fed to an unknowing public by certain NGO groups.

I would hope that SPREP (and ISLANDS BUSINESS) would not add to the plethora of mis-information by making statements such as the one above in future articles.

If you want to know more about longline fishing, please check SPC's website www.spc.int/coastfish/publications.

-Steve Beverly
Fisheries Development Officer
Secretariat Pacific Community
NEW CALEDONIA

Solomons politics

In your January 2006 issue, attention was drawn to an article titled 'Picking Form' and more particularly, to the topic about politics in the Solomon Islands.

This is just to inform you that in 2003 a new political party named the Solomons Social Credit Party (SoCred) was established with former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare as its founding president and trustee.

Since its inception, its membership has spread throughout the Solomon Islands with branches set up in most villages and communities.

We now have at least three to five intending candidates in each and every constituency waiting to be proclaimed as our official candidates for this coming election eventhough SoCred will only support one candidate in each of the fifty constituencies.

SoCred is the only political party to be reckoned with during this coming national election.

-Sri Ramon Jun Quitales
Social Credit Party Secretary-General
SOLOMON ISLANDS

Christian leaders

In response to your editorial regarding the influence of Christian leaders in Fiji, I am saddened that there has not been a greater public outcry about your government's treatment of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

Although the government claimed it was opposed to Rev Moon's “ideas,” it never said which ideas threatened Fiji or why.

Does the government have so little confidence in the ability of its own people to judge ideas?

It strikes me that the government was primarily influenced by the Fiji Council of Churches. Refusing Rev Moon's plane the right to land at the last moment was reckless and cowardly.

Rev Moon was on a tour of 100 cities around the world. He would have been in Fiji for less than a day.

Sadly for the Fiji people, they did not get the chance to judge Rev Moon on their own.

Instead, they will have to live with a paternalistic corrupt government that apparently has no respect for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of association.

I am fortunate to live in a country where I can make my own decisions about “ideas” I am exposed to.

-Jack Ryan
UNITED STATES