By Giff Johnson in Majuro

Ambassadors to the United States from the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are seeking information about officer-involved shootings that resulted in the death of citizens from their nations in the US over recent weeks.

FSM Ambassador Akillino Susaia has asked the US State Department for help in accessing information on the shooting deaths of two Micronesians in Tulsa, Oklahoma in early June, while Marshall Islands Ambassador Gerald Zackios is seeking information from the family of Marshall Islander Isaiah Obet, who was shot and killed by police in Auburn, Washington on June 17.

Both ambassadors are based in Washington, DC.

“We have spoken to the Tulsa Police Department and were directed to the Detective Homicide Division, but so far have not received any information or feedback,” Susaia said.

To follow up the shooting deaths on June 2 of Micronesians Naway Willy, 18, and Rabson Robert, 36, Susaia sent a diplomatic note to the State Department last week requesting the federal government’s aid to obtain information from local law enforcement authorities about the incidents.

News reports indicated that Robert had been killed during an argument at a hotel and Willy was initially thought to be a suspect in the murder, but later police said they did not believe Willy was involved and arrested another suspect in Robert’s death.

News reports indicated that Willy was at the scene and fled after the shooting of Robert. Willy was shot and killed by policemen who were called to the scene of the shooting.

Charged with murder
Subsequently Tulio Alexander Aviles, 33, was charged with first-degree murder for the shooting of Robert.

In the diplomatic note, the FSM Embassy notes the “request for assistance is necessitated by the incident that took place on or around 2 June 2017 in Tulsa in which two citizens of the FSM, both of them young men, were reportedly shot to death by local law enforcement officers.”

The ambassador said he was requesting the US State Department’s assistance under the terms of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the provisions of the Compact of Free Association, a treaty that closely ties the U.S. and the FSM.

The carefully worded request to the State Department also pointed out “the long history of law enforcement cooperation between FSM and the US” under the Compact that was first established in 1986.

“Their (Robert’s and Willy’s) families and friends have sought to obtain information from the Tulsa Police Department but were not successful,” the FSM diplomatic note explained.

“They have turned to the Embassy for assistance.”

The diplomatic note added that the embassy had also been unsuccessful in getting through to the Detective/Homicide Division of the Tulsa Police Department.

The embassy requested State’s help in “facilitating the process to enable the Embassy to obtain relevant information.”

Expressed condolences
Susaia expressed condolences to the families and friends of the victims. He said he did not want to “make specific judgments on the police-involved shootings while all the relevant facts of the case have yet to be confirmed.”

He took the opportunity to “remind us all about the importance of conducting ourselves appropriately to avoid harm and, just as important, for law enforcement authorities to exercise prudence or due diligence in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities to the public.”

While Susaia said the embassy did not speak for the families of the victims or “wish to prejudge the course of action that they may finally decide to pursue, the FSM Embassy will do what is necessary and appropriate. The primary objective of the Embassy is to ensure that justice to our citizens is administered fairly and to assure them and the community at large that we are doing the best we can in the interest of our citizens to the fullest extent provided by the law and Compact.”

While noting that “the Embassy is aware of the rise in police-related incidences in the United States,” Susaia said the FSM is “grateful for the basic decency and fairness of the American people, whom we hope will continue to be the advocates and tireless moral pillars of support for the friendship and historic ties between our peoples that are enshrined in the Compact of Free Association, and which serve as the foundation of the special partnership between the FSM and the US.”

For his part, Marshall Islander Isaiah Obet, 25, was killed in Auburn, Washington while attempting to carjack a vehicle. News reports of the incident said that he went into an Auburn residence holding a knife and demanded money from the woman in the house. She told him to leave and he did, after which she called the emergency number 911.

Police responded to find Obet in another nearby house. He fled and was chased by police and then attempted to carjack a vehicle with two people in it when the officer opened fire, killing the man. News reports said Obet died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

Zackios said he was attempting to get information from Obet’s family in Auburn before taking possible next steps.

Giff Johnson is editor of the Marshall Islands Journal. This article is republished from the Marianas Variety with permission.

By Peter S. Kinjap  

Candidates contesting Papua New Guinea’s Ialibu/Pangia Open Electorate in the Southern Highlands province have accused Prime Minister Peter O’Neill of “rigging” the country’s national elections.

“Today confirmed everyone’s worst fears – these elections were deliberately rigged from the start,” said Stanley Liria, one of the candidates who signed a formal protest letter with election manager David Wakias before polling began in the electorate.

The open electorate is where Prime Minister O’Neill is the incumbent MP.

The rival candidates claimed in their letter the electorate was not ready for polling today.

The candidates are Jerry Kiwai, Nepoleon Rema, Tua Yasa, Stanley Liria, Justus Rapula, Leonard Pangepea and Dr Sam Kari.

At a meeting at Ialibu District Office, they unanimously agreed that certain issues be “properly addressed” before polling started.

Their letter was registered with the manager Wakias.

‘Treating people like dirt’
Candidate Liria said people were fed up with corruption, dictatorship, lying, stealing, and “treating people like dirt”.

He said the people of Ialibu-Pangia were peaceful and hard working, and had the right to choose their new leader through a “fair, transparent and honest” process.

“O’Neill is denying you this constitutional, democratic right,” Liria said.

All candidates, apart from O’Neill, had “through blood, sweat and tears” visited the entire electorate on foot and seen the “disastrous lack of services and conditions” people had to endure, Liria said.

Claiming that polling day had confirmed fears that the elections had been rigged, Liria added on his Facebook page:

“No common roll, politically appointed presiding officers, failure to brief candidates, failure to select impartial political officials, failure to release lists of all polling officials — including 7 wards from Imbonggu within Ialibu-Pangia electorate [and a previously] … undefined ward in the electorate.”

These issues represented grave concerns for the integrity of the Ialibu-Pangia elections, and so the contesting candidates had served notice with manager Wakias.

“We have been robbed, and not only Ialibu-Pangia but all of PNG will suffer like never before.”

By Peter S. Kinjap in Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea’s Lae Metropolitan Police Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jnr has confirmed that ballot papers were burnt at the University of Technology (Unitech) polling booth within the campus.

He said the destruction of ballot papers was an offence and any issues relating to shortage of ballot papers or common roll issues would be addressed by the Assistant Returning Officer and Returning Officer of the PNG Electoral Commission.

Two prime suspects have been apprehended by police in Lae while one is still being sought. His identity is known to the police.

The two suspects had got on a 25-seater bus parked outside the campus with a large group of people.

Police monitored them and a Mobile Squad Unit and Sector Patrol Unit intercepted them along the speedway, and then escorted the bus with the occupants to Lae police station.

The two suspects were identified and have been detained for further questioning.

They are from Southern Highlands and Hela provinces, while the third suspect is from Enga province.

Claimed to be students
The suspects claimed to be students while one claimed to be a former student who graduated recently and is now employed by the university. The university administration has not confirmed this.

The 25-seater bus has also been grounded at the Lae police station while the driver and crew are being questioned.

Unitech was given only 1100 ballot papers for a voting population of more than 5000 while the University in Goroka (UOG) voting population of between 4000 to 5000 was denied aa chance to cast a ballot.

UOG was never gazetted as a polling venue even though the Eastern Highlands provincial election manager included it in his recommendation to the Chief Electoral Commissioner.

At the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) at Gerehu, Port Moresby, voting did not take place because of a lack of ballots, Asia Pacific Report’s special campus correspondent reported. Only 1200 ballot papers arrived from the Electoral Commission instead of the expected 5000 and there were many complaints about the absence of names on the rolls of people who had registered.

National Capital District (NCD) Elections Manager Terence Hetinu and his assistant Roslyn Tobogani have been removed and replaced with new officers for today’s polling after both had been caught on Tuesday reportedly in possession of large sums of money and a document signed between Hetinu and a Port Moresby candidate.

Although Electoral Commissioner Patilas Gamato defended his staff, saying the money was for the payment of election officials, Port Moresby police said they would continue a full investigation after the elections and lay charges.

Commissioner Gamato has appointed two senior electoral officials as replacements —  Provincial Election Manager Alwin Jimmy as the new NCD Election Manager, and Kavanamur Bale as Assistant Manager.

Candidates demand removal
Gamato announced the appointments when he met with candidates at Electoral Commission headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.

The candidates in Port Moresby had petitioned Gamato, demanding the removal of Hetinu and  Tobogani after they were detained by police on Tuesday.

While police searched Hetinu’s car, they also found an agreement signed between a Port Moresby Regional Seat candidate and the then NCD Election Manager.

New election manager Jimmy assured the media, Port Moresby candidates, voters in Port Moresby and the people of Papua New Guinea that today’s NCD election would go ahead as scheduled.

Although only one day into his new job, he said he would make sure he delivered a successful polling day for Port Moresby.

He also apologised to the people of Papua New Guinea about what had happened.

Another elections twist
In another elections twist, the Electoral Commission office has reportedly more than K36 million (about NZ$15.4 million) owing to its suppliers from the last general election in 2012. Those suppliers were reportedly not paid.

Gamato said he was aware of the outstanding payments and had put the claims through the government payment system.

In Goroka, polling in rural areas has been delayed because the helicopter company hired to dispatch ballot papers and officials to the designated polling areas wanted payments paid upfront before airlifting the ballot papers and officials to the sites.

Goroka rural voters are still waiting for the ballot papers to arrive for polling while polling in areas with road access have been completed.

Peter S. Kinjap is an Asia Pacific Report contributor.

By Zachary Per in Madang

A three-member polling team has told of how they had to walk for hours carrying two ballot boxes, crossing 11 rivers and sleeping at a village to accomplish their task in Papua New Guinea’s general election.

Polling Team 52 was led by presiding officer Eric Inamuga and included polling official Joe Bais and police officer Fred Rimbao.

They were in charge of the 572 marked ballot papers for the Goroka Open electorate in the Highlands.

They were sent to remote Wessan in the Goroka electorate on the border of Eastern Highlands and Madang.

Inamuga said they travelled on Monday by helicopter to Wessan but could not land because the pilot was unable to identify the site.

“We returned to Goroka and made the second trip to Wessan the next day. We were dropped off at the Simili polling station to conduct polling there,” Inamuga told The National daily newspaper.

“We finished around 3 pm and waited for pick-up. The helicopter did not return so we spent the night with the locals at Wessan.”

They waited for pick-up until 1.30pm on Wednesday and decided to walk to Madang to catch transport to Goroka.

“We crossed 11 fast-flowing rivers, including the Ramu River. The water came up to our chest and neck.

“We braved through and managed to get to Kesevai along the Madang Highway about 6.30pm. A police team and an official election vehicle picked us up at 7pm on Wednesday.”

Police officer Rimbao said they had to spend around K120 (about $52) for accommodation, meals and other incidentals to do their election job.

Loop PNG reports today nearly three-quarters of Papua New Guineans have started voted, according to the PNG Electoral Commission. The rest will vote within the 14-day ballot period.

Port Moresby voters in the National Capital District (NCD) began their one-day polling today after the postponement from Tuesday.

By Geraldine Kalabai in Port Moresby

The Media Council of Papua New Guinea is seeking a legal opinion on the effects of the government’s 2016 Cybercrime Act on press freedom, freedom of expression and public access to state information.

”The council, in its last meeting last Friday agreed that legal opinion should be sought on the impact that the August 2016 legislation will have on the ability of ordinary Papua New Guineans to express themselves through various communication platforms and whether the law hinders the ability of the PNG media to report with fear or favour,” the council said in a statement.

Media Council president Alexander Rheeney said the council supported some sections of the law that protected citizens.

However, he added the council was particularly concerned with Section 10 (on data espionage), 21 (defamatory publication), 25 (unlawful disclosure), 26 (spam), 31 (unlawful advertising), 33 (search powers), and 44 (criminal liability of ICT service providers).

The Media Council said there was no government consultation with the media industry when the legislation was first put forward before its enactment.

Rheeney said two experts would study Section 46 of the PNG Constitution on freedom of expression and provide their opinion on how the 2016 Cybercrime Act would impact on the rights of citizens.

The findings would be put to council members for their consideration and deliberation and to identify a course of action if needed.

Rheeney added that the current general election opened up the opportunity to the council and the media industry to lobby for changes to the legislation when the new national Parliament gets elected, depending on the advice of the legal experts.

Geraldine Kalabai is an EMTV News reporter who studied international relations and PNG studies at Divine Word University.

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Papua New Guinea’s general election has been rocked with many disruptions, the cancellation of the capital Port Moresby’s one-day polling, and the arrest of four senior election officers for carrying K185,000 (NZ$80,000) in cash and “suspicious” documents.

Electoral Commissioner Patalias Gamato vowed he would not resign in the face of a barrage of criticism, Loop PNG reports.

The National newspaper reports that the four were questioned but later released because police had to first obtain arrest warrants from the court.

National Capital District-Central police commander Assistant Commissioner Sylvester Kalaut was quoted by the newspaper as saying they have not been charged but may be re-arrested.

The drama began around dawn on Tuesday when election workers, who had been “camping” all night to prepare for the one-day polling in the three electorates in the National Capital District (NCD), decided to stage a protest strike because they had not been paid their “camping” allowance.

Commissioner Gamato, after consulting NCD Election Manager Terence Hetinu and police, deferred polling until tomorrow.

People who had arrived early at the various polling stations were told to return on Friday.

Cash for the workers
Then Hetinu, according to Gamato, who was bringing the cash to pay the workers, was brought in by police to brief them on the polling cancellation.

Officers became suspicious and arrested him when they found the large amount of cash in his vehicle.

In an unrelated event later, according to Kalaut, police officers arrested three other election officials in front of the Boroko Electoral Commission office allegedly trying to transport election-related materials in an official vehicle but without any official police escort.

“We have questioned and released them. We have to obtain a warrant of arrest to charge them for the relevant offences under the Criminal Code,” Kalaut said.

Kalaut said Hetinu would be questioned later on “correspondence” police allegedly found between him and a candidate.

Gamato said he would consider disciplinary action against Hetinu if he was found to be in contact with NCD candidates, The National reports.

On the cash Hetinu was carrying around, Gamato said: “We had made arrangements to organise payments for camping allowances. He was carrying that cash around when police picked him up.

3000 Port Moresby election workers
“Police also questioned me and I said I was aware of that.”

More than 3000 election workers had been engaged by the commission for polling and counting in Port Moresby.

Gamato agreed that it was “not normal” for someone to be carrying such a large amount of money around Port Moresby but “that cash was made available as soon as possible in the morning”.

Gamato said there was a system in place for election managers to pay election workers, based on the list of names provided.

Papua New Guinea’s under fire Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato says he will not step down and will continue to ensure the general election is “run smoothly”.

Gamato was grilled by reporters during a media conference in Port Moresby but remained defiant.

Since polling began on Saturday in the country, many negative reports have been made public, reports Loop PNG’s Cedric Patjole.

Among them was the late start of polling teams, resulting in fewer votes being cast and people and students being turned away due to missing names, despite registering earlier this year.

The deferral of polling in the National Capital District (NCD) – Port Moresby — from Tuesday until this Friday, the ousting and detention of the NCD Election Manager and several polling officials over suspected electoral breaches has put more pressure on the Commissioner.

Responding to a barrage of questions, Gamato was eventually asked if he would step down — and he promptly replied: “I don’t think I’ll have to resign. I’ll have to conduct these polls.”

Ten candidates contesting seats in the NCD have called on Gamato to resign and for the Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Kala Moro, to assume office.

They accused Gamato of being incompetent and that he had compromised his position, Patjole reported.

Gamato told the candidates that he would prepare a formal response to them.

In a separate story, Loop PNG reports the Electoral Commission today replaced NCD Election Manager Terence Hetinu and his assistant Roslyn Tabogani.

Alvin Jimmy was named as replacement, assisted by Bale Kavanamur.

By Brandon Ulfsby in Apia

A youth employment survey report in Samoa is seeking to inform government policy decisions after its findings take a closer look at young people.

Published by the Samoan National Youth Council, the report highlights the economic and employment status of youth and the reasons behind leaving school and calls for greater inclusion of youth in policy development.

Called the Tracer Youth Employment Survey (TYES), the report was commissioned with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and funded by the Australian High Commission in Samoa.

The survey sampled 790 people aged 18-to-35 years from 14 villages across Upolu and Savaii and was launched to the public on Monday in Apia.

Results found that out of the sample size, 78.93 percent of young people dropped out of school at primary and secondary level.

The main reason being families could no longer afford school fees with others becoming caretakers for family members.

A 2015 study by the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development’s youth division identified that just over 16 percent of Samoa’s youth were unemployed.

The TYES report found that the most significant challenge to young people in continuing their education is the increasing rate of dependent peoples – elderly and younger children.

Findings found this to be particularly challenging for rural youth.

Priority report hope
The report was funded by Australia as part of its Pacific Leadership program in the region.

Australian Deputy High Commissioner Amanda Jewell says the report gives young Samoans more of a voice and is a priority that they will be looking at with the Samoan government.

“This is like a beginning for us because this particular survey has started and it’s given us some good ideas, and they’ll be some recommendations coming out of that, that we can go forward with.”

Findings in the survey found that despite a majority of respondents being unemployed, over 30 percent of them still identified themselves as “economically active”.

These activities include, crop farming, cooking, family run canteens, part time referees and a florist.

Report recommendations call for greater inclusion of youth in policy development at local and national level.

Jewell says “the priority for the commission here is to work in partnership with the government of Samoa so anything they identify as priority, and obviously by having this report produced it is a priority that we’ll be looking at having with them”.

Brandon Ulfsby is a final year Auckland University of Technology Bachelor of Communication Studies student journalist on a two-week Pacific Cooperation Foundation internship in Samoa.

By Kendall Hutt, Pacific Media Watch contributing editor

Pacific exchange journalists kicked off their two-week internship in New Zealand with a visit to the Pacific Media Centre.

Sponsored by the Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF), Shivika Mala, Linda Filiai and Joshua Lafoai will take an inside look at local media organisations during their stay.

Mala and Filiai from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, along with Michelle Curran, project manager of PCF’s media programme were welcomed by Pacific Media Centre (PMC) director Professor David Robie.

“Kia ora and great to have you here with us,” he said.

Dr Robie then went on to explain the work the Pacific Media Centre does in the Asia-Pacific region, and its place within the university.

“We’re the university that specialises in the Pacific, a lot comes out of this tiny little place,” he said during this week’s visit.

Curran said: “Thanks for having us, the girls are looking forward to it and they’ve got their questions all ready for you. The best way to kick off their internship.”

Inside look
The award-winning students then joined Pacific Media Watch freedom project editor Kendall Hutt on a tour of the Auckland University of Technology led by TV and radio technician Scott Creighton, where they had an inside look at AUT’s School of Communication Studies’ media facilities.

The students explored the television studios, where they discovered the ins-and-outs of a green screen, and student radio station Static 88.1.

They also visited the Media Centre and spoke to Te Waha Nui web editor Natalie Brittan about the student newspaper and the number of journalism students at the university.

Curran told Asia Pacific Report while on the tour that the PMC served as the right opening for their internship.

“Every time we’ve been here the students have really enjoyed it, learnt a lot and just taken in the exceptional facilities AUT offers. It’s great to have that connect for the students coming from the Pacific,” she said.

Curran said the aim of the internship was to raise the media’s consciousness about the Pacific and in turn enable student journalists to learn about another country’s industry.

“It’s to create awareness about Pacific media, so New Zealand journalists will be more aware of what is going on in the Pacific and Pacific journalists coming into New Zealand will be more aware of how we do things here and hopefully learn things to take back to the Pacific,” she said.

Awareness of Pacific
This was also reflected by Mala and Filiai on PMC’s weekly radio programme Southern Cross.

Mala and Filiai told host Amanda Robinson their motivations behind applying for the internship. They both recognised the opportunity they had been given to take an inside look at New Zealand’s media industry.

“If we were to compare New Zealand to the Pacific, we are less fortunate, so we are so eager to take up this opportunity to experience, to learn and to share these experiences with our classmates and journalists in Tonga and the Pacific,” Filiai said.

Yesterday the team was working at Pacific Media Network, but will spend time with Tiki Lounge Productions, NZME, TVNZ and Tagata Pasifika over the course of their internship.

By Asrida Elisabeth and adapted by Basten Gokkon 

In an attempt to conserve the birds-of-paradise for which the region is famous, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has banned the use of their body parts in anything other than traditional ceremonies.

Hunting has helped push some paradise birds — members of the family Paradisaeidae — to the brink of extinction.

Historically, indigenous groups on Indonesia’s half of New Guinea island — composed of the Papuan and West Papua provinces — have used the birds’ colourful feathers in their rituals and traditional dress.

Meanwhile, others turn their parts into souvenirs, sold to tourists or handed out by local officials at events.

Last November, a university student in Papua sparked an outcry after she posted pictures of herself holding a dead bird-of-paradise, known locally as cendrawasih, and a hunting rifle.

Governor Enembe enshrined the ban in a circular letter, a mechanism typically used to support existing laws.

The provincial administration plans to issue a regulation specifying the consequences for violating the ban, according to Papua Regional Secretary Hery Dosinaen.

Raids on stores
Until then, the government will use the circular to raid stores selling products made from real bird-of-paradise parts.

In addition to raising awareness about the animal’s protected status, the policy is expected to give Papua’s creative industries a nudge by turning craftspeople onto artificial bird parts.

Alex Waisimon, who runs birdwatching tours out of Jayapura, the provincial capital, welcomed the ban: “Cendrawasih is a bird from paradise that God created for us to protect together.”

But he recognised a greater threat than hunting — the destruction of the birds’ forest habitat.

Indonesia’s rapid deforestation has long been concentrated on Sumatra and Borneo islands in the archipelago country’s west. But forest loss in the Papua region is on the rise.

Korean-Indonesian conglomerate Korindo is one firm expanding there. The oil palm planter was recently the subject of a NGO report that said it was responsible for 30,000 hectares of deforestation and nearly 900 fire hotspots since 2013.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has said it is investigating the company.

Republished from Mongabay with permission under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND licence.

• WWF calls for conservation

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

There was an unusual sight during the 1438th Idul Fitri prayers at the Wonosari Square in the Gunungkidul regency of Indonesia’s Yogyakarta province, Central Java, last Sunday. The congregation dispersed in the middle of a sermon by mosque preacher Ikhsan Nuriansyah Bajuri.

Right from the start of the sermon, Ikhsan took up the blasphemy case involving former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok. The congregation, who had been sitting and listening to the sermon, stood up in unison, folded up their prayer mats and left the grounds.

Wonosari City Islamic Holiday Committee (PHPI) chairperson Iskanto confirmed what happened.

According to Iskanto, the sermon was considered too vulgar, contained too many accusations against other parties and made an issue of the Ahok blasphemy case.

“The issues raised may have been factual but for general consumption it was inappropriate”, he said.

Regret expressed
Iskanto expressed his regret over the incident saying a preacher should be able to gauge what is appropriate to be conveyed before a congregation. He hopes that in the future sermons will contain things that are refreshing and cheerful.

Right from the start of the sermon, Ikhsan immediately took up the blasphemy case that ensnared Ahok.

“Ahok is a blasphemer,” he said in front of the thousand or so strong congregation.

He then said that a blasphemer should not be defended or helped, let along assisted by the state, including the police. He said he fully supported the [two-year] sentence against Ahok and hoped that it would create a deterrent effect so that no one else will commit blasphemy.

In the end, the traditional Ikrar Halal Bihalal exchange of greetings and forgiveness that had been prepared following Idul Fitri prayers was only attended by a few people because most had already left.

Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was “Khatib Singgung Kasus Penodaan Agama, Jemaah Salat Ied Bubar“.