An invitation from a distant warzone landed in Suva earlier this month. The United States, with Israel’s endorsement, has asked Fiji to send troops to join a proposed International Stabilisation Force in Gaza.

For a nation proud of its United Nations peacekeeping legacy, this whispers of global recognition. Yet, it is a dangerous siren’s call, urging Fiji toward a perilous mission that risks betraying a far more urgent duty at home.

This force would swap impartial peacekeeping for coercive enforcement, serving great-power ambition over principle.

Simultaneously, Australia faces its own costly summons, involving a bill of up to US$1 billion, to take up a permanent seat on a controversial “Board of Peace” overseeing Gaza.

With no Palestinian voice and critics decrying it as a “transactional colonial solution”, this board aims not for peace but to sideline the UN, cementing a donor-driven world order.

For Oceania, these parallel invitations present a defining choice: expend finite resources on a flawed project thousands of kilometres away, or assert true regional independence by confronting the clear and present danger eroding our own communities — the transnational crime and drug epidemic.

The Gaza plan is architecturally unsound. The force Fiji is asked to join is not a traditional UN mission deployed with consent; it is a peace enforcement body expected to demilitarise a shattered, hostile territory — a task requiring overwhelming force and unambiguous political will, neither of which is guaranteed.

Designed for dysfunction
The Board of Peace itself is designed for dysfunction, acting as a parallel structure to the UN Security Council where influence is bought, not earned.

For Australia, the billion-dollar question is stark: is this investment in distant geopolitical theatre wiser than addressing the existential crisis in its primary sphere of influence?

This moment mirrors a recent lesson from Europe. When President Trump targeted Greenland, European nations stood collectively on the principle of territorial integrity, forcing a retreat.

Their unity demonstrated that defending sovereignty collectively is the only way smaller states are protected from the predatory actions of larger ones.

For the Pacific, the lesson is clear: our security lies in collective regional resolve, not in subsidising external power plays that undermine the very multilateral rules that protect us.

This dynamic exposes the core hypocrisy of the new transactional order. It invites regions like ours to help manage conflicts born of imperial histories and great-power rivalries, while the same powers show a willingness to disregard the sovereignty of smaller states when it suits their strategic whims.

The Greenland episode is not an isolated fantasy; it is a blueprint. If economic coercion can be levelled against a NATO ally for territory, what guarantees exist for nations in the Pacific, whose strategic waterways and exclusive economic zones are equally coveted?

Enshrines coercion
The Board of Peace model enshrines this very coercion, asking nations to pay for a voice in a system that inherently devalues the sovereign equality that the UN Charter promises.

While Gaza beckons with false prestige, a real war is destroying our social fabric. Fiji’s National Security Strategy identifies the methamphetamine epidemic as a top-tier threat (p. 19). Record drug busts reveal not success, but the staggering scale of invasion.

This crisis fuels violence, overwhelms health systems, corrupts leaders and drains state resources.

To even contemplate diverting military and political focus to Gaza is to declare this domestic war secondary. It begs a foundational question: what is the ultimate purpose of sovereignty if not to deliver safety and security to one’s own people first?

This is the primary duty of any state. When institutions are eroded by cartels while security forces look abroad, that duty has failed.

This crisis is the true test of our regional architecture. The traffickers’ networks are transnational, exploiting fragmented governance and weak maritime surveillance. Their success is a direct result of our collective vulnerability.

To confront them requires a consolidation of sovereignty, not its diversion. Every police officer, intelligence analyst and naval patrol boat committed to a quagmire overseas is a resource stripped from guarding our own shores.

Diplomatic minefield
The political capital spent navigating the diplomatic minefield of Gaza is capital not spent rallying the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to adopt a wartime footing against a clear, shared enemy. We cannot allow the spectre of one crisis to blind us to the substance of another.

The strategic response lies not in the Middle East, but in our own waters. Australia must make up its mind. That US$1 billion — a sum that could transform regional security — could and should be the cornerstone of a bold, coordinated campaign against the drug crisis, championed through the Forum.

I am not arguing for a return to failed, militarised prohibition. I propose a holistic, regional compact built on:

• Integrated policing: A permanent regional Task Force with real-time intelligence fusion to disrupt trafficking syndicates and their finances;
• Community resilience: Co-designed programs creating economic alternatives for youth and supporting rehabilitation to erode the cartels’ demand; and
• Institutional integrity: Major initiatives to shield judiciaries and border services from corruption, ensuring the rule of law is an asset.

In a world of transactional great-power politics, Australia must consciously encircle the Pasifika. This means investing politically and financially in the PIF, respecting its priorities and heeding its calls.

Addressing this crisis would be an act of enlightened self-preservation for Australia, and a lifeline for the region. The model exists in our history: the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, known as RAMSI, succeeded because it blended Australian resources with Pasifika personnel and local knowledge. We must summon that spirit again for a more complex fight.

The invitations to Gaza are a test of strategic identity. For Fiji, it is a test of resisting the seductive glare of distant drama for the sober duty of safeguarding the homeland.

Choice for Australia
For Australia, it is a choice: to fund a board that undermines global order or to invest in a sovereign regional compact against a shared existential threat.

True leadership is demonstrated not by saying a reflexive “yes” to powerful patrons, but by having the wisdom to say “no” when their wishes conflict with fundamental principles of multilateralism and life-and-death needs at home.

Europe showed that collective defence of sovereignty is how smaller states secure their future. For the Pasifika, our path to security and independence does not run through the rubble of Gaza. It runs through the strengthened, cooperative spirit of our own Blue Continent.

Choosing this closer, harder path is the mark of a region that truly knows where it belongs. It is the only choice that builds a legacy of genuine security, leaving our children a future defined not by the crises we attended elsewhere, but by the community we fortified here.

Ro Naulu Mataitini is a Fijian high chief of Rewa Province. A founding member of the People’s Alliance Party, he now serves as an apolitical member of Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs and is the chairman of Rewa Provincial Holdings Company Limited. He is a retired security executive with the United Nations. This article appeared first on the Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University and is republished under Creative Commons.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

France’s High Commission in French Polynesia has reported the seizure of 4.87 tonnes of cocaine in its maritime zone.

The armed forces in French Polynesia (FAPF), the national gendarmerie and the local branch of the anti-narcotics office (OFAST) were involved in the intercept.

A statement from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have congratulated authorities in French Polynesia over the reported seizure, with the drugs reportedly bound for Australia.

Gulf News reported the cocaine was being transported on a ship sailing under Togo’s flag, according to a source close to the investigation.

AFP commander Stephen Jay said police staff posted in the Pacific, and members of Taskforce Thunder, would seek to work with French Polynesia authorities to identify people linked to the seizure.

Taskforce Thunder, launched in October, targets illicit commodities and the forced movement of people through the Pacific.

Jay said the AFP was committed to working closely with its law enforcement partners to deliver maximum impact against transnational criminal syndicates targeting Australia, the Pacific and throughout Europe.

‘Exceptional work’
“I would like to thank the exceptional work of our partners in French Polynesia, who have prevented a significant amount of illicit drugs from reaching Australia,” Jay said.

“The harm caused by organised crime syndicates attempting to import illicit drugs into Australia is significant, and extends beyond individual users to a myriad of violent and exploitative crimes.”

Australian Border Force acting commander Linda Cappello said Australia’s strongest defence against transnational organised crime was the depth of its relationships across the Pacific and beyond.

“For those seeking to exploit maritime and supply chains to move illicit drugs the message is clear: coordinated vigilance across the region significantly increases the risk of detection and disruption.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The production and trafficking of methamphetamine (meth), cocaine and now heroin is on the rise with Pacific countries now becoming what many are calling the “Pacific drug highway”.

And Papua New Guinea has over three years seen a plane crash, a hotel laboratory, a shipment in postal services, arrival via a container ship, manufacturing in apartments and now a black flight — all to do with cocaine and meth.

Police have had Operation Weathers, Operation Saki Bomb — and now Operation Gepard.

From Operation Gepard, a pink duffle bank was stuffed into the nose of the flight from Bulolo filled with 17 packages of meth. These were transported across the border into Australia.

With the lack of border security, the country has fast become a transit point for the movement of illicit drugs into Australia.

Locals are becoming part of the movement of the drugs playing a key role in ensuring the drugs are hidden and then moved across the border.

Police Commissioner David Manning has on several occasions said “PNG is becoming a transit point for illicit and synthetic drugs”.

New law not implemented
His Deputy Commissioner of Police-Special Operations and acting Director-General of the Narcotics Office, Donald Yamasombi, says the laws under the new Controlled Substance Act 2021 have yet to be implemented.

In total, 337kg of methamphetamine have been found in the country, conveyed, or in possession of people in PNG — worth K164 million (about NZ$75 million)

And the laws? They have been passed but yet no one has been sentenced under the new Controlled Substance Act 2021 and Dangerous Drug (Amended) Act 2021 pertaining to the illicit drugs.

Now another 52kg has been allowed to leave the country and travel into outback Australia where five men were arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

Commissioner Manning said the positive outcome was a result of close collaboration between the Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) and Australian law enforcement partners and air traffic control agencies.

He said the RPNGC, since working with the Australian authorities, have enabled a wider net to be cast, resulting in the apprehension of transnational offenders in PNG and across the Pacific.

“With our partners we are committed to make our pacific region a hostile and disruptive environment for the transnational criminal element,” Commissioner Manning said.

Strengthening drug laws
“We are also committed to strengthening our drug legislation to ensure that penalties reflect the severity of offending here in PNG.”

According to Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt, the airplane was able to get into PNG airspace by flying low.

“When an aircraft is operated with a criminal intent, the pilots deliberately turn off the transponders to avoid detection by radar or ADS-B,” he said.

“If these surveillance tools are turned off, our systems cannot pick them up on the screen.

“Also they deliberately do not submit flight plans or talk to our controllers for the same reason (they don’t want us to see or know about their illegal operations).”

In PNG, after the arrest of the five in Australia, a 42-year-old male Chinese national was arrested at Lae airport last Wednesday.

In terms of investigations, the response has been swift. However, the investigations are prolonged and it becomes a forgotten topic.

Swept under the rug
It remains swept under the rug until judgment is passed and the suspects are charged and sentenced.

So far, only David John Cutmore has been sentenced to 18 years for his part in the black flight that crashed with 644kg of cocaine on board and he was charged under the old laws.

Another seven locals and expatriates are facing court for conveying and being in possession of methamphetamine since 2022.

In total, 18 persons of interest have been arrested or apprehended over their involvement in the methamphetamine trade.

For cocaine, only one person has been sentenced with another four still facing court.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk

Papuan New Guinea’s massive drug haul of more than 600kg of cocaine, seized after a mysterious plane crash by the alleged smugglers more than a week ago, has shaken authorities in both Australia and PNG.

The haul has been estimated at worth up to K200 million (A$80 million) at street value.

The collaborative operation has resulted in the arrests of at least six Australians – one in PNG – and four Papua New Guineans with investigations ongoing. Here are two reports fron the PNG daily newspapers:

READ MORE: Background to the massive PNG drug heist

By Marjorie Finkeo in Port Moresby
Four men allegedly involved in the attempted export of 28 bags of cocaine to Australia have been arrested at two locations in Port Moresby.

Two were arrested at Manu Autoport with A$40,000 (K100,000) cash and electrical items in their possession while the other two were apprehended at Sunset Lodge outside the city.

Police Commissioner David Manning said at a press conference yesterday the suspects were all PNG nationals.

A search conducted at Sanctuary Hotel at Waigani came up empty, Manning said.

He said a joint investigation was continuing and more charges were likely to be laid against the Australian pilot David Paul Cutmore who was charged under Immigration Act 1978 for illegally entering PNG and fined K3000 last Friday.

He said the investigation team was also looking at additional charges against Cutmore under the National Pandemic Act 2020. – PNG Post-Courier

Pacific Media Centre’s Southern Cross radio comment on the investigation yesterday.

By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby

The country’s biggest drug bust, involving more than 600kg of cocaine estimated to cost around K160 million, has been hailed as “great detective work” and the result of a two-year investigation by Australian and PNG police.

A team of police and Customs officers led by Deputy Police Commissioner Operations Donald Yamasombi found 28 black duffle bags containing “high-grade” cocaine wrapped in plastic, some Australian dollars and a flat-screen television near Papa-Lealea village, 30km outside Port Moresby last Friday.

It was near the makeshift airstrip where a Cessna 402C aircraft, which entered the country from Australia without clearance last Sunday, crashed when it tried to take off with its illegal cargo.

Police Commissioner David Manning said police knew “at the time it was a substantial amount of cocaine”.

“(There was an) organised gang involved in this and from what we knew, they were planning to have it removed from PNG via a black flight, a flight that was registered to fly into PNG airspace,” Manning said.

“We now know that the flight landed successfully (but) could not take off due to some mechanical fault.

‘Flight failed to take off’
“What ensued is the result of that flight (failing) to take off.

“The bags were left in an undisclosed location within the village.”

Australian Federal Police senior liaison officer Detective Superintendent Julian Bianco said what was achieved by both police forces was an “excellent result for law enforcement in the Pacific”.

“The seizure brings to a conclusion the long-time operation that has been overseen by the Royal PNG Constabulary and the AFP and Australian law enforcement,” Bianco said.

“Without the assistance of the PNG police and the great detective work, we certainly would not be standing here with this (illegal drugs).

“The aircraft travelled to PNG to collect drugs to take back to Australia.

“We are thankful to the PNG constabulary for stopping it from entering our shores.”

According to pictures obtained by The National, inside each of the black duffle bag was 1kg of cocaine wrapped and labelled 777.

Manning said the drug bust was the largest in the country’s history and the culmination of a two-year operation, and the result of “good detective work” by the Papua New Guinea and Australian police. – The National

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A combined investigation team seized more than K200 million ($80 million) worth of cocaine in the biggest drug heist in the history of Papua New Guinea last night, reports the PNG Post-Courier.

The 750 kg drug was connected to the mysterious plane crash last Sunday near the PNG LNG plant west of Port Moresby.

The Australian pilot who flew the light plane and turned himself in appeared in court yesterday and admitted to having flown the plane illegally into PNG from Mareebe in Far North Queensland, Australia.

READ MORE: Mystery over PNG plane crash

He was fined K3000 and ordered out of PNG.

Police, Customs and National Intelligence officers, with assistance from the Australian Federal Police, have successfully confiscated what Pandemic Controller and Police Commissioner David Manning described as the “biggest drug heist” in years.

Among the 28 bags containing 24 kg of cocaine was a 140 cm TV set meant as a gift to those who would have successfully loaded the drugs onto the plane.

The accused pilot, David John Cutmore, 52, from Williams Landing, Melbourne Australia, admitted and pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawful entry in breach of immigration laws.

The maximum penalty for the charge of illegal entry is K5000 fine or six months imprisonment.

Maximum sentence sought
Police prosecution during submission on sentence asked the court to impose the maximum penalty of K5000 fine since the offence of illegal entry was serious.

The court was told that the accused did not have any passport or visa and flew an aircraft into the country illegally.

Although the court was told of illegal dealings, including drug trade, no evidence was provided to the court.

The court, presided by Magistrate Tracey Ganai, ordered a K3000 fine considering that the police prosecutors did not provide any evidence or exhibits of illegal items allegedly in the procession of the accused pilot.

The court also noted there was no evidence presented on whether police were pursuing additional charges.

The only charge was illegal entry in breach of immigration laws.

Magistrate Ganai ruled that the accused pilot pay a fine of K3000 and be deported immediately.

Failure to pay fine would result in a prison term of 4 months and deportation after completion of the prison term.

Now that evidence has surfaced, additional charges could be laid.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz