Pacific news in brief for 12 March

Vanuatu

Vanuatu has allocated US$160,000 to response efforts for the ongoing minor eruption on Ambae Island.

Local media reported Prime Minister Jothan Napat saying there is a contingency plan in place should the Ambae community need to be evacuated.

A level-three alert remains in place.

Residents have reported ashfall and acid rain throughout the island due to the plumage from the volcano.

Ashfall has also been reported on the neighbouring Espiritu Santo, Pentecost and Maewo islands.

Fiji

Fiji's former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and ex-police chief Sitiveni Qiliho have had their plea for inciting mutiny deferred in court.

Bainimarama and Qiliho appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court on Thursday, but prosecutors were not ready to service disclosures.

Prosecutors allege that in 2023 the two encouraged senior military officers to arrest and overthrown their commander.

Bainimarama also faces a second change relating to text messages he allegedly sent to a high-ranking officer urging him to take command.

The two were remanded on bail until 19 March.

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands' prime minister has rejected reports of another cabinet reshuffle which emerged after a purported list of a new cabinet lineup was reported by local media.

Over halfway through the four-year parliament term, Jeremiah Manele has already faced two motions of no confidence filed against his leadership.

He has also reshuffled his cabinet multiple times with the last change, involving three portfolios, last month.

But speaking to reporters on Sunday, Manele said he had no plans to make further changes to his cabinet.

Papua New Guinea

The PNG government is to have an urgent meeting to discuss the referral of the Chief Justice to a Leadership Tribunal.

The Ombudsman Commission recently referred Sir Gibbs Salika, alleging a breach of PNG's leadership code for failing to report extra income.

The Public Proscecutior is yet to determine whether there are sufficient grounds for a Leadership Tribunal case to be heard.

Prime Minister James Marape is seeking to meet with senior state legal officials later this week to review the circumstances around the referral.

Marape said their focus is to ensure the integrity of the judiciary is fully respected.

Fiji

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says travel restrictions imposed with the United States did not feature in recent talks with US officials.

Rabuka has recently met with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, where the US agreed to provide more than US$12 million dollars for aid, defence and health.

Fiji was included in a list of 75 countries whose citizens immigration visas were suspended.

The Fiji Sun reported Rabuka saying this will be a topic of discussion for the future, but that it seemed inappropriate at the time.

He said Fiji should be treated fairly in comparison with other countries.

Samoa/Marshall Islands

Samoa and the Marshall Islands are about to be reviewed at the UN for their record on adhering to rights of people with disabilities.

Their regular reviews, before the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva, both begin in the next few days.

All 193 state parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are required to undergo regular reviews by the committee.

Eighteen independent international experts will discuss how well Samoa and the Marshalls are implementing the Convention and the committee's previous recommendations.

The committee has received country reports as well as other submissions from non-government organisations.

Samoa's review begins on Thursday, and the Marshalls' begins next Monday.

Guam

A Royal New Zealand Air Force P8-A Poseidon aircraft and its crew have deployed in Guam to participate in a multi-national anti-submarine warfare exercise.

A statement from the Defence force stated crew from America, Australia, Japan and India are also attending the training at the United States' Anderson Air Force Base on Guam.

The exercise is designed to help aircrews develop their anti-submarine warefare skills and to refine how they colaborate in a range of settings.

It is also a chance for crew to develop tactical skills by working with and testing themselves against partner nations.