The University of the South Pacific today witnessed another milestone with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Japanese Government and the Fiji Government for the construction of an Information and Communications centre at the University.

The construction of the centre, to be funded by the Japanese Government at a cost of FJ$29 million [US$19.5 million], is expected to commence soon.

The project will involve the construction of three buildings with facilities consisting of computer laboratories, conference rooms and a multi-purpose lecture theatre with specialized equipments.

It is envisaged that the establishment of the ICT centre at the University will ensure the South Pacific regions enhanced participation in the global information society.

Japanese Ambassador to Fiji, Masashi Namekawa said the contribution from the people of Japan to the University will be an added milestone achievement for students and academics in the region.

Japan’s assistance follows a request from the Fiji government in 1999 before a survey was conducted by a Japanese study team in 2003, 2005 and 2006.

The signing was done between Fiji’s interim Foreign Affairs Minister Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and Ambassador Namekawa in Suva today.

Also present at the signing was the Acting Vice Chancellor of USP, Doctor Esther Williams

Source: Filive.com

FIFA Beach Soccer international and Solomon Islands football hero Gideon Omokirio has been invited to participate at the Christian Karembeu Jubilee match at Stade Numa Daly, Noumea, New Caledonia on Saturday 31 May 2008.

Christian Karembeu played for France at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and for Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League in 2000. Karembeu has been a firm supporter of Oceania football since retiring in 2005.

Gideon Omokirio played at two FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups and in the recent OFC O-League Final for club champion side KOSSA FC. Omokirio played at the XIII South Pacific Games – Samoa 2007 and has over 30 caps for his country.

“I am delighted to have Oceania players involved in my jubilee match. I played for France and won many medals and I am proud of the team and what we achieved together.

But I am also Oceanian, born in the South Pacific, and it is logical for me to acknowledge this part of my heritage.

I am very pleased to have Oceania players included in the festivities,” Karembeu told www.oceaniafootball.com

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will attend the match and hold a post-match press conference following the OFC Extraordinary Congress on Sunday June 1 2008.

It is a rare opportunity for a player from Solomon Islands to be involved in a match alongside some of football’s greatest players of all time including Zinedine Zidane and Christian Karembeu.

The Karembeu XI will play the France ’98 XI to celebrate the career of the Lifou-born player.


The OFC U-12 Festival of Football has undergone a name change and this year’s edition will take place in Noumea as a backdrop to the Jubilee match.

The Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) has sent two teams to New Caledonia to compete at this event with the winning team travelling to Lyon, France, for the Danone Nations Cup 2008.

One News Television will broadcast coverage of the match around the region - details to be advised.

Source: Oceaniafootball

Hon. Fiame N. Mata’afa on behalf of the USP Council to formally announce the appointment of Professor Rajesh Chandra to the position of Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific.

Prior to becoming the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of the University of Fiji, Professor Chandra served USP for close to 30 years, where he held a number senior positions including Acting Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Director of Planning and Development.

Over those years, he also made significant contributions to the international academic community. Professor Chandra was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Universities’ Study Abroad Consortium (CUSAC) from 1999-2003 and he was also a member of the Technical Advisory Committee exploring the feasibility of a Virtual University for Commonwealth Small States. Within the Pacific region, Professor Chandra was part of the Pacific delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development and he has attended the Pacific Island Leaders’ Meeting, the Commonwealth Education Ministers Meeting, the Forum Economic Ministers meeting, the Pacific Islands Forum and the General Meeting of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

In this our 40th year, Professor Chandra becomes the first USP graduate to be appointed Vice-Chancellor. In noting his contributions and achievements and in making this appointment, the USP Council is confident that Professor Chandra will provide bold leadership and drive decisive change in dealing with the suite of long-standing issues that need to be addressed.

On behalf of the USP Council, I am pleased that Professor Chandra has accepted the appointment and I look forward to working with him in the coming years to take the University through the many challenges that lie ahead. Professor Chandra’s appointment is for six years and he is expected to take up the position in early August 2008.

Source: www.usp.ac.fj

Logging companies in the Solomon Islands have been accused of robbing the government, the country, and resource owners of millions of dollars over the past twenty years by manipulating the country's determined price system for the export of round logs.

A logger, who chose to remain anonymous, says that he totally supports the recent upward review by the Government of the determined export price for round logs, describing it as "still very unfair on the country and the resource owners."

In response to the threat by the logging companies to withhold their log exports as a way to put pressure on the government to reconsider its decision, the logger said the Government must immediately investigate the administration of log exports by the Forestry Department up until now.

"If the Government carries out a surprise audit of the way the Forestry Department has been administering log exports, the Government would find massive corruption of the export system initiated by logging companies in the last twenty years," the logger said.

He stated that the corruption involved both corrupting the Forestry Department and deliberate manipulation of the system, enabling loggers to avoid paying for the right level of export duties.

The logger claims that logging companies have been entering lower export price for higher grade logs and bribing forestry officers with money and beer to accept their log export entries, depriving the country of millions of dollars.

"Another method which loggers have been using was to designate some of their log consignments under the category of 'mixed species' which attracts a determined export price of only $68 US dollar per cubic meter, when in fact the consignment would consist mostly of high grade species which should attract duties as high as $87.50 to $98.50 per cubic meter in most cases," the logger said.

"The difference in dollar terms per cubic meter may only be from $25 to $30 US dollars per cubic meter, but when you consider the thousands of volumes of round logs logging companies export every year, this can amount to millions of dollars loss to the country and it people every year."

The logger calls on the Government to hold mass meetings with landowners and explain to them that what the Government is doing by revising export prices as it would show to them that it would be good for them and the country.

He further claims that all the logging companies in the country have been committing serious breaches of standard logging agreements with landowners designed by the Government and for which the Commissioner of Forests is the legal custodian.

Source: www.pidp.eastwestcenter

Police commanders and assistant commanders from the Pacific including Solomon Islands are currently being trained for the top job in a Pacific Regional Policing Training course that opened in Nuku'alofa on Monday.

The two weeks training jointly funded by the Australian and New Zealand Government was opened by Tonga's Minister of Police Hon Siaosi 'Aho, who told participants that the course held for the first time in Tonga, is important because it will deal with the issue of corruption.

The training will deal with the issue of corruption when covering Ethics and Integrity in Policing. It will also cover other issues such as Strategic Planning, Policy Development and Managing Budgets.

Bob Shaw, the Police Strategy Adviser of the Pacific Regional Policing Initiative PRPI who is conducting the training said this is the Executive Development level training aimed at preparing future police leaders.

The participants are all senior police officers from the Pacific nations of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Nauru and Tonga, and they will be prepared to go from middle management level to executive level.

Participants will be issued a Certificate at the completion of the course by end of next week.

Source: Matangi Tonga