Media Pasifica: All Stops Out For Tsunami Victims

ALL STOPS OUT FOR TSUNAMI VICTIMS

As understanding of the full effects of the massive tsunami early in October on the Samoas and Tonga comes through, aid has been pouring in from many sources, especially New Zealand with its strong ethnic family ties. NZ Minister of health Tony Ryall is calling it the recovery phase as staff is rotated out to the islands to man hospital and field clinics seeing over a 100 people every day. Almost 200 people were killed, most drowned, some struck by debris as the tsunami waves came through at very high velocity.

Australia and New Zealand each contributed $6.1million to the emergency. New Zealand also gave $2 million immediately and sent HMNZS frigate Canterbury to the area with medical, military and search and rescue teams. She is currently anchored west of the Tongan island of Niuatoputapu deploying helicopter and inflatables to ferry supplies ashore (see pic). Next port of call is Samoa with 12 containers of aid cargo donated by New Zealanders.

UNICEF aims to reach 11 000 children with vitamin A and measles vaccines — its early estimate was that 2 000 children were displaced — in the 60 badly hit villages, 40 of which were destroyed. And AUT Pacific Scoop reports that China, France, Japan, Papua New Guinea, the USA and even Tonga itself have responded with assistance.

Fundraising and assistance has taken many forms, from donations to the Red Cross, Oxfam, Catholic aid agency Caritas Aotearoa, Habitat for humanity, the TEAR fund and World Vision, to airtime donated by a Christchurch radio station to link New Zealand Samoans to their friends and relations in the islands as well as raising $30 000. The National University of Samoa has raised $11 000 cash and also brought in clothing, cutlery, sheets and food.

Many volunteers from Oceania destinations have flooded in to rebuild houses, and help survivors cope. Essential supplies of food, water, shelter, clothing and sanitation facilities, remain a top priority, says UNICEF.

SPC TO BIGGER

SPC (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) will grow from 390 to 540 staff in coming months as most of the Suva-based Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission and all the the South Pacific Board of Educational Assessment will be absorbed into the one body.

All 22 member countries were unanimous in voting for the plans which will improve the spread of the network of regional and country offices across the Pacific says the SPC.

Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA all offered backing at the meeting and Australia's parliamentary secretary for development assistance Bob MacMullan said that Australia was 'very positive' about the role of SPC and how it made a good fit with its Pacific Partnerships for Development programme and the Cairns Compact which had come out of the recent Pacific Islands Forum for coordinated assistance in the region.

SPC director-general Dr Rodgers said SPC aimed to complete its planned assistance strategies with Fiji, Guam, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu in 2010 covering agricultural research, tuna stock assessments, public health, human rights, gender and youth issues, statistics, economic development, shipping and communication technology.

LOVE PATROL MARK II GOES TO AIR

The SPC says that Wan Smolbag's Love Patrol second series will go out on TV stations across the Pacific, launched in Fiji December 1, World AIDS day. New Zealand's Maori TV and Australia's ABC International have both asked for broadcasting rights. It goes to preview in Auckland this week. The theme of presenting ideas and information about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in a dramatic setting continues in the new series which introduces drug runners and 'attractive trainees in the police station' with one character coming out as HIV positive.

PIRATES OF THE PACIFIC

Greenpeace reports that more than US$9 million is lost each year to pirate fishing fleets, a significant amount of it in the Pacific. It points the finger at Japan, saying that Japan-flag vessels are a prime culprit and its government should show leadership in tackling illegal fishing especially in the Pacific. Currently it alleges Japan-flag Koyu Maru was fishing illegally off the Cook Islands and calls for the arrest of the captain.

The Greenpeace vessel Esperanza claims the Koyu Maru was hauling in tuna by longlining within Cook Islands waters where it had no licence to fish.

HAWAI'I SENATOR BACKS NEW SURGE

Hawai'i senior senator Daniel Inouye, back from a visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan, backs the view of US Army General Stanley McChrystal who advocates 40 000 more American troops for the battle zone. The Honolulu Advertiser ran an interview with Senator Inouye, who won a Medal of Honor in combat in WWII, and is chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee quoting him as saying that he cannot close his mind to the knowledge that for each 1 000 troops added an additional US$1 billion is added to the cost of the action.

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