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Surgery Done In Fiji Is CheaperThe cost of having a cardiac surgerydone in Fiji by visiting surgical teamsis almost three times lower than thecost of surgery done in Australia and

New Zealand via private insurance.This was revealed in a study undertakenfor the Ministry of Health by Centrefor Health Information Policy and

Systems Research (CHIPSR) througha Fiji Health Sector Support Program(FHSSP) grant.The study said cardiac treatment via avisiting team costs $17,615.15 while

private insurance evacuation cost was$51,547.54.Ministry of Health spokesmanPeni Namotu said the study was acomparative analysis undertaken by theFiji National University which had putthe Health Ministry in a good positionto secure better and economical cardiactreatment for Fiji."It therefore provides a platformfor future research for better andeconomical cardiac treatment forFijians," he said in a statement.Mr Namotu said with more people inFiji diagnosed with cardiac diseases,the study revealed cost of cardiac

treatment to local patients that weretreated locally and overseas."The study has tried to ascertain thecosts incurred due to cardiac treatmentvia three modes of health treatmentdelivery: via overseas evacuationthrough the Ministry of Health, via avisiting cardiac team and via overseas

evacuation through private healthinsurance," he said."Findings of the report have revealedthat cardiac treatment via healthvisiting teams is the cheapest of thethree options which is $17,615.15,however, limited by need for intensiveand anesthetic care."It is however not very much differentfrom costs incurred by the Ministry ofHealth (MOH) for overseas evacuationwhich is $21,723.79 for a wider arrayof services possible."Private insurance incurs the most cost,whereby treatment in New Zealand orAustralia cost $F51, 547.54 and Indiacost $26,641.28."Mr Namotu said the study providedan insight of the costs incurred and thequality of treatment provided by thethree modes of health treatment delivery.

Media Outlets To Adhere To Code,Ethics: AG

All media outlets in Fiji must adhereto their code of ethics and practice,emphasizes Attorney General AiyazSayed-Khaiyum.Sayed-Khaiyums response comesafter there were speculations that FijiTV Limited's licence would not berenewed.And this, according to the International

Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and itspartner the Pacic Freedom Forum(PFF) was due to a report by a FijiTV news that had interviews withthe deposed Prime Minister LaiseniaQarase and the Fiji Labour Party leaderMahendra Chaudhry responding to anearlier story in which ConstitutionalCommissioner Taufa Vakatale had

blamed politicians of the past for Fijis

current state.The report stated that the Fijiangovernment had stopped Fiji TV fromcovering members of the opposition.The order was not to broadcastcomments or pictures of peopleincluding Qarase, Chaudhry and FelixAnthony.However Sayed-Khaiyum in a

statement said he met with the chairmanof Fiji TV Limited Isoa Koloumaira onMay 25, this year.As far as news reporting wasconcerned, Fiji TV, like all other mediaorganisations, needed to adhere to theMedia Code of Ethics and Practice and

be balanced and fair, not just in formbut in substance, reiterated Sayed-Khaiyum.

Zumba Display Attracts Hundre

Hundreds of people were attracted toTappooCity walkway last weekendwith the loud energetic music and

people in tness attire dancing to thebeat.The one-hour long display was initiated

by Tappoo City to help promote itszumba tness program."We have zumba workouts everyFriday at level six of TappooCity andthis display was basically to just letthe people of Suva know about it,"said Tappoo Group events co-ordinatorKaushik Ram."Since Suva is being promoted as a

healthy city, we wanted to let pknow that Tappoo Group is doingit can to help promote healthy livMr Ram said the response fromcrowd was excellent with pcoming in numbers to enquire their weekly tness schedule."We had people from the mshopping centres, in buses and walking along the streets comwitness our display. It was encouraging."Zumba is for everyone, age

barrier. It is a good way to get t enjoying and jiving to good musi

Participants at the zumba display at TappooCity's walkway in Suva

Fiji Passports Coming NextWeek

Fijis passport supplier, OberthurTechnologies contract is likely to be

maintained as the new 40,000 booksscheduled to arrive in the country nextWednesday.Immigration director Major NemaniVuniwaqa said the company had assuredthat the passports, with new features,would arrive as promised earlier.Oberthur Technologies promised that40,000 books would arrive in thecountry in March since the companywas awarded a ve-year contract tosupply Fiji passports.I can reassure members of the publicthat we have not acquired any problemas yet which means the passports are

coming on this given date, MajorVuniwaqa said.

He said they would need to work ona schedule on the issuing of the book.Major Vuniwaqa said once the new

passports arrived members of thepublic whose applications had beenpending would be advised when theycould collect their book.As from last week we have received13,700 applications, although we donot want to disappoint applicants, weadvised them to refer to advertisementson when they can receive their

passport, Major Vuniwaqa said.He said 5000 emergency passportapplications had been received.

FHL Increases Stake In BlueLagoon Cruises

Fijian Holdings Limited has increasedits stake in the Blue Lagoon Cruisesfrom 70 to 93 per cent.A statement said this was executedthrough a Debt Capitalisation processwhich was resolved at a recent ExtraOrdinary general meeting of shareholdersof Blue Lagoon Cruises Ltd.FHL group chairman Iowane Naivelisaid this is a strategic move by FHL.Following its original acquisition in2001 at a cost of $FJ9.54 million, FHLhas made steady loan advances whichaccumulated to $9.7m by May, 2012.Through a debt conversion, new fully

paid up shares were issued to FHL forthe value of $FJ3m.Currently BLC owns and operates the

Mystique Princess and Fiji Princessalong the Yasawa Groups and visits

Lau Group three times a year.Acting group CEO Nouzab Fareeto date BLC has been strugglinto a challenging and volatile toenvironment, thus we have deto take the most appropriate stratecapitalise debt and own more th

per cent of BLC.He further said restructuring plan is horizon for BLC in the coming mincluding a complete refurbishmenfor Mystique Princess.Following debt capitalization, now owned 93.2 per cent of and the rest is owned by 46 shareholders.The board directors include N(chairman) Viliame Gavoka, Ul

Baya, Kemeueli Qoro, Rajesh and Nauzab Fareed.


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New Branding For Fiji Tourism

Fiji will soon reveal its new globaldestination brand following thedecision to discontinue using FijiMe, says the Ministry of Tourism

permanent secretary Elizabeth Powell.She made the comments whileaddressing accountants from around

the country at the annual Fiji Instituteof Accountants (FIA) congress at theSheraton in Nadi.Tourism Fiji will soon announce itsnew global brand, she said.We have stopped using Fiji Me andeveryone (stakeholders) are workingtogether on this.

She added that making sure that Fijiand Fijians get the maximum amountof publicity and awareness around theglobe as a truly wonderful destination.This is the main priority to make surethat we are able to relate to the differentcultural, traditional and environmental

aspects of Fiji, Powell said.She added that the outcomes currently

being worked on is for the best ofFijians.The brand Fiji Me was launched in2009 and has since been the backboneof Tourism Fiji's activities attractingvisitors from all over the globe.

Government Welcomes HFC LoanPackage

The Home Finance Company Ltdannounced a package for the oodvictims affected in the WesternDivision offering a reduction in their

interest rates to 4.5 per cent.The Acting Prime Minister andAttorney-General and Minister forIndustry and Trade, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said those affected by therecent oods can apply for a loan toHFC at 4.5 per cent interest per annumxed for ve years.Anybody whether it is a farmer or

business that needs to rebuild, renovate(or) replace can take loan of up to

$1 million and repay in ten years,Minister Sayed-Khaiyum said.The Acting Prime Minister said otherinstitutions in the market charge

interest at a higher rate and HFCs offerto assist ood victims is welcomed bythe Government.

Next Saturday, the HFC will be basedat the Sigatoka market kiosk offeringservices to the general public on thereduced interest rates. The followingSaturday, HFC will be at the FNPFin Ba offering similar services for theood victims.

Cyclists Donate $12,000 To PM'S Flood AppealThe Acting Prime Minister andAttorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum commended the efforts of ayoung group that cycled around VitiLevu to collect funds for the PrimeMinisters Flood Relief Fund.

Its wonderful what theyve done.Cycling around the island to raise fundsfor the Prime Ministers Flood Appealshows the willingness to contributeto the ood appeal but also it tells allof us that it can be done, Mr Sayed-

Khaiyum said.Many of these people were rst timecyclists. Some of them trained just acouple of weeks beforehand.Its obviously good for the health too.So it could be an inspiration for all ofus to be able to cycle around the islandor at least remain t.The nine member team left SuvasHoliday Inn on June 2nd at 9am andarrived June 9th at 2pm.They completed the 500 kilometercycle around Viti Levu in their bid toassist the relief works for ood victimsin the West.Team leader, Mr Howard Foster saidtheir main objective was to do a fund

raising appeal for the Prime MinRelief Fund.Ive been doing some researchand I thought of doing a fund rappeal since the terrible ooding Western Division, Mr Foster saiIt took us seven days to comple500 km of cycling around Viti LeWe have collected $11,500 andhas assured us that they will top itmake it $12,000, Mr Foster saidMr Foster acknowledged all thoshave assisted his team in makin500 kilometer cycling a success.I would also like to thank all who have contributed in kind ortowards this cycling, Mr Foster a

Casino To Attract New Markets To FThe multi-million dollar casino willbring about a new market segment inthe tourism industry.President of the Fiji Hotel and TourismAssociation Dixon Seeto said the casinoresort which includes a 1,500 seat

capacity convention center will bto cater for large conferences whiother hotels or resorts can cater foHe added apart from just becasino, it has major benets fowhole industry and economy.


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6

Ambassador Tuiloma Presents Credentials To ThPresident Of Peru

Fijis Ambassador to the FederativeRepublic of Brazil, Mr Cama Tuilomarecently presented his Letters ofCredence to the President of Peru H.EMr Ollanta Humala Tasso.As the First Non Resident Ambassadorof Fiji to the Republic of Peru,Ambassador Tuiloma joined four NonResident Ambassadors who presentedtheir credentials in a ceremony held inthe countrys capital, Lima this month.Ambassador Tuiloma informedPresident Tasso that the Fiji Perurelations has continued to strengthenthrough high level exchanges resultingin the deepening of political mutualrespect and trust between bothcountries. Fiji looks to expandingand cooperating in business, tourism,culture and education, among otherareas of sustainable development, andsound communication, coordinationand support of international andregional efforts.Perus economy is growing at therate of 7 percent per annum andeconomic reforms in recent years havesupported economic expansion andreductions in poverty. Perus evolvingentrepreneurial sector has beneted

from increased access to nancing aswell as improved regulatory efciency.Open-market policies that support tradeand investment have been graduallyinstitutionalized. The government hasentered into free trade pacts with a

number of countries around the world.Peru, together with Colombia, Chileand Mexico signed an accord on June6th creating the Pacic Alliance tomore deeply integrate their economies,and develop new trade links with theAsia-Pacic region.

During the week, Ambassador Tumet with the Vice Minister and SOfcials of Perus Ministry of FoAffairs and held discussions with the Minister for AgricuProduction (Commerce and TradEducation.Fiji and Peru have enjoyed crelations over the years and havFijian Ambassador to be accrediPeru will certainly improve bilrelations between the two countrthe years to come.

FTUC - Garment Workers Live In PovertyFiji garment workers earn and live

below the poverty line, say Fiji TradeUnion Congress national secretaryFelix Anthony.Anthony said this is nothing that Fijiought to be proud of.His comment comes after theannouncement by the president of theFiji Textile, Clothing and FootwearCouncil, Kalpesh Solanki last monththat the garment industry is poised fora $100 million boom.Anthony said this is denitely derivedfrom the blood and sweat of thegarment industry workers where 70

per cent are women who are forced towork on low and demeaning wages.Their current rate of wages per WagesCouncil Order is a measly $1.65 perhour for learners and $1.96 for others

that are all other class of workers in thegarment industry. It is no secret thatthis was arrived at after a long battle,"Anthony said in a statement.The Garment Industry Wages Councilhad agreed some time ago that the newand revised rates for the workers should

be $1.80 and $2.15 respectively.However, Anthony said thisrecommendation has been mysteriouslylost somewhere in the system.The chairman of the Wages Councils(Fr K. Barr) has openly declared that theTCF has always opposed such necessarychanges and then gone via the back doorto frustrate the implementation of theagreed increases. The same applies rightnow so their boast today for improvedfuture is same old rhetoric and soundsas hollow as ever.

The 2012 UNDP Survey for Vanuashows that over 48 per cent of poputhere is living below the poverty linAnthony said it has been determtime and again that one of the reasons for poverty in this coundue to the low level of wages pthe employees. This is reected s

by the wages paid to the workers garment industry.Solanki said in his speech at theChina bilateral technical assisworkshop last month that the GaWages Council was the very rst wcouncil to agree to the increase minimum wages in April this yeaHe said through consensus it was agrincrease minimum wages by nine peThis recommendation is beforMinistry of Labour at the momen


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Bollywood Wedding In DenaraA very picturesque location in Denarauwas brilliantly utilized to carry out theshooting of the Bollywood lm 3G.The crew used the Sheraton WeddingChapel to do a wedding scene for thelm, being produced under the NextGen Films (Fiji) banner.The lm stars Bollywood hunk Neil

Nitin Mukesh and beauty SonalChauhan as lead.A number of locals have also beenselected to act in the lm.Meanwhile, the lm was also shot inseveral hot spots of the tourist town of

Nadi.The lm began shooting in the Western

parts of the country last week afternished shooting in the CentralDivision.So far, fans of Mr Mukesh in Fiji have

been very impressed with the way he

has been meeting the local pgiving autographs and taking picThe lm is on a 40-day shoschedule in Fiji.This is the third big-budget lm shot in the country this year follow

previous Bollywood lm Supermand a British Film Bula Quo bas

the famous band, Status Quo.Our tourism industry is expect

benet largely from such lms wwould showcase our beautiful locto a large number of viewers acroworld.Film Fiji acting chief execFlorence Swamy has already conmore lms would be shot in Fijyear.This inux in lm shootings is laattributed to the tax rebates intro

by Government.

10 Years For RapeA 22-year-old man who had raped hisseven-year-old neighbour in Februarylast year was sentenced to ten years in

jail by the Lautoka High Court.Justice Priyantha Nawana upheld theunanimous guilty verdict that wasdelivered by the assessors.In sentencing Justice Nawana said the

accused breached the trust reposed onhim by the father of the victim.Rape is a very serious crime. Thenature of the crime is such that a victimis subjected to physical harm and

psychological trauma at the behest ofan offender for his ephemeral lust.Justice Nawana called on parents to

prevent exposure of their children tothis sort of vulnerable situations.The parents must be faulted anddeserve to be admonished for exposingthe child to a grave crime such as this.It is the duty of the parents and theguardians to prevent the children fromexposing to this kind of vulnerablesituations.Evidence, on the contrary, showed that

the circumstances unwisely createdby the father to leave the victim withthe 20-year-old accused had led to theaccusers delinquent conduct.The court heard that the accused whowas a friend of the father of the victimhad helped the victims family movefrom Lautoka to Sigatoka and stayed

with them for two days.The court heard that later that daywhen the parents left him alone withtheir two children to go and buy somegroceries the accused had sexualintercourse with the victim.It was not until a month later that thevictim conded in the neighbour whohad noticed the victims weird behaviorat a dance where a police investigationand medical examination conrmedthe incident had indeed taken place.The accused denied the allegation andin defense stated that the two childrenwere under the care of the landlady andnot with him when the parents went forshopping that day which was rejected

by the assessors.

Radical Groups Not Welcomed By FijiRadical groups that disrupt legitimate environmental conservation not

welcomed by Fiji

The Republic of Fiji takes veryseriously the protection of its pristineenvironment, specically with regardto the sustainable preservation of itswaters and sheries.Government is currently working withlocal and international conservationorganisations and the shingindustry, which are assisting theFijian Department of Fisheries withmonitoring, education, and awareness.

Together with these partners, Fiji iscommitted to sustainable development

policies that aim to protect the countrysmarine resources, while taking into

account the socio-economic needsof Fijian citizens, in order to ensuresustainable livelihoods.Radical international groups, suchas the Sea Shepherd ConservationSociety, any similar organisation orany other related party, which seekto sensationalize esoteric shing

practices, including on so-called"reality television," do so for purposesof self-promotion at the expense of

disrupting legitimate conservationwork. These groups are not welcomein Fiji and will not be tolerated byGovernment.

Ban Plastic Bags

UTO ni Yalo captain Jonathan Smithbelieves Fiji citizens must becomeresponsible for the ocean and ban

plastic bags.We have witnessed so much damageto the worlds ocean and we come backhome with a message for Fiji to ban the

plastic bag, he said as the Pacic Voyagersarrived in Suva. If youre going shopping,

take a bag from home with you.We came across a town that did notuse plastic bags at all. People tooktheir own bags to the supermarket andused environmentally-friendly and

biodegradable bags.Captain Smith said covering 70 percent of the planet, the worlds vastwaters provided food, oxygen, jobsand more.Although we heavily depend on theocean, new shing technologies,

pollution, lax regulation, and agrowing global human population withits higher demand for sh have all put

the oceans health at risk, he said.After sailing more than 50,000kilometers more than once around theEarth at the equator to Fiji since Marchlast year he said the ocean suffered

because of overshing and pollution.The trash we put into the ocean,whether from land or directly intothe sea, has a tremendous impact.Wherever we sailed we found plasticsall over, he said. We lled both hullsof the Uto with plastic bags of sortsand other rubbish that we found in thewater between our voyage legs.The Uto crew rescued a strugglingturtle because it had eaten a plastic bag.It is very sad to see what were doingto our ocean. Every little thing we doon land has some consequence in thewater, he said.The Pacic Voyagers will rest in Suva

before departing for Vanuatu and thento the Solomons for the Pacic ArtsFestival.

Issue Raised On Suitcases Of Money BeiUsed On Casino Gaming Table

Concerns and questions were raised inrelation to people bringing suitcasesof money and putting it on top of thegaming table at the Fiji Casino.This was raised by some accountantsat the 40th Fiji Institute of AccountantsCongress at Denarau over the weekend.In response, Permanent Secretary ofTourism, Elizabeth Powell said there

will be a fair mechanism in plathe country, on the dollars tha

be coming in and also going oFiji.She said Reserve Bank of FijGovernment are currently lookinthe matter.The multi-million dollar casinexpected to open in October next


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Captain Cook Fiji Establishes 'Pamper Me' CruiseCaptain Cook Cruises Fiji for the rsttime ever established an extraordinaryfour night exclusive, indulgent 'PamperMe' Yasawa Island cruise aboard theirrecently launched MV Reef Endeavourwhich is Fiji's biggest, one and onlyexotic and most luxurious cruise shipsailing the Fijian waters

The cruise has been made special withthe inclusion of two top New Zealandfashion experts, the pair of twin sistersCheryl Polwart and Karen Matich whowill share life changing tips and will

be educating men and women onboardhow to create new looks to match withdifferent environments.The twin sisters operate a fashion shopin New Zealand called the PolwarthDesign and are the leading fashionconsultants there.They took timeout from their busyschedule so that they can be part of thecruise as they noticed that this was anamazing chance for them to showcasetheir 27 years of experience in workingwith women, and share their passionfor style, fashion and inner beauty.The duo said that they have this crazeto promote women empowerment bysharing their love and knowledge offashion and beauty.Ms Powart commended that in herlife she has travelled through Europe,America and the South Pacic;however she has never experienced thecruise ship lavishness."I am extremely excited about this

Pamper Me cruise and hope to sharemy knowledge of fashion and beautyat my best," said Ms Powart.Both the sisters have been running

body workshops with great successover the past ve years which has beenincredibly empowering and inspiring.They commented that it was great to

watch women gain condence in theirown body, style and self image.Karen and Cheryl have developed threefashion workshops for the 'Pamper Me'Cruise in which they will be providingtips about body lining, how to avoidfashion disasters and will be sharingtheir experiences with the facts of howto lose 5 kilos without putting yourrunning shoes on."No matter how pretty or beautiful weare we always feel that there is alwayssomething the other person has andwe don't, so we are here to help you toovercome these situations," she added.To give more avor to the cruise theduo have been joined by beauty expertDebra Sadranu the Managing Directorof South Pacic Academy of BeautyTherapy and the Senikai Spas Fiji, whowill reveal the new trends in hair andmakeup and also reveal some of hersecrets behind weight loss and bodysculpting beauty therapy.Ms Sadranu said that she will be advisingand conducting workshops with Cheryland Karen and will concentrate on the

beauty side of people."I will be looking on the beauty side

of the workshops whereby I will beadvising people on the skin types andthe specied products to use on it."In the workshop she will also talk onmethods of how to feel good, howthe Detoxication process can helpremove toxins from the body and the

benets of sea minerals to our body

with a touch of weight loss tips.Good looks are a major concern of today's

people so Ms Debra Sadranu through herknowledge will also elaborate on theapplication of makeup and the dos anddon'ts when applying them.The specialists from two different

paths (beauty and fashion) of workwill combine to offer the Pamper Meexperience onboard the MV Reef

Endeavour when out at sea for the cThe Pamper Me cruise has been initiaCaptain Cook Cruises Sales ManageZealand Anne Radonich after discuswith Cheryl, Karen and Debra.Ms Radonich said that this irst time this sort of cruise hasorganized in Fiji.

"This is an addition to the actto the cruise and we would locontinue with this after looking response of the people on boardRadonich said.It will be interesting to see whatoverseas and local fashion and bexperts' have to offer and howindulge and work together to prthe best service to the people onb

(From L-R): Twin sisters Karen Matich and Cheryl Polwart with Managing DireSenikai Spas Fiji Debra Sadranu sharing happy moments before boarding th

cruiseship MV Reef Endeavour (in the background)


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Friday June 15, 2012www.jitimescanada.com12 Times Fiji News

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PM Meets With PotentialInvestors

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimaramaparticipated at the opening of theZhejiang Investment and TradeSymposium in Ningbo.Following the opening, Prime MinisterBainimarama toured international

booths at the symposium and wasassured by the Governor of ZhejiangProvince that a Fiji Booth would beincluded in next years symposium.The Head of Government then visitedthe county of Shaoxing in the Zhejiang

province. He was hosted by the viceMayor of Shaoxing Municipality, MrXu Minguang. At the meeting, the PrimeMinister was briefed that approvals had

been given from Shaoxing to TengyCement to commence construction ofthe cement factory in Fiji and to furtherinvest in iron ore extraction.Meanwhile, a dalo factory in Shaoxinghas been given the green light toexplore ways to purchase dalo fromFiji and look at ways to produce dalo

products with the intent of setting up afactory in Fiji soon. Arrangements areunderway to export dalo to Shaoxingimmediately. There is a huge market fordalo in China and the Prime Minister is

particularly interested in providing amarket for dalo to our farmers in boththe rural or remote areas.Shaoxing also has the largest textile

production in China with a totalproduction capital of RMB89billionin 2012 and foreign trade earnings ofUSD33billion dollars. Talks are nowunderway to pursue similar operationsin Fiji.Prime Minister Bainimarama thankedthe Shaoxing Local Government fortheir support to Fiji and said thatFiji would be most willing to accept

genuine investors from Shaoxing. Healso invited food processing and fruitcompanies to come to Fiji to takeadvantage of available farming land.He concluded his meeting with the ViceMayor by thanking the Government ofChina for being a staunch and genuineally of Fiji when most of its friendsdeserted Fiji since 2006. In additionhe stated that "China has been verysupportive of our reforms and theFijian Government is very appreciativeof this; it is because of this support thatwe have been able to progress steadilyover the years".

PM Sends CongratulatoryMessage To Queen Elizabeth II

Prime Minister CommodoreVoreqe Bainimarama has sent hisgood wishes to her Majesty QueenElizabeth II on the occasion of herdiamond jubilee.Commodore Bainimarama said on

behalf of all Fijians in paying tributeon your diamond jubilee celebrationsa momentous occasion not onlycelebrated in the United Kingdom but

around the Commonwealth.According to Bainimarama while thehistorical links of our two countries

pre-date Fijis independence, Fijianscontinue to demonstrate a high regardfor the United Kingdom and have deepaffection and respect for the BritishRoyal family.He also wished the Duke of Edinburgha speedy recovery from his ill health.


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Children Ask For WiderParticipation

Child labour is not an issue that shouldonly be discussed and left to relevantauthorities to deal with.Students from primary and secondaryschools, who participated in the oratorycompetition commemorating theWorld Day against Child Labour, had acommon underlying theme - the issueof child labour is everyones business.This years theme for the day ofHuman Rights and Social Justice- Lets End Child Labour gave thechildren the right platform on whatshould be done to address this socialill.Many children who competed in thecontest organised by the Ministry of

Labour said parents, who lead or evenallowed their children to work whenthey should actually be school, must beheld accountable.Ministry of Labour deputy secretary,Samuela Namosimalua, said while a lotof work was being done by Governmentto keep children in school, child labour

persisted to be a problem in Fiji that

needed to be addressed.If you value human life then it should

be our collective responsibility toeradicate child labour, he said.Mr Namosimalua highlighted thatPillar 9 of the Peoples Charter forChange, Peace and Progress, whichwas to Make Fiji knowledge basedsociety, was possible if children wereallowed to stay in school and learn.He said the ministry was taking athree-fold approach when dealing withthe issue of child labour.One is the direct approach wherebyafter taking the child out of childlabour, he or she admitted to theeducation system.

The other approach is to get thechild registered with the NationalEmployment Council if the child is 15years and above.As a third approach, the technicalvocational centers within the secondaryschool systems also train children withwide range of technical and vocationaltraining, Mr Namosimalua said.

DS Ministry of Labour, Mr Samuela Namosimalua with ILO South Pacic

Director, Mr David Lamotte

Local Manufacturers To TargeOverseas Market

The Fiji Government is advising localmanufacturers to improve the qualityof their products to meet internationalstandards.Speaking at the Fijian Made and BuyFijian Campaign, Attorney General

and Minister for Industry and TradeAiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said there arelocal companies who are dealing withinternational schools and companies.Sayed-Khaiyum said the emphasis ison the quality and standard of Fijianmade products and if branding is done

properly, it would also attract theoverseas markets.The Ministry of Industry and Tradeintends to launch a three year planfor the Fijian Made & Buy FijianCampaign with the Fiji Commerceand Employers Federation on the longterm sustainability of the Fijian Made Buy Fijian brand.The Bainimarama Government has set

half a million dollars for the campto be carried forward for the nextyears.Sayed-Khaiyum said the focus create more awareness of the campWe have yers and billboards w

are in Suva but not a huge prein the West. We are also thinkiawareness in Vanua Levu. The

primarily is public awareness ocampaign.Himen Chandra from the Fiji Command Employers Federation (FCEFthe private sector is totally committhe campaign and the response froconsumers is very positive.FCEF chief executive NHazelman said at the end of the

businesses want a one-stop shodoing business in terms of acq

business license, compliance fehave a rationale in the way chargdone

60 Year Old Jailed For RapeA 60-year-old man has been sentencedto seven years imprisonment for rapinghis sister-in-law.The father of four pleaded guilty to twocounts of rape before High Court judge

Justice Salesi Temo in Suva.The court heard that on May 18, 2008,the victim went with the accused in his

boat to drop her son off at school andreturned via the same boat that evening.Only the accused and the complainant werein the boat which developed problems anddrifted among a group of islands.Justice Temo said the accused gavethe only blanket to the complainantto cover herself and later shared the

blanket with the complainant.Justice Temo said the offence was aserious breach of trust, saying the accusedwas the elder brother of the complainants

husband, who died in 2008."The accused thereby stood in a positionof trust to the complainant who was hissister-in-law," Justice Temo said."He was supposed to look after her and

care for her. Instead, he raped her whenshe was vulnerable in his boat out atsea at the time."Furthermore, by committing thecrime, the accused showed utterdisregard to the complainants right asan individual, including her dignity."The accused was extremely selshin forcing himself on the complainantwithout seeking her consent."Justice Temo sentenced the man toseven years imprisonment for eachcount to be served concurrently.He also ordered that the accused servea non-parole period of ve years.


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Understand Fijis Foreign Polic

Civil servants planning to take updiplomatic positions need to understandFijis foreign policy settings and theagendas, which have matured andorganically developed since 2006.Public Service Commission chairman,Josefa Serulagilagi was speaking at theDiplomatic Induction Training for civilservants looking at a career in Fijisgrowing network of diplomatic presence,

a course designed and conducted by FijisAmbassador to Japan, His ExcellencyMr Isikeli Mataitoga.He said the level of independence shown

by Fijis foreign policy agenda andpractice will need to be maintained withbilateral and regional relations to be on anew footing, as the new power balancingneeded to be taken into account.Mr Serulagilagi also said that humanresource development cannot beseparated from economic progressand there were several advances in

technology that many die-hardservants were still grappling withHe said there was still a preferenthe long laborious tasks of pu

pens and punching les, ratherpressing touch-go buttons that rework durations immensely.There is no denying that it isimportant for all Government ageto bring into full play the ro

skills development and traininimproving the quality and capacworkers, Mr Serulagilagi said.This is vital because we eownership and commitment, to the agenda through, despite the challenges we have faced and that await us in the future.The week-long programme widiplomats from countries sucIndia, the United States of Amand Papua New Guinea speaking

participants.

Participants of the Diplomatic Induction Training with PS PSC Parmesh Chand,chairman Josefa Serulagilagi and Fiji's Ambassador to Japan, HE Isikeli Matai

Speak To Your Children AboutHIV/Aids: President

His Excellency the President RatuEpeli Nailatikau has urged parents toeducate their children about the deadlyepidemic of HIV/AIDS and the variousissues related to it, as HIV education

begins from home.

Ratu Epeli, who is visiting Sigatoka aspart of his nation-wide anti- HIV AIDScampaign, told students and teachers ofSigatoka Methodist College that HIV/AIDS is very much a fact in all ourlives today.He said students must be taught aboutthese issues now in school so that theymake responsible decisions in theirown lives and inform others about thisdisease at the same time.Parents should by now have realizedafter 40 years that HIV/AIDS is notgoing to go away by just ignoringit and by avoiding talking about it.HIV/AIDS can only go away by ourcombined response in educating rstthe family and next the public at large

about this deadly epidemic, for whichthere is no known cure, Ratu Epelisaid.The President said that the public atlarge is being educated about HIV/AIDS but it is the parents responsibilityto play their part.Parents must reject stigmaand discrimination. They mustcommunicate openly about the risksand they must change behaviournorms. We already know what worksand what does not work about theresponse to HIV/AIDS and no parentwill ever accept the sad fact that withAIDS there is a possibility, a sad one at

that, that their children could go beforethey do.Their children are part of the 15-29 and the 30-39 age groups. Thesetwo groups are considered the youthwho are the most sexually active and

they make the bulk of the workingpopulation and the most vulnerable.Parents should talk to their childrenabout family values, about beingcaring and about being careful, aboutabstinence and practicing safe sex,Ratu Epeli added.He stressed that teachers are there toassist in the teaching process but HIVeducation must begin with the parents.Ensuring safer sex reduces the spreadof HIV. We need to get more people,

particularly the youth, to adopt safersexual behaviours. The catch word is toget it on before you get it on, he said.He also called on everybody towork together in ensuring there arezero new HIV infections, zero HIV

discrimination and zero HIV/AIDSrelated death.Ratu Epeli re-emphasized the need forGovernment, the business community,faith based organisations and all Fijiansto work together in raising the muchneeded awareness across all levels ofour society.With international campaigns againstthe deadly disease gaining momentum,the support of the nation was critical inminimizing the risks associated withthe spread of the disease."You, parents have a more importantrole to play as the awareness needed tostart from home," Ratu Epeli added.


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Diwesh Sharma

Australia Donates $8.2M To Pacics Disabled

The Australian Government hasdonated $FJ8.2 million to the PacicDisability Forum.As announced by Australias ForeignMinister, Senator Bob Carr, it has toempower people with disabilities toreach their full potential.

People with disability are ofteninvisible and shut out of communitylife. The Pacic Disability Forum

brings people with disability togetherto have a stronger voice for theirrights with governments, civil societyand development partners at local,national and international levels, saidSenator Carr.The Pacic Disability Forum isthe regional umbrella network of

Disabled Persons Organisations in thePacic, and today in Fiji it helped tostage an important event that broughttogether stakeholders from across thePacic to discuss community-basedrehabilitation approaches.It provides leadership training for

men and women with disability tolead social change in their countriesand activities to increase communityawareness and recognition of the needsand aspirations of Pacic people withdisability, said Senator Carr.Over the past year, Australias

partnership with the Pacic DisabilityForum has helped 13 Disabled PersonsOrganisations across nine PacicIsland countries to raise awareness

about disability rights in the Pacic.Chairman of the Pacic DisabilityForum Seta Macanawai, in astatement, said they have been very

pleased to have a genuine and equalpartnership with AusAID from thestart, which is empowering to people

with disabilities.The Pacic Disability Forumappreciates the steps taken by theAustralian government for responding

positively, effectively and generouslyto the aspirations of Pacic people.As a result, people with disability have

been able to participate equally indeveloping national disability policiesin Niue, Tuvalu, Palau, Tonga andKiribati.

Amputee AwardedA 32-year-old Labasa sports instructorwho lost both his legs in a road

accident in 2007 has been awarded acompensation of $667,722 by the HighCourt in Labasa.Zahid Afwaz Ali won the case againstthe Patterson Brothers ShippingCompany Limited, Prasad HoldingLimited, and the two bus drivers whowere involved in the incident.Presiding judge Justice PradeepHettiarachchi in delivering judgmentsaid the plaintiff is entitled to damagesfor pain and suffering.In assessing damages for pain andsuffering, court takes into account notonly the suffering which the plaintiffhad suffered immediately after theaccident, but also the future sufferingthat he will have throughout his life.

At the time of the accident the plaintiffwas 27 years of age, was a youngand dynamic person and had a verycheerful life. However, his promisingfuture was ruined by the accident andno amount of compensation can bring

back the normal life that he had beforethe accident.

Unquestionably, he would have alsoexperienced excruciating pain and

discomfort when he was being trainedto wear articial limbs in a hospital inIndia.The defense challenged the suit withthe explanation that no receipt was

produced by the plaintiff in court.The court heard that the plaintiffexplained that the ticket that was onhim was lost after the bulldozer pulledhim free from the wreckage.Justice Hettiarachchi concludedthat although the plaintiff had failedto produce any receipt to justifytransportation cost to Labasa hospital.It is common knowledge that no oneis issued with receipts when he orshe hire a taxi in Fiji. Therefore, the

plaintiff cannot be expected to have

receipts issued by the taxis.Patterson Brothers Shipping CompanyLimited, Prasad Holdings Limitedand Sabir Hussein, a bus driver, were

jointly ordered by the court to pay$667,722 to the victim.The court had heard that Ali hadaccompanied his students to a sports

competition in Suva.They took a return trip via the

Nabouwalu route by the Spirit ofHarmony when the bus that Hussein,the bus driver, tried to overtake the buson which Mr Ali was travelling on.At Tabia, they collided resulting inthe rear end of the bus breaking apartand hitting a Fiji Electricity Authority(FEA) post.Ali was sitting in the middle of the busand his legs were struck between themetal of the bus and the FEA post.His legs were nally freed, by a bulldozer half an hour later but both hislegs were crushed and his right leg washanging above the knee.Ali then was taken to the LabasaHospital where his legs were amputatedand later on personal loan then went to

India for articial limbs surgery andtted prosthetic surgery.In assessing damages for pain andsuffering, Justice Hettiarachchi said thecourt took into account the immediateand long term suffering Ali wentthrough and future economic loss andfurther medical treatment.

Fijis Adi Samanunu Cakobau Talakuli Dies At 72Adi Samanunu Cakobau Talakulisdeath is a great loss, says her cousinAdi Finau Tabakaucoro.She was the eldest daughter of the lateRatu Sir George Cakobau.Adi Finau said Adi Samanunu, 72, was

a role model for most of us.She was beautiful and gracious andwhen she needed to make a toughdecision, she did it with courtesy, saidan emotional Adi Finau.Adi Samanunu has been sick for awhile and last month when I spoke toher she said the doctor told her that shehas some liver problems.She was Minister for Fijian Affairs in1994 and 1995, and was considered as acandidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1997.She became Fiji's High Commissioner toMalaysia and Ambassador to Thailandand the Economic and Social Commission

for Asia and the Pacic in 1999.She got appointed to the Fijian Senatein June 2006 as one of nine nomineesof the Fijian government; Talakuliwas also appointed to the Cabinet as aMinister without portfolio.

As the eldest child of the last Vunivaluof Bau, she was considered the senior-most chief of the Kubuna Confederacy;however she was not a member of theBose Levu Vakaturaga.Adi Samanunus siblings include RatuGeorge Cakobau Jr, Adi Litia QalireaCakobau, and Ratu Epenisa SeruCakobau.She is survived by her husband ManasaTalakuli, who was the rst Fijian to becommissioned into the British Armyand her only son.Her funeral is expected to be held nextFriday.


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3 Ghana Students Plead Guilty ToFraud Charges

Three Ghana nationals have pleadedguilty to the charge of illegal use of

personal information from credit cardsfrom November 30 last year to January8 this year

Marvin Opoku Agyemang, BoakyeVincent Kwame, and Isaac Velisonentered their guilty plea beforeMagistrate Yohan Liyange in theMagistrates Court in Suva and admittedusing credit card information of at leastsix different people.Agyemang, Kwame and Vellisonwere represented by Legal Aid lawyerSenikavika Jiuta.Attorney for the State Taina Leweni readout the summaries of facts for the trio.The court heard that the three rstarrived in Fiji as part of a group fromthe World Harvest Social Club inAccra, Ghana in November last year.With their student visas they enteredthe country and supposedly came to do

internship in Eco -Tourism in Fiji.Before arriving in Fiji they alsotravelled through Kenya, India,Singapore and Papua New Guinea.According to prosecution while in Fiji,the three stayed at various hotels.Seamus Chang an employee ofVodafone Fiji Limited, noticed someirregular activities on the Vodafoneonline shop of recharges of $100 and

reported the matter to the WestpacBank to verify whether the transactionswere authorized.Upon investigations made by Westpacemployee Jasmeen Bhan, veried that

the transactions were not authorized bythe legal owners of the credit cards.The trio was arrested after a relatedincident was reported at the Samabula

branch of Court Fiji Limited, wherethey had used fake American passportsfor purchases.The court heard that upon a search ofthe house where they stayed revealedcredit card information of six people-one from United States of America,one from Australia and the four ofunknown origins, which the three are,said to have used dishonestly.While pleading guilty, the three askedMagistrate Liyanage for time to maketheir mitigation submission.Magistrate Liyanage also ordered

that Boakes medical certicate bepresented in court when the case isrecalled as Boake claimed that hewas suffering from cancer and did nothesitate to take his t-shirt off and showthe swelling on his chest.He stated that he did not get medicalattention although this was approved

by court.The case resumes on June 22.

Fiji And Kazakhstan Tie To BooTourism

Fiji is looking to boost diplomaticrelations with Kazakhstan, whichinclude a visa arrangement betweenthe two countries.The Republic of Kazakhstans Non-

Resident Ambassador to Fiji, BeibutAtamkulov, met Foreign Minister RatuInoke Kubuabola in Suva last weekto discuss avenues that would boostdiplomatic relations between the twocountries.Kazakhstan, one of the 15 independentstates seceded from the USSR in itsdissolution in 1991, is keen to look atopportunities for co-operation withinthe Asia Pacic region."First, we need to ease Kazakhstanand Fiji nationals access to eithercountry. By that, the two countrieswill be looking at a reciprocal visaarrangement."In this way, Kazakhstan and Fijinationals will be free to visit each

other without any worries about visarequirements," Ratu Inoke said.Mr Atamkulov said he was appreciative

of the visit to Fiji because it wopportunity for him to learn abocountry and witness its beauty."I am most happy to be here awitness the beauty of nature in

Mr Atamkulov said.He stated a group of Kazakh busineswould be invited to come to Fiji toat possible business prospects, espein the tourism sector.Mr Atamkulov is also keen to Fijis aviation sector after discovFijis national airline now offersweekly ights to Hong Kong.the 500,000 Kazakh tourists that their country for warmer places dwinter, the news about these wights is indeed promising,"Atamkulov said.Kazakhstan recently playedimportant role in regards to bothand world markets because of iand natural gas reserves. Withi

next decade, Kazakshstan is projto become one of the worlds largproducers and exporters.


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Reports Highlight Worst Form OfChild Labour

More than 500 children are involved in

the worst form of child labour in Fiji.According to recent reports from theInternational Labour Organisation(ILO) some of the worst forms ofchild labour in the country includecommercial sexual exploitation ofchildren, drug trafcking, begging andhazardous work where children underthe age of 15 are involved.Speaking during the World DayAgainst Child Labour celebrationsin Suva, the Director for ILO SouthPacic Countries, David Lamotte saidthe main contributing factors to childlabour in Fiji were poverty, family

breakdown, education, unemployment,internal migration and crisis situation."Programs to withdraw and prevent

children from the worst forms of childlabour have found that many childrenare out of the education system, havingdropped out of school from a fewmonths to at least ve years ago," MrLamotte said.He said the lack of social supportservices and relevant education

programs for child labourers andschool dropouts posed a challenge toeffectively removing children from theworst forms of child labour.Fiji's Ministry of Labour, Child LabourUnit manager Atish Kumar said a childin Fiji could start work from the age

of 15 but should not be exposed to

hazardous working environment."A child in Fiji can qualify to workin any environment once he or she is18 and above and provided he or sheis getting paid in accordance to theminimum wage rate."With the minimum wage rate in Fiji

being $2.75 an hour, Mr Kumar,however, said children's main priorityshould be education."Children are the future of our society.We are currently withdrawing themfrom work and admitting them inschools because through education theywill be able to get better jobs," he said.Issuing a stern warning to those whoemploy under aged children, Mr Kumarsays the ministry is working on some

cases to prosecute employers who areemploying under aged children andthose who do not pay them a minimumwage.Meanwhile, the Ministry ofLabour Deputy Secretary Samuela

Namosimalua said an individual can bened $10,000 and more than $50,000for a corporate business if foundemploying under aged children.Mr Namosimalua also assured that as

part of the Millennium DevelopmentGoal, Fiji is trying to reach the targetto eliminate any worst form of childlabour by 2016.

Fiji And India Trade TalkTalks have begun between Fiji andIndia on co-operation in the area oftrade standards.This has been conrmed by thePermanent Secretary for Industry andTrade, Shaheen Ali.

Mr Ali, during the Pacic AreaStandards Congress (PASC) in Yeosu,Korea, had bilateral discussions withthe director general of Bureau of IndianStandards, Alinda Chandra.The preliminary discussions with the

bureau has been around the establishmentof a memorandum of understanding(MOU) between Department of NationalTrade Measurement and Standard of Fijiand the Bureau of Indian Standards, hesaid.The MOU is expected to enable Fiji getassistance in standards development,through access to standards andtechnical assistance for furtherenhancement of Fijian standardizationactivities.

Mr Ali said India has been involvedin standardization since the 1947 andFiji stood to gain a lot from the Indianexperience.The advantage with having co-operation with India in the area ofstandards development is that Fijiwill be able to adopt developingcountry perspective in sectors like theknowledge industry, he said.To date, Fiji has had cooperation with

Standards Australia which hasvaluable and much appreciated.Mr Ali believes India also stangain from Fiji and the Pacic, thhaving a better understanding omarket needs and standards prio

of the region.This will in turn facilitate Iindustries entering into the Pmarket, he said.Fijis attendance of the PASC mhas led to a resolution to be takthe PASC Executive Committe

progressing standards infrastructthe Pacic.Fiji would provide an updathe forthcoming PASC execommittee meetings on the strato further this initiative.Mr Ali said this would be doneundertaking extensive consultwith its fellow Pacic Island counWe will then highlight to the Pmembers, the level and the type

operation and assistance requiredsaid.Mr Ali stressed the Fijian Governhad taken the decision to reviewstandards administration and labounder the Ministry of IndustryTrade.The Minister for Industry and TAiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is keeexplore the regional approach ireview, he said.


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Friday June 15, 2012www.jitimescanada.com18 Times Fiji News

ONLINE scammers are becomingmore creative and local banks havewarned customers to be careful."Customers need to be alert but notalarmed by these scammers. Theyshould keep a close watch on theiraccounts and report any suspicioustransactions immediately to theirnancial institution," Association ofBanks in Fiji (ABIF) general secretaryRasiklal Jogia said.Online fraud or scams refer to any typeof fraud that users email, web sites, chatrooms or message boards to presentfraudulent propositions to prospectivevictims mainly to solicit money fromtheir accounts, the ABIF said.Banking fraud, it added, could also

involve card skimming, whereinformation from the magnetic strip

of a credit or ATM card is copied.Once scammers have skimmed a card,they can create another card with thestolen information and run up chargeson a customers account. This is alsoa way identities are stolen where the

scammers can take out loans using thisinformation.According to the ABIF, fraudsters arealso calling people pretending to be

bank ofcers and asking questionsabout customers' personal details.There is also a growing trend of mulerecruiters those who advertise fake

jobs. Last year, at the Anti MoneyLaundering workshop, the Fiji PoliceForce estimated that collectively localslost about $1million in a visa scam afterresponding to an advertisement by a manwho offered permanent residency inAustralia and asked for bank card details.Annually, the country is estimatedto have at least $100million in blackmoney within our nancial system.

While at least $33m is on tax evasion,the rest are proceeds of crime, cyber

crimes and cheque frauds. Last week,ABIF warned customers to be wary ofonline scams saying they were on a rise."People should never give out their

personal condential information,even to their close family and friends,"Westpac Fiji general manager Adrian

Hughes said."Because we issued you thosepasswords and personal identicationnumbers (PINs) and the like in the rst

place, Westpac would never email ortext customers asking them about theironline banking details and passwords."Even if we need to verify a transaction,we'll call the customer but we wouldnever ask for those personal details."We've got a strong sound systemto protect our customers money.However, controls and security of

personal details are compromised ifa customer gives out their personaldetails to unauthorized third parties.Its like them giving the key to theirhouse directly to the criminal."

Mr Hughes said cases of recent onlinefraud have shown scammers are usingmore creative ways to extract customerinformation. Emails, phone messagesmasquerading as customer satisfactionsurveys, advertisements for jobs at a

bank or nancial institution and evenlucky customer prizes that then proceedto ask for customer details, sometimesto supposedly allow them to depositthe money as fronts for scams.ANZ Bank said it offered a rangeof security measures to ensure thatcustomers transactions and personalinformation were protected. Theseincluded:ANZ Internet Banking guarantee -When using ANZ Internet, security

measures are in place to protect againstany unauthorized transactions. If one is

a victim of fraud, the bank guarareimbursement for any unauthotransactions. The guarantee extends fraud transactions on cards.Fraud detection system - a sophisttechnology to monitor internet Ba

and credit card transactions to idsuspicious activity and alert custoFirewalls - a rewall mechani

prevent unauthorized access tofrom the network.Automatic time outs - withininternet banking system, sessionremain unattended for a maximu15 minutes. After this time, the syautomatically logs off and endssession.Account aggregation - Unlesaccount services are providereferred to you by ANZ, ANZ doauthorize, promote or endorse the account services offered by partiesthan ANZ to access your ANZ accANZ head of electronic ban

Apenisa Seniloli said customers skeep their computers safe by havito date security software and tocheck that they are only using trsites for purchasing items. They snot open emails they are not sure ahe said."Keep your computer browserInternet Explorer, Firefox),

product software (Microsoft OAdobe ash, etc) up to date. Sof

providers frequently develop upand patches to address newdeveloping security threats."Report anything you are suspiof immediately, especially if youyour card has been stolen, a susptransaction is on your bank state

or your mail has been accessesomeone," he added.

Banks Warn Customers On Scammers

Flash Flooding Hits Nadi,Lautoka

Heavy downpour in Fiji's WesternDivision has caused ash ooding insome parts of Nadi and Lautoka.The current situation is due to an activetrough of low pressure just to the westof Fiji which is gradually movingeastwards towards the group.According to the latest bulletin issued

by the National Weather ForecastingCentre in Nadi, a heavy rain warning

remains in force for Viti Levu, Kadavu,Southern Lau, Yasawa, MamanucaGroup and Lomaiviti.The Commissioner Western's ofce isadvising people to take extreme cautionand contact the relevant authorities ifthey feel they are insecure.Operations ofcer JiutaWaqavonovono said they have touredareas in Sigatoka, Nadi and Lautokaand rain has eased. However, thewater level in the Nadi and Sigatokarivers are rising and people living inlow lying areas are being advised tomove to high grounds.

"We are monitoring the situationclosely and have our people on theground. There was ash ooding insome areas but nothing major has beenreported," said Waqavonovono."We are closely working with theDistrict Ofcers and Police and sofar no decision has been taken onopening evacuation centres but wewill be making an announcement after

monitoring the situation.""My only advice to people is not to

panic but be very cautious and contactthe authorities if they need any help."'"As it stands, the rain has eased butwe cannot predict the weather andthings can change anytime and we areanticipating the water levels to rise inthe main rivers after high tide which isaround midnight."Meanwhile, according to some reports,some roads in Lautoka have beenclosed to trafc, however the Fiji RoadAuthority is yet to conrm this and isexpected to issue a statement later.

Film Fiji Conrms AnotherBollywood Shoot

The Attorney-General and Ministerfor Industry and Trade, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, will be ofciating theinaugural clapper-board shoot for yetanother lm from India.It is believed the lm will be directed

by the famous Ra One director,Anubhav Sinha and be shot in Fiji.It will be produced under Silver

Nitrate Productions and is said to have

renowned stars in the lm.This lm follows earlier big-namedlms being shot in Fiji this year whichincludes the UK lm Bula Quo on thefamous rock band, Status Quo, alongwith Bollywood lms Supermodeland 3G

Shooting for the lm 3G, whichNeil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chais still being carried out in Fiji anda 40-day schedule.Film Fiji acting chief execFlorence Swamy, conrmed themore productions lined up for thisThe number of lms being shot inowadays can obviously be attrito the attractive tax rebate sc

introduced by the BainimaGovernment.These lms, through showcasin

beautiful and exotic locations, wbe able to signicantly impacbooming tourism industry in a poway.


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19/48


Fiji TV License To Be RenewedFor Further 12 Years

Fiji Television Limited conrmed thatit has been given formal assurancefrom Communications Minister,Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum that Fiji TV's

broadcast license will be renewed for afurther 12 years.Fiji TV Chairman, Isoa Kaloumairasaid that Sayed-Khaiyum himselfhad written to the company in a letterdated October 14. 2011 conrmingthe renewal of Fiji TV's license for afurther 12 year period.Kaloumaira said that Fiji TVmanagement has had meetings with the

ministry ofcials and the informationsought included the coverage area,number of hours of local content,hours of prime time broadcast, ethniclanguage based programs and otherrelevant program and technicalinformation.Sayed-Khaiyum told us that he willcomment on certain statements andreports about the conditions allegedlyset out for the renewal of Fiji TV's

broadcast license.The International Federation ofJournalists and the Pacic FreedomForum claim that the government hasraised concern about the coveragegiven to the opposition by Fiji TV.The people in the opposition lineupaccording to these organisationsinclude Laisenia Qarase, MahendraChaudhry and others.The international federation and theFreedom Forum say in their statementsthat the management of Fiji TV has

been put on notice that all the station'scontent will be monitored this monthand will inuence the decisionregarding the renewal of Fiji TV's

broadcasting license, due at the end ofthis month.

July Date For Alleged NausoriMurderer

Davendra Naicker who allegedlymurdered a taxi driver in Nausori lastyear will reappear in the High Court inSuva on July 20.

Naicker, 30, has pleaded not guilty tothe charges with one count-each ofmurder and driving a motor vehiclewithout a proper licence appeared

before Justice Paul Madigan.

State prosecution has acknowledgedthat it has received the voir dire (trialwithin trial) grounds from defencecounsel Aseri Vakaloloma who sat infor Rajendra Chaudhry.He allegedly murdered a taxi driver,Vishal Mishra, who was found dead atthe Waituri irrigation area in Manoca,

Nausori last December.

Australian Couple Preferred FiWedding

A short trip to Fiji convinced Australiancouple John Beresford and DanielleDoherty that Fiji was where they wouldcelebrate their lifetime commitment toeach other.And they decided the InterContinental

Fiji Golf Resort and Spa would be theideal location to celebrate the occasionwith close family and friends.

New bride Danielle only had kindwords of her experience at the NatadolaResort and of her time spent with herfamily as she prepared to marry hertrue love."We were in Fiji a year ago for a shortholiday and when we were here, wedecided it was the perfect place to haveour wedding," said Danielle."We loved the Fijian people and theamazing location and climate."Fiji is a very child-friendly place andwe knew all our guests with or withoutchildren could relax and enjoy andhave a great holiday while they werehere with us celebrating our wedding."While women have always been thedecision-makers when it comes totheir weddings, Mrs Beresford said

InterContinental provided the pbackdrop for her special day."Although we hadn't been toInterContinental prior to our wedwe chose to have the wedding thea number of reasons," she said.

"Firstly, our experience and impressions of the staff membersthat they were always very profesand Ema Rayasi, the weddingordinator, was amazing and we we wouldn't have to worry abthing."She said their guests comprisinadults and 13 children also entheir time.And to cap off a memorable stathe couple, Mrs Beresford saidwere already looking forward tonext trip to Fiji."We had a fun, stress-free wewith all of our family and friendgorgeous location with the wonFijian people."We really did have the best night lives and all of our guests loved think everyone is looking forwagetting back very soon."

Rotary Distributes VegetablSeedlings To Small Farmer

The Rotary Club is assessing smallvegetable farmers in Lautoka todetermine whether the organisationcan further extend help as farmers'lives continue to return to normal.Called the seedling project, the grouphas assessed farmers living in ood-hit areas, mainly Drasa Seaside, LovuSeaside, Paipai, Vakabuli, Buabua,Qalitu, Vitogo Village.Project ofcer Allan Lockington saidthey were also targeting individualfamilies that opted to plant their ownvegetables.

"We are working very closely wiMinistry of Agriculture on the prThey will be supplying us witseedlings that we will be giving farmers.""We will be buying the seedlingsthe Ministry of Agriculture usinmoney that was donated by R

New Zealand."The money that we got fo

project is more than $100,000the view to increase that amounthe help of the New Zealand Ahe said.

Police Reassures Visitor Safety

Police have arrested and charged a manin relation to the alleged attempted rapeof an international volunteer last week.Assistant police spokeswoman west

Naina Ragigia conrmed a man hasbeen charged with attempted rape andthat a search was continuing for twoother men.The police said the three men tried to

rape a 22-year-old US volunteer on June3 in the new Field 40 subdivision. Thewoman has since returned to the US.Earlier this week, the police expressedconcern at the way the overseasmedia sensationalised the incident byreporting the volunteer was kidnapped.Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro saidin a statement a report of a differentnature was lodged with the policeregarding the volunteer.

"However, due to the non-coopeof the complainant, our ofcould not conduct their investigthoroughly and ascertain thenature of the report," she said."The Fiji Police Force stands reainvestigate matters brought befoHowever, we can only do so mucomplainants are not willing to

with us."It's worrying to note that no atwas made to get a balanced storwe can emphasize once again thais a safe place for our volunteer wowho we value and treat as our veryfellow citizens and always welcoa part of the Fijian family."Ms Naisoro gave an assurancethe safety of people visiting Fij

paramount.

Fijian Soldiers Guard Basra

Fijians soldiers have voluntarily stayedback in Iraq providing security for theUnited Nations (UN) at Basra.This was conrmed by the Republic ofFiji Military Forces (RFMF) spokesmanand Land Force Commander, ColonelMosese Tikoitoga.He said a request was made by theUnited Nations to the Fiji Government

last November when the Nepalesemilitary contingent had ended their tour.Colonel Tikoitoga said the request wasreceived just before the departure ofthe Fijian contingent at the end of theirtour of duty.According to Colonel Tikoitoga theyresponded positively to the invitationand asked for volunteers.He said 41 Fijian soldiers volunteeredto stay back to replace their Nepalesecomrades. They were subsequentlytransferred to their posts in Basra.Fijis Ambassador to the United

Nations Peter Thomson handled all the

negotiations and according to ColonelTikoitoga was very pleased with the

positive remarks from the UN.He said 21 Fiji soldiers will arrivein Nadi next Wednesday after theirextended tour of duty in Basra.The other 20 will arrive into thecountry next Friday.Colonel Tikoitoga said it was a

testament to RFMFs credibility thatthe UN turned to Fiji to replace the

Nepalese troops.Basra is a port city situated 549 kmsoutheast of Baghdad and Kirkuk, an-oil province 250 km north of Bagdhad.According to Colonel Tikoitoga oursoldiers had undertaken both static andmobile duties that involved guardingUN buildings and providing security toUN convoys in Basra and Kirkuk.He said Fijis involvement in Basrahad been good and our soldiers werediligent in the execution of theiroperational duties.


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Bill On Sikh Marriage RegistrationPassed

Now Sikhs will be able to register theirmarriages under the Anand MarriageAct instead of the Hindu Marriage Act,with President Pratibha Patil giving herassent to a bill passed by Parliament in

the Budget session.Although the Anand Marriage lawwas enacted in 1909, there was no

provision for registration of marriageswhich were registered under the HinduMarriage Act, 1955."The Anand Marriage (Amendment)Bill, 2012 after having received theassent of the President on June 7, 2012,has been published as correspondingAct in the Gazette of India," a LawMinistry statement said.

Sikh groups have maintained thatmembers of the community face

problems abroad as their certicates areissued under the Hindu Marriage Act.Besides Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists

are issued certicates under the HindulawsSikh marriage ceremonies are knownas 'Anand Karaj' (blissful event).According to the Anand Marriage(Amendment) Bill, couples whosemarriages have been registered underthis Act, will not be required to gettheir marriage registered under theRegistration of Births, Marriages andDeaths Act, 1969 or any other law forthe time being in force.

'Accidental Millionaire' PleadsGuilty

The man dubbed the "accidental

millionaire'' has pleaded guilty to sevencharges of stealing from a bank beforehe ed overseas.Hui "Leo'' Gao pleaded guilty toseven charges of theft totaling almost$6.8 million when he appeared at theAuckland District Court.The charges relate to offending

between April 24 and May 5, 2009 inRotorua and Auckland.Gao originally faced 16 charges. Thereasons for the change are suppressed.He has been remanded on electronic bailuntil his sentencing in Rotorua in August.Judge Roy Wade said bail did not meanGao would necessarily avoid prison.According to the police, Gao appliedto Westpac for a $100,000 overdraft

in 2009 for his struggling BP petrolstation in Rotorua.The overdraft was approved.But the bank accidentally transferred a$10m overdraft in to his account.A day later Gao discovered the mistake.

According to his atmate, Gao said:

"f***ing rich ... I've got $1m''.According to police, over the nextfew days $6.782m was transferred tooverseas accounts before Gao ed thecountry.His partner and the mother of his child,Kara Hurring, followed days later.The couple's disappearance sparkedan international manhunt involvingInterpol and other overseas agencies.Gao was arrested in Hong Kong lastSeptember and was returned to NewZealand just before Christmas. He didnot oppose being extradited and wasremanded in custody.Hurring, 33, was arrested when she re-entered New Zealand earlier last year.Following a trial at the Rotorua District

Court last month, she was found guiltyof 25 counts of theft, three countsof attempting to dishonestly usedocuments and two counts of moneylaundering.She will be sentenced in August.

British PM Mistakenly LeavesDaughter In Pub

British Prime Minister David Cameron

mistakenly left his eight-year-olddaughter behind following a lunch withfamily and friends at a country pub.Cameron got home from a Sundaylunch and discovered he had left hisdaughter in the pub.He dashed back and found little Nancywith staff at the Plough Inn in Cadsden,Bucks, as reported."The PM and wife Samantha weredistraught when they realized Nancywasn't with them," the report quotedofcials at Downing Street as saying."Thankfully when they phoned the pub,she was there safe and well. The PMwent down straight away to get her."

Nancy got left in the pub loo whenCameron drove off after his lunch.

She wandered off to the Ladies as the

Prime Minister and Samantha

arranging lifts and they only realizwas missing once they were back hThe Camerons and children NArthur, six, and 22-month-old Flohad been having Sunday lunchtwo other families at the Plougnear the PM's country home Chethe report said.Afterwards, Cameron went homcar anked by bodyguards, thi

Nancy was with Sam and their children in a second vehicle.Sam thought Nancy had jumpwith her father.Cameron drove the two miles bathe 16th-century pub and found Nhappily helping out the staff. Shaway from her family for abo

minutes.

Indian Jailed In Australia ForKilling His Wife

A 24-year-old Indian-origin man, whostrangled his wife and then slit herthroat at least eight times, was jailedfor at least six years in Australia formanslaughter.Chamanjot Singh had slit his wife'sthroat with a box cutter at least eighttimes and then strangled her aftertheir marriage deteriorated in 2009,according to a report.However, the jury at the Supreme

Court in New South Wales acceptedthat the accused was provoked by hiswife after he testied she had told himshe had never loved him and lovedanother man.Peter McClellan last month, Singh wasfound not guilty of murder but guilty ofthe manslaughter of Manpreet Kaur, onDecember 29, 2009 in Sydney west. Itwas also noted that Singh lost controlafter his wife's brother in India madeoffensive remarks about his mother ina phone call.The judge Peter McClellan saidSingh had been an immature

young man, far from his fain India, and did not have

personal resources to deal witdeteriorating marriage.He set a maximum term of years and noted it was inevSingh would be deported after sehis sentence. Outside the courvictim's sister, Jaspreet Kaur, lout the sentencing and said it was

bad law in Australia.

She denied that her sister had anyand said her brother-in-law hadwhen he told the jury about an afThey believed it (but) they dihave any proof, they didn't anything in the court, they don't who the guy is," she said addinsister's mobile phone was checkcalls involving her alleged love

police found nothing.Several times I told her, just leavman, he is not for you, she said is my husband, I will denitely suwith him, she said. She was the best sister in this whole world


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Prince Charles Now Favoured AsNext King

Prince Charles seems to have won a lotof hearts in becoming people's choiceto succeed Queen Elizabeth II, who isnow 86.Charles' popularity has surgedfollowing his role in the Diamond

Jubilee celebrations. His prominenceduring the holiday festivities has seenthe public's affection for him rocket, a

poll has revealed.In a marked shift in mood, the pollreveals that the country now thinksCharles, 63, is the best person to takeover the throne, should the Queenabdicate or die -- reversing previousndings that the Crown should gostraight to Prince William, as reported.People were moved by Charles' emotivespeech at the end of the BuckinghamPalace concert in which he lovinglyreferred to the Queen as "Mummy".They were also inuenced with theway he was resolutely at his mother's

side during that evening's events andthe following day's commemorativeservice in the absence of his ill father.Only a fortnight ago 44 percent peoplehad said they would prefer William to

be the next king, compared to 38 percent

who favoured Charles. But the latestYouGov poll sees the gures exactlyreversed -- with Charles drawing 44

percent of the votes to William's 38.The results will be a boon to the Princeof Wales, who along with his wifethe Duchess of Cornwall has seen hisimage improve signicantly in recentyears. This is, however, for the rsttime that a poll has favoured Charles tosucceed the Queen since 2005.Public opinion towards both Charlesand Camilla has seemingly warmed inrecent times with the latter successfullywinning over many of those whoattacked her following Princess Diana'sdeath in a road accident.

Napoleon's Letter In Faulty EnglishFetches USD 400,000

A rare letter written in English byNapoleon Bonaparte in captivity afterlosing the Battle of Waterloo has

been sold at an auction in Paris for awhopping USD 400,000.After a erce bidding war, the letterwas bought by the French Museum ofLetters and Manuscripts in Paris.The sale of the letter at the auctionhouse Osenat in Fontainebleau, southof Paris, was more than ve times theanticipated price.

Napoleon wrote the letter in 1816 whenhe was trying to learn English duringhis exile on the South Atlantic islandof Saint Helena.

Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helenaafter his defeat at the Battle of Waterlooin 1815.The one-page letter, dated March9, 1816, is addressed to Napoleon'scompanion in exile Emmanuel, theComte de las Cases, who had beenteaching him English, as reported.

In the letter Napoleon refers to a shipdue to dock in St Helena within sevendays, bringing news from Europe.However, it is littered with errors, forinstance it says: "He shall land aboveseven day a ship from Europe that weshall give account from anything whothis shall have been even today ofrst January thousand eight hundredsixteen."

Napoleon appears to have writtenthe letter during a bout of insomnia,

putting at the end: "Four o'clock in themorning."The letter is one of just three in theworld known to have been written inEnglish by Bonaparte.The former emperor died on St Helenain 1821 age 51.The Comte de las Cases wrote a bookabout his time on the island, andrecalled how Napoleon had wantedto learn the language of his Britishcaptors.

Passenger Restrained After RushinCockpit Door

Authorities were considering chargesafter a man allegedly becamedisruptive aboard a US Airways ightfrom Charlotte to Los Angeles, an FBIspokesman said.The 29-year-old man was believed

to have been intoxicated and wasrefused alcohol aboard Flight 705, FBIspokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.The man, whose name wasn'treleased, got out of his seat at one

point, according to Eimiller, and waseventually restrained.There's no indication the incident wasterrorism-related and there were noreports of any injuries.Susan Roberts, a passenger aboardthe plane, said the man rushed towardthe cockpit door carrying a lighterand was intercepted by a female ight

attendant. She added the attendanaided by several passengers anman was handcuffed for the remaof the ight."He was yelling something like, 'to get up there,"' Roberts said. "I

completely horrifying."Roberts' boyfriend, Jeffrey Smithhe saw the ight attendant stoman in front of the cockpit and b

pushing him toward the back oplane.Smith said he and several passehelped get the man in his seat wve minutes."He was resisting the entire tSmith said. "He was belligerenyelling. The ight attendant shgreat grace under pressure andknew what she was doing."

New UK Visa Curbs On Foreig

SpousesOnly those British nationals or residentswith an annual income of at least Rs16 lakhs will be able to bring spousesfrom the Indian sub-continent andother countries outside the EuropeanUnion from July 9, the governmentannounced.The new restrictions are part of theDavid Cameron government's effortsto reduce migration from outside theEU.The curbs on non-EU spouses are alsointended to clamp down on bogusmarriages and family visas, withmigrants ending up on benets fromthe taxpayer.

Home secretary Theresa May said:"Like the rest of the immigrationsystem, family visas have not beenregulated properly for years.""There have been sham marriages,

people have been allowed to come toBritain without being able to speakEnglish and there haven't been rules in

place to stop people becoming a burdenon the welfare state," she said."We're changing all of that. Our plansmean the thousands of people whowish to bring their foreign spouses,

partners and dependants to live withthem here in Britain will have to havesufcient nancial independence to beable to support them without becominga burden to the taxpayer," she added.

On the controversial issue of foreigncriminals being prevented fromdeportation on human rights grounds,May said she would be seekingthe backing of Parliament for newguidelines for the courts spelling outhow they should apply the EuropeanConvention on Human Rights in suchcases.Besides the income threshold, othercurbs include a longer period, from two

to ve years, before the non-EU scan be granted permanent settlemSponsor of a non-EU spouse, wilto earn at least 18,600 pounds (nRs 16 lakhs) a year and if they hchild the threshold will rise to 2

pounds, rising by 2,400 poundeach additional child."I think it is important that if pare bringing people into the Ucreate a family here in the UK thsay that you should be able to suyourselves and not be reliant ostate," May said.Any British citizen or an indivwith resident status will also ha

sign a ve-year undertaking thacan "maintain, accommodate andfor their elderly non-EU relwithout access to public fundsas carer and disability allowahousing and council tax benetwinter fuel and cold weather paymThe new restrictions have aldrawn criticism from human groups and the Joint Council foWelfare of Immigrants (JCWI),see the curbs as an attack on theof migrants to family life.Shami Chakrabarti, director ohuman righ

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