AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Maori have worked for six years toward getting Mount Maunganui, known by the Maori name Mauao, given back to them.  Mauao is an extinct volcanic cone that rises above the town of Mount Maunganui, a suburb of Tauranga.  Mauao is a former Maori pa, a fortified village from the 19th century or earlier.

The proposed bill would hand over Mauao to three Maori iwi.  [“Iwi” is a term roughly similar to “clan”.]  A clause in the proposed bill seems to suggest that the Crown would still own Mauao after the handover.  The Crown claims that the clause at issue refers only to public safety and that the Crown will take responsibility if someone gets injured on the mountain, which is a popular hiking spot open to the public.

There is also some controversy over the Waitaha iwi’s participation in management decisions but not ownership, according to Radio New Zealand.

For more information, please see:

Radio New Zealand – Iwi debate Mt Maunganui ownership – 31 December 2007

Stuff.co.nz – Iwi take issue with clause in handover bill – 31 December 2007

By Sarah C. LaBelle
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Oceania

HONIARA, Solomon Islands – Julian Moti, former attorney general for the Solomon Islands, was extradited to Australia on Thursday, where he was promptly arrested.  The Fiji-born Moti is an Australian citizen who is facing a charge of child sex tourism for an incident in Vanuatu in 1997.  Moti eluded Australian authorities in Papua New Guinea before fleeing to the Solomons, where he was made attorney general.  However, last week the government changed over and the new government is not as friendly to Moti as their predecessor and has said for their entire campaign that they intended to return Moti to Australia.

Moti has maintained throughout the affair that the charges were dropped in Vanuatu and that the Australian government has been pursuing the charge for racial or political reasons.  [There is some debate over the actual case status in Vanuatu regarding whether the charges are pending or lapsed.  Please see theImpunity Watch report here for more.]  He is not well-liked in Australia, and a recent article in The Australian described him as “better known for hubris than any show of humility.”

Moti’s supporters rallied at his house on Thursday, confronting police and immigration officers who had come to escort him to the airport, delaying Moti’s departure for an hour and a half.  He was flown to Brisbane, where he was detained by Australian Federal Police, who handed him over to Queensland police.

After his arrest, Moti reiterated his belief that the charge against him is political and nature.  He has accused the Australian Federal Police of coaching witnesses and claims that he has not been given adequate time to raise his defense.  He is charged with engaging in sexual intercourse with a person under sixteen years of age, which has a maximum penalty of seventeen years of imprisonment.

Former Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, who appointed Moti, has accused the Solomons government of “evading law and proper procedures” in the deportation process “merely to please Australia,” according to the Solomon Times.  Sogavare said that international human rights protocols were not observed, and that it was improper for the same judge to hear the case on appeal.

For more information, please see:

The Australian – Moti arrested at Brisbane airport – 27 December 2007

The Australian – Moti faces court after eviction – 28 December 2007

The Australian – “Victim of political conspiracy” – 28 December 2007

Solomon Times – Sogavare Accuses Government on Moti Deportation – 28 December 2007

Solomon Times –  Moti to Face Rape Charge – 28 December 2007

Sydney Morning Herald – Moti forced onto Brisbane flight to face charges – 28 December 2007

SUVA, Fiji — At several points during the course of this year Fijian police and governmental officials have been charged with acting beyond the confines of the law.  On 26 December, however, Assistant Police Spokesman, Corporal Josaia Weicavu, told Fiji Times reporters that no one is above the law.  His remarks came after reporters asked him about an incident involving a police officer beating two children in Suva.  Weicavu said that he had not been personally aware of the incident, but that if it did happen that police officials should always follow official rules of engagement.

The incident in question occurred on 25 December, when a police officer exited his highway patrol vehicle outside of the Fiji Visitors Bureau office and proceeded to belt two boys who was standing on the street corner.

When Weicavu became aware of the incident he issued his strong warning that police should not take the law into their own hands and that beating members of the public would not be condoned.

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International — Police officers issued a stern warning — 26 December 2007

Fiji Times — Police: No one is above the law — 26 December 2007

TOKYO, Japan – Indonesian national Carrand Tangka is on trial in Chiba district court in Japan on charges of human trafficking.  He admitted to all the prosecutor’s charges and faces a four-year jail sentence.  The verdict will be handed down on 21 January.

Tangka was a flight attendant for Garuda Indonesia, and is accused of using that position to smuggle three people into Japan illegally.  While he admitted to the charges, he claims that he did not willingly violate the law.  His defense lawyer argued for a lenient sentence based on the fact that it is Tangka’s first offense, that he has young children in Indonesia, and that he may lose his job if he is jailed for a prolonged period of time.

For more information, please see:

Japan Times – Embassy staffer held for illegal entry – 02 November 2007

Antara News – Indonesian admits charges on human trafficking – 24 December 2007

HONIARA, Solomon Islands – Julian Moti was sacked as Solomons Attorney General on Monday, and is expected to be deported to Australia on Thursday (27 December) at the latest, according to Solomons Immigration Department permanent secretary Jeffrey Wickham.

Moti filed an application to stay his deportation, but it has been denied.  He argued that since he was granted asylum in the Solomons he should be protected under the Solomons constitution.  However, the judge ruled the application out of order since Moti’s asylum protection was dependent on his remaining attorney general and it was clear at the time that the new government intended to remove him from that position.

Still concerned that Moti may attempt to escape, Papua New Guinea has issued an order to its airlines and port authorities that Moti is to be turned away from PNG.  Fiji, on the other hand, has made it clear that Moti will be allowed entry should he seek sanctuary in Fiji.  Fiji Immigration Director Viliame Naupoto said that Moti has a right to enter Fiji because he was born there.

For more information, please see:

ONE News – Moti loses legal bid to prevent deportation – 23 December 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Moti dumped as Solomons’ Attorney General – deportation process underway – 24 December 2007

The National – PNG bans Moti – 24 December 2007

Fiji Village – Moti has right to come to Fiji – 24 December 2007

The Age – Solomons set to deport Moti – 25 December 2007

For more information on the Moti affair, please see the Impunity Watch reportson Moti’s appointment as attorney general for the Solomons, PNG government involvement in Moti’s escape, the Vanuatu case status, Australia’s extradition attempt and the missing PNG inquiry report, and Moti’s fear of assassination attempts.