YAREN, Nauru – Australia announced last month that it plans to close its detention facility on Nauru, sparking concerns for Nauru’s economic well-being.  Naruru Foreign Minister, David Adeang, said that the Australian facility provides 20% of Nauru’s GDP.

Since its bankruptcy in 2002, Nauru has become increasingly dependent on Australian aid, and much of Nauru’s annual aid package from Australia is tied to the facility, which former Australian official Mark Thompson characterized as “an unmitigated bribe”.

Nauru MP Kieran Keke said in a statement last week, “The financial arrangement with Australia, combined with initiatives like the resumption of phosphate mining, has helped turn the country around from the brink of economic collapse […] We sincerely hope the Australian government will continue to support our efforts to upgrade our health and education programs, to name just two.  Restoring important infrastructure like the power system is also a priority for us.”

The Nauru government is now seeking to meet with Australia to discuss how Nauru will adapt when the facility is shut down.  Australia has not yet given a time frame for the closure.

For more information, please see:

Impunity Watch – Rudd Gov’t to Close Nauru Detention Facility – 26 November 2007

The Age – Nauru fears gap when camps close – 11 December 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Nauru opposition calls for Australian support as camps set to close – 13 December 2007

Sydney Morning Herald – Australian govt exit worries Nauru MP – 13 December 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Nauru Government seeks early meeting with Canberra to discuss cost of camp shut down – 17 December 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Sabar Iwanggin, a lawyer working for the human rights organization Elsham, was arrested in October for forwarding a text message that read, “The president has an agenda of wiping out Papuans by poisoning food and hiring members of the army as doctors, restaurant workers, and motorcycle taxi drivers to kill Papuans.”  (Please see the Impunity Watch report on his arrest here.)  Iwanggin was formally charged this week with insulting the president.

Iwanggin will be transferred to a community prison is Abepura to await trial.

Elsham co-worker Paula Makabori said that Iwanggin is being unfairly singled out for a text message that was received and forwarded by thousands of others.  She told Radio New Zealand International, “Why don’t those thousands of other people be put into the jails together with Sabar?  Because they all received the same SMS and for writing to their friends and families because of their concern about human rights in West Papua and the deteriorating situation over there.”

For more information, please see:

Radio New Zealand International – Papua human rights campaigner charged over SMS messages – 12 December 2007

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea – Papua New Guinea is prepared to establish a human rights commission.  The final option paper was presented this week, and has the support of Chief Ombudsman Ila Geno and Secretary for Community Development Joseph Klapat.

Klapat said, “The human rights commission formation is an important proposal for the government because it underpins not only the protection of human rights but the promotion of democracy, realising Papua New Guineans’ international human rights obligation together with education and infrastructure developments in PNG.”

Also this week, the PNG group Kup Women for Peace took the Pacific Human Rights award for its “outstanding peace work during conflict”, reports the Post-Courier.

For more information, please see:

Islands Business (The National) – PNG set to establish Human Rights Commission – 14 December 2007

Post-Courier – UN urges respect for rights – 12 December 2007

Pacific Magazine – PNG Group Wins Regional Human Rights Award – 11 December 2007

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

For background information on the political crisis in the Solomon Islands, please see the Impunity Watch articles here, here, and here.

For more information on the Moti affair, a key element of the opposition’s argument against Sogavare’s government, please see the Impunity Watchreports on 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, PNG court refusal to suppress the inquiry report, and Moti’s fear of assassination attempts.  The inquiry report itself was released to Dade on 28 September, and he found the inquiry to be illegal at the end of October.  The issue is on appeal in the PNG court system, barring public debate at this time.

HONIARA, Solomon Islands – Manasseh Sogavare was removed from office this afternoon, making him the first prime minister since Solomon Islands independence in 1978 to be removed on a no confidence motion.  Debates between the sides grew more and more heated in the preceeding weeks, culminating in lawsuits.  The final vote was 25 for the motion and 22 against, with one member abstaining.

The government made an eleventh-hour appeal to Governor General Sir Nathaniel Waena on Sunday to change the parliament meeting date to December 24th, but that request was rejected.  The government maintained its argument  in court proceedings that Waena did not have the power to convene parliament, but the outcome of the court proceedings is now unlikely to matter.

The no confidence motion was the first order of business when parliament convened today at 10am, with police and RAMSI (the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands) increasing security in key areas in downtown Honiara.  RAMSI deployment to the Honiara Hotel, where some members of the opposition are based, led to accusations of taking sides.  Deputy commissioner Peter Marshall assured the Solomon Star that, “We want to be fair and balanced and utterly reject any suggestion that RAMSI or PPF is involved in partisan security operations.”  Parliament was declared out-of-bounds to the public today, except for members of the media and local and foreign dignitaries.

Much of the opposition’s arguments against the government centered around Julian Moti, the controversial attorney general of the Solomon Islands, who is wanted in his native Australia on child sex tourism charges.  Although the opposition has said that they will turn Moti over to Australian authorities after ousting Sogavare’s government, there are now concerns that Moti will flee to Fiji.  Fiji’s immigration director, Vilieme Naupoto, has confirmed that Fiji will accept Moti should he choose to travel there, since he is not on their watch list.

The opposition’s media spokesman, George Atkin, described the scene after the successful no confidence vote as friendly and cordial, with “members hug[ging] each other despite their political affiliations” and said that Sogavare “bowed out with humility in his speech.”  Sogavare said that he does not take the vote personally and that he holds no grudges against his former ministers who defected to the opposition, and shook hands with them after the vote.

Atkin also confirmed that the opposition has not yet selected a prime minister, and leader Fred Fono has indicated publicly that he is not interested in the position.  The opposition will caucus tomorrow, and the four likely candidates are considered to be Fono and former Sogavare ministers Gordon Lilo, Dr. Derrick Sikua, and Toswell Kaua.

Observers believe that there will be a major shift in Solomon Islands international relations and its relations with RAMSI once the new government takes power.

For more information, please see:

Solomon Star – Waena rejects gov’t December 24 date – 12 December 2007

Solomon Star – Security beef up for parliament meeting – 12 December 2007

Solomon Times – Solomon Islands Prepares for Political Showdown – 12 December 2007

Solomon Times – Solomon Islands PM Defeated in No-Confidence Motion – 13 December 2007

Islands Business – Debate continues on no confidence motion against Sogavare – 13 December 2007

Islands Business – Sogavare ousted, opposition celebrate win – 13 December 2007

The Australian – Moti plan to flee if Sogavare ousted – 13 December 2007

The Australian – Sogavare out, Moti may face trial here – 13 December 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Solomons leader dumped in vote of no confidence – 13 December 2007

Sydney Morning Herald – Solomon Islands Prime Minister ousted – 14 December 2007

New Zealand Herald – Solomons PM voted out of power – 14 December 2007

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – During the riots last November, eight men were killed in the fires lit by arsonists.  Four men have been charged with those murders, but the case may never get to trial because the Australian investigators are withholding autopsy and fire reports.

The Australians have said that they do not want to be involved in convicting persons under a death penalty.  The New Zealand prosecution team has said that they are not seeking the death penalty, and that it would be highly unlikely for the New Zealand judge hearing the case to impose it.  The prosecution team and the Tongan government have been trying to get hold of the reports for the last eight months, but they remain hopeful that they will get copies eventually.

Meanwhile, the defense lawyer has asked that the charges be dropped, since without the autopsy reports, the causes of death cannot be proven.

On a related note, judges in Australian have proposed a regional court, in part because of a rise in cross-border crimes, the small size of many of the Pacific nations, and the need to develop regional assets.  United Nations human rights conventions and standards and their applications, as well as the bills of rights of the Pacific countries, were discussed.  This may be related to Australia’s strong anti-death penalty stance.

For more information, please see:

ONE News – NZ embroiled in diplomatic row over Tonga riots – 10 December 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Australia expects Tongan bid to help with riot convictions – 11 December 2007

Radio Fiji – Pacific regional court proposed – 11 December 2007