News and Comments Thursday 12 April 2012

FLOOD UPDATE. Some 30 to 40,000 people are still receiving rations and 1800 are still in evacuations centres. Approximately 12,000 have now gone home. Overseas Fjians have formed an organisation, Yaadein Vision International, that has collected around 15,000 tonnes of food rations for flood victims that will be distributed today.

Professor Murray

ELECTIONS: South African Professor of Constitutional and Human Rights Law Christina Murray is the second international member of the five-member Constitutional Commission. The first, who will chair the Commission, was constitutional scholar Professor Yash Ghai.Two Fijian members are Taufa Vakatale, the first female deputy Prime Minister in Fiji, and Dr Satendra Nandan, an academic, writer and former MP. The final Fijian member will be announced shortly.

ELECTIONS: A UN NEEDS ASSESSMENT TEAM arrived in Nadi over the weekend to work on a technical needs assessment for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The team was invited by government.

ELECTIONS: VOTER REGISTRATION  to start next month.

FORMER FNPF HEAD IN COURT. Former general manager and CEO of the Fiji National Provident Fund, Olota Rokovunisei was in court yesterday charged with one count of extortion by Public Servant, Alternative count of abuse of office and one count of abuse of office.

BUA CHIP MILL'S first exports will commence in June. The Wairiki mill has been 15 years in preparation, most delays caused by corruption and false promises by the previous Tropik Woods management. In his opening speech, the PM said the opening of the Wairiki Saw Mill is part of Government’s Look north policy, targeted towards boosting economic growth in the Northern Division and at the same time ensuring that local people are assisted through employment, instead of transporting resources to the Lautoka Chipping Mill in Viti Levu. The mill will employ 150 people.

BUA BAUXITE.The first shipment, to China,  is expected in June.

BUA'S NEW NURSING STATION, on land donated by anonymous "an Indo-Fijian woman," will serve 2000 people.The project will cost around $230,000.

ANONYMOUS has sent a comment (and a reminder) that I have not published that questions my criticism of the Fiji Times. I see no reason to publish his comments when he has not even bothered to read the results on Thakur Ranjit Singh's research on the Fiji Times. When he has done so, I may reconsider my decision. Use "search" and write "Thakur" to read a summary of this research.