Neu: 2001-09-09 Contents of this issue: 1. Consumers Warned 2. Pretty Park 3. Genuine Intentions? 4. Safely Ashore 5. Lighting Up ======================================================================== September 9th, 2001 1. Consumers Warned: Pay up or you'll be sitting in the dark. That's the message from the Niue Power Corporation to consumers who do not pay their monthly electricity accounts.A corporation spokesperson says there are a large number of consumers who owe a large amount of money and this is causing problems for the corporation when it comes to paying for deisel fuel for the nation's generators. The corporation has also warned that power charges could be increased in the near future. At present the residential rate is 30 cents a unit. The real cost of producing a unit of power is around 65 cents. Motorists pay a15 cent per litre surcharge on fuel to assist with the maintenance of the island's diesel generators. Telecoms Niue is also chasing its bad debts - its more likely to toll bar delinquent accounts than disconnect subscribers phones. 1. Pretty Park: A park is being developed in central Alofi Niue to celebrate 100 years of political association with New Zealand. The Centennial Park in front of the Ekalesia Church headquarters has memorials to Niuean servicemen who served in world War 1 and the past Kings of Niue. Recently a rock memorial was installed in the park to mark the 10th anniversary of Niue's annexation to New Zealand. Niue became self governing in free association with New Zealand on October 16 1974.The government plans to spend around $100,000 on the celebrations which include a number of cultural and sporting events designed to entertain a large number of visitors expected from New Zealand and neighbouring Polynesian islands. 2. Genuine Intentions?: West Papua's independence movement has questioned Pacific nations helping Australia with its Afghan asylum seekers problem but not being so quick to help West Papuans. Papua Council spokesperson Franzalbert Joku said he is amazed by the speed with which Papua New Guinea, Nauru and New Zealand aided what he called Australian racism over handling the asylum-seekers' crisis. There never seems to such quick action when West Papuan refugees need help, he said. Mr Joku said Australia has a long history of discriminating against refugees or asylum seekers of darker complexion. More than 400 asylum seekers rescued from a sinking boat are being taken to Papua New Guinea and then on to Nauru and New Zealand. The complex operation is to overcome Australia's refusal to allow them on to Australian territory. The Papua New Guinea Government has been criticised for allegedly poor treatment of hundreds of West Papuans who fled across the border into Papua New Guinea after recent clashes between Indonesian forces and West Papuan independence fighters. Indonesian rules the resource rich former Dutch colony as its province of Irian Jaya. ( PINA Nius Online). 3. Safely Ashore: The Australian yacht Bifrost with a sick skipper on board moored in Niue last night. The ill sailor was stretchered ashore and has been admitted to the island's Lord Liverpool Hospital. Bifrost was sailing out of BoraBora when the skipper become seriously ill. His wife took control of the yacht in heavy weather and was later joined by an English and a US yacht which raced from Beveridge Reef 150 miles north east of Niue to assist Bifrost. The two yachts accompanied Bifrost to Niue. Medical advice was relayed to the sick man from a New Zealand marine radio network. 4. Lighting Up: Villagers in rural areas of Papua New Guinea are to get light and power for things like refrigerators and school computers through an electrification program using wind power. Secretary of National Planning and Monitoring Philip Kikala signed letters of exchange with Chinese ambassador Zhao Zenyu for the donation of 50 sets of wind-solar generators worth about K830,000. The arrangement includes four Chinese technicians to help install the generators in different locations and help train local technical staff. Niue has been investigating the installation of wind generators on its east coast. It is planning on obtaining project funding for the project which would reduce fossil fuel generation. (PINA Nius) __END__
