West Papua has one of the most repressive media environments in the world with a long history of media censorship and banning of foreign journalists, and only recently has this policy been somewhat relaxed. The tight media restrictions has led to the increasing use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter by West Papuan activists who broadcast the atrocities and human rights violations committed in West Papua. Driven by ICT developments, Pacific Islanders are increasingly “switching on” and leveraging social media as a political tool. Digital tools such as hashtags are being used to organize, share and disseminate stories and Free West Papuan messages. This has garnered support from all over the world and created “digital villages” of Free West Papuan activists. The Free West Papuan campaign has received an unprecedented level of global attention with prominent politicians such as PNG’s Prime Minister, Peter O’Neil, coming out in support of West Papua with reference to graphic images posted on social media. This paper illustrates how social media is ushering in a new wave of Pacific activism and also fostering the rebirth of bottom-up regionalism in the Pacific using the case of the Free West Papua Movement.
This paper is a case study of three permit renewals of the Wawoi Guavi logging concession in the Western Province of PNG. These permit renewals involved a specific conjunction of temporal practices that centered on the transitional provisions of PNG's Forestry Act (1991). The transitional arrangements provided a way to ""save"" permits that pre-existed the 1991 Act and gave logging companies exemptions from the full application of that Act. I argue that the continual operation of various transitional provisions over the last twenty years has been a major public policy failure. As this case study outlines, these provisions have facilitated the production of potential illegalities in the permit renewal process and have helped to restrict the rights and powers of the original resource owners.
The historiography of Colonial Samoa is dominated by the anticolonial Mau resistance movement against New Zealand and American authority during the late 1920s. With the exception of historian Featuna'i Ben Liua'ana's significant research found in Samoa Tula'i: Ecclesiastical and Political Face of Samoa's Independence, 1900-1962 , little has been said of the role Samoan members of Christian congregations and Western missionaries held in relation to the Mau resistance. This article examines exchanges and conflicts between Samoan members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and LDS missionaries amidst the larger Mau resistance to New Zealand colonial authority.
This article provides insights into Pacific Island finance students' academic performance, classified by gender and by financing of studies. To date, there has been no study in this area in the Pacific Island nations. This paper addresses the research questions whether there is a diffence in (1) gender; (2) sponsored student academic performance in finance studies in Pacific Island nations; and (3) it also investigates if there is any gender or sponsored/private student dominance in the top and bottom performing groups. Empirical research was undertaken by reviewing student results in three core courses of the finance major program conducted at the University of the South Pacific over 2011, 2012, and 2013. The findings in this study contribute to the literature of gender studies. No statistically significant difference was detected in either gender performance or in sponsored/private student performance in finance studies among Pacific Islanders. However, thre is some evidence of sponsored student dominance in the top performing group.
Regulatory frameworks regarding access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge (TK) with access and fair and equitable benefit sharing (ABS) are of international significance because of their social, economic, and cultural implications for local communities in general and the South Pacific countries in particular. This has led to development of an international regime specifically addressing ABS and to regional and national initiatives in countries including Vanuatu. The main aim of this paper is to examine the current position of regulatory frameworks that address the issue of access to genetic resources and associated TK in Vanuatu. This paper will highlight approaches taken in Vanuatu, examine strengths and weaknesses of the legal and administrative framework, and provide recommendations for the future.
Since the introduction of the Copyright Act of Fiji in 1999 and its recent amendment, Fiji has seen a fluctuation in the respect afforded to intellectual property rights. This research looks at copyright infringement, in particular movie piracy and the laws that relate to it, including the Berne Convention, other relevant international instruments, and domestic laws. Research was undertaken in assessing a recent movie piracy case, which serves as a precedent for movie piracy cases in Fiji. This particular case shows that Fiji is ready to undertake efficient and effective prosecutions of movie piracy cases. However, it also shows a lack of commitment by enforcement agencies. The research concludes that Fiji needs holistic commitment to move forward in protecting and respecting intellectual property rights, in particular copyright.
Today, creative, cultural, and innovative industries are becoming important differentiators and drivers of competitiveness and economic development in many regions of the world. Creative industry has many characteristics, including being knowledge intensive and of high economic value. These characteristics determine that the development of creative industry not only directly promotes economic growth but also drives up grades of other industries, thereby promoting economic growth indirectly as well as directly. The Pacific region has long been projected as a pristine paradise with vast cultural, natural, and biological resources that have unique opportunities for sustainable economic development in Pacific Island countries. Pacific Island countries have great potential to develop vibrant creative industries using their own tangible and intangible cultural properties. However, to create and sustainably use benefits from the cultural economy, first, creative industries need to be developed, using local customs, traditions, and traditional knowledge. Second, creative industries need to be protected and creatively exploited using appropriate intellectual property mechanisms. This paper intends to propose new methods for evaluating the role of intellectual property laws in the development of creative industries and the role of those industries in the economic, social, and cultural development suitable for Fiji.
It is well recognized that for Pacific Island peoples, nature and culture are inextricably linked. The protection of the natural environment and biodiversity, for example, are essential for the maintenance of traditional and contemporary lifestyles and cultures. Conversely, many aspects of Pacific intangible heritage, including traditional knowledge, are inherently associated with natural resources. Therefore, in this context, the protection of nature and culture cannot be separated. More broadly, the preservation of the unique biological and cultural diversity of this region is of importance for all people. The significance extends beyond ensuring cultural integrity and environmental health to providing a possible avenue for sustainable economic development for the people of the region. The prospects and challenges in this regard are illustrated, for example, by tourism. Tourism can assist the conservation of both nature and culture by raising awareness, providing valuable livelihood options, and incentivizing protection efforts, but it is not without risks. Therefore, appropriate legal frameworks are essential to facilitate enhanced protection, mitigate threats, and guide best practice management. While most Pacific Island nations have adopted environmental laws, specific legal regimes for the safeguarding of intangible heritage are less common. In circumstances where many natural and cultural resources are in the hands of local villages, community-based frameworks are arguably the most appropriate. This article explores how heritage law and policy and environmental law can enhance the protection of traditional knowledge in the Pacific. The obstacles, opportunities, and options are analyzed as well as how more integrated protection of nature and culture can be facilitated.
