Vanuatu notes - I

Visiting another country always interests me.

Quite apart from the usual touristi things; sight-seeing, spending money, lying in the sun, spending money, eating, spending money… I really enjoy getting into the local media and finding out what is going on locally as well as how much of the international news is being reported and the sources and slant it is given.

Well, for me one of the true joys of Vanuatu is that the international news can, to most intents and purposes, be ignored. Yes, there is satellite tv. I could if I wanted watch the likes of CNN, or Fox, or even TVNZ if I were in Fiji or the Cooks. But to be honest, where would the fun be in that?

So, on our daily jaunts into Vila I could pick up the local Daily Post for a quick catch-up.



Total length – 8 pages max, take out perhaps three for advertising.

What does disappoint me just a little is that two stories and an op-ed that tweaked my fancy have not been included in the e-editions of the paper. I can only speculate at the reasons why this might be.

The first, an item on Australian gun laws, came from an Australian paper so there might have been rights issues involved.

The second, an article on the outcome of the municipal elections and the political maneuverings involved was published in Bislama. That might have been the reason for limiting the distribution of that to the wider world.

The op-ed was one which I was hoping to quote extensively. It was a report from the South Pacific Forum meeting held in PNG while we were away. It was a very interesting read indeed as it gave an intelligent and very perceptive view of the impact of Australia and NZ on the region. I came away after reading it with the realisation that the same actions and attitudes I complain of in relation to the US are on a smaller scale present in the impact that Aus and NZ have on the small Pacific nations.

There is a third story, referenced in the Letters to the Editor. The letter spells out most of the story. And it is written in Bislama which makes the reading just a little more to think about... :D


So, in the meantime take a quiet jaunt through the Daily Post. There are issues that you might note as having a more than passing similarity to events in Auckland, Sydney, El Paso or even Washington…