Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: How Ms. Thomas fell in love with nature

5 December 2013, Suva Fiji -

 A young woman in a smart green dress - or jaba - stood before hundreds of people at the Vodafone Arena and opened her presentation in her indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) language with an introduction of herself.

Ms. Nunia Thomas hails from Drauniivi in Ra and in her introduction she identified her clan and family animal totem. Then she addressed the rest of the room in English to translate her introduction.

Acknowledging her cultural identity and mentors before passionately advocating the importance of the environment and biodiversity is a trademark of Ms Thomas.

The 32-year-old is the director of Fijian conservation group Nature Fiji-Mareqeti Viti. She completed post-graduate studies at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 2007 and is now one of Fiji’s leading herpetologists.

Ironically, Ms. Thomas talks about her path to her present work as an accident and blessing.

Ms. Thomas is the middle child of five siblings of the late Mr. Saimoni Aca Thomas and Mrs. Mereseini Thomas.

Ms. Thomas described her late father as a feminist who encouraged her to be a strong and independent woman. She described her parents as her mentors and advisors.

Ms. Thomas had a keen interest in language, literature and law but followed her parents' advice to pursue science.

“I was naturally interested in science anyway so I kept at it but at university level I wanted to do law,” she said. “I initially was going to disobey my parents' advice.”

Ms. Thomas is a former student of St. Joseph’s Secondary School and at school, her English teacher, Mrs.  Luvena was her mentor. After leaving high school she met her Mrs. Luvena on a bus, who advised her to pursue science.

After high school, Ms. Thomas applied for admission to the biology and chemistry program me at USP but because of limited space, she had to consider the only other option - environmental science.

“I looked at it and I thought okay, I’ll go into environmental science and I did. It was geography and biology and I fell in love with geography right then and there,” she said.

Thomas said her main inspiration were her lecturers and professors and the friends she made within the programme.

Ms. Thomas graduated in 2002 and became a graduate assistant at USP’s South Pacific Regional Herbarium. She then secured a scholarship to go into post-graduate studies and was approached in 2007 by Mr Dick Watling to join Nature Fiji-Mareqeti Viti. After graduation, she joined Nature Fiji-Mareqeti Viti as their first recruit and since then has been involved in various projects and preparing of research papers.

Her message to young people is listen to the advice of parents and mentors before making a decision. Ms. Thomas said she has had many challenges on her journey but she was taught by her parents to view the challenges as an opportunity. She hopes in the future, she could work with children and instil values in young people to have a better appreciation of their culture and nature.

Originally published on the SPREP blog and the 9th Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas conference bulletin

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Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Conservation efforts must benefit all

5 December 2013, Suva, Fiji - Management efforts for conservation should benefit as many people as possible, says a representative of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

WCS program director Dr. Stacy Jupiter said it was important to consider village communities for sustainable development.

“One of the things we really need to think about is managing as holistically as possible, so thinking about how you can design management interventions that will offer the most benefits for the most people.”

Dr. Jupiter said areas like the Vatu-i-Ra passage in Fiji were really important for driving productivity, providing nutrients and habitats for the fish and marine life and should be managed well.

WCS worked with several communities including in the Bua, Lomaiviti and Ra provinces, especially with protected areas.

“Each area has their own complementary plans and we can think about not just the community interest but also how you overlay that with economic development in a sustainable way,” she said.

Dr. Jupiter said some challenges in communities included lack of information.

She said people were conscious that marine protected areas would shut out activities, not realising it was mainly about ensuring the activities in the area were sustainable.

“You don’t want to put logging directly upstream from fresh water sources that people use for drinking water because it compromises the ecosystem that people really need.”

Dr. Jupiter said the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas was a good opportunity to improve national and international policies on the environment.

“One of the most important things to recognise is that Fiji is still at an advantageous position compared to other places in the world because things are still in good shape,” she said.

She said that the conference was valuable because it brought the government and NGOs on board for a collaborative discussion on sustainable development.

“It’s good; this is really a place where you get to meet people from all across the Pacific who are responding to the same issues and its valuable for the exchange of ideas.”

Originally published on the SPREP blog and the 9th Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas bulletin

Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Conservation efforts must benefit all: Dr. Stacy Jupiter attending the CBD COP10 in Nagoya, Japan By Maryann Lockington, journalism student at the USP 5 December 2013,...

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Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: From Pakistan to the Pacific islands - one man's j...

3 December 2013, Suva Fiji - When Mr. Hamza Malik left Lahore in Pakistan to come on an internship at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Suva, he knew he was coming for new experiences, especially as it was his first time to be over the ocean.

Mr. Malik hails from Bahawalpur in Punjab, a city of about 800,000 people located in the central western region of Pakistan, several hundred kilometres away from Karachi and the Arabian Sea.

Mr.Malik was among those who gathered in Suva this week for the regional nature conservation conference.

He is working in Fiji to develop the eco-internship programme at WWF Fiji. He spoke about his experiences recounting some highlights of the past two months.

When shooting his documentary in Yadua Taba Island in Bua, Mr. Malik said the first turtle they caught was named after him.

The lead up to meeting Hamza the turtle began around Mr. Malik's passion for photography and documentary filming. During his two months in Fiji, Mr. Malik has travelled to at least six islands including Yadua Taba, Yaqaqa, Kavea and Yadua.

"Camera work here was a challenge because I had to learn how to film in the tropics," he said.  He was a part of the team that went to Yadua Island for turtle monitoring so he shot some footage for his documentary film.

"I learnt how to tag turtles," he said. "We also did sea grass monitoring because that is their main diet."

Mr. Malik filmed scenes during the turtle-tagging and the first big turtle tagged was named after him. He was also part of the team that carried out beach profiling at Yadua Taba Island for the turtle nesting grounds.

"We went to Yadua Taba and that was also a sanctuary for crested iguanas," he said.  Mr. Malik said he loved working with young people and got the opportunity to work with tertiary and high school students.

"It is fascinating how youth here are so aware of their environment compared to other parts of the world," he said. "It is very important to work with students because we need to instill these values in them so that they can be our future ambassadors."

At the conference, Mr. Malik has been immersed in listening to the speakers and talking with those interested in the WWF Fiji's display booth. Mr. Malik said education on environmental awareness and civic responsibility is important.

"It is the first time for me to see NGOs on a single platform and I think it is important that we work in a partnership as a family," he said.  He also talked about some of his experiences in Fiji and meeting new friends.

"I enjoy the night grog sessions and eating fish every day," he joked. "It's been a lifetime experience and I have my first-ever snorkeling gear."

Mr. Malik expressed his love for the culture, food and the people.

"It's been fascinating having hands-on experience with island communities," he said.  "Conservation is important and I've learnt about rain water storage and water management."

Mr. Malik will be leaving in February 2014 and he hopes to make use of what he has learnt here in Pakistan.

Originally Published on the SPREP blog and the 9th Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas conference bulletin.

Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: From Pakistan to the Pacific islands - one man's j...: By Maryann Lockington, journalism student at USP 3 December 2013, Suva Fiji -  When Mr. Hamza Malik left Lahore in Pakistan to come on a...

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The Samoan teenager who leads a growing chorus of small voices

3 December 2013, Suva Fiji - Fifteen-year-old Brianna Fruean was one of the young environmentalists who travelled to Suva for the regional nature conservation forum this week. It does not take long to figure out that Ms Fruean is not your average teenager, having already formed an organisation of her own in Samoa.

Ms Fruean was always interested in environmental issues and started a children's eco-group called Small Voices with her friends at Vaiala Beach School when she was 11 years old.

"My mum and sister help me out a lot. My dad is my main inspiration and he was the one who taught me how to speak," she said.

Ms Fruean lost her father in March this year and lives with her sister and mother in Samoa.

She is also one of the youngest participants of the Pacific Youth Environment Network (PYEN).

"I came to help out as a facilitator for PYEN so that I can be involved in a youth network that spreads across the Pacific," she said.

Ms Fruean first represented Samoa in 2009 to the United Nations Environment Programme Tunza conference in Daejeon Korea and also in Nagoya, Japan in 2010. In 2010 she helped initiate a tree-planting event as a way to raise awareness.

"Samoa had pledged to plant one million trees and I thought we could contribute by planting trees," Ms Fruean said.  She was referred to the CEO of Environment who helped her get the event started. 

The organisation for children called Small Voices in Samoa has now spread to at least five other schools since it was founded in 2010.

"The cool thing about Small Voices is although not all members will go into environmental studies, whatever they do, they'll always have a green mindset," she said. Ms Fruean said that she was hoping to expand Small Voices in the future.

"Once Small Voices gets established fully in Samoa, I'm thinking to start one in Fiji," she said. "I want to make it a good-size network that can continue when I leave."

Originally published on the SPREP blog and Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas Conference bulletin

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A budding conservationist

Thursday, December 5, 2013

6 December 2013, Suva Fiji - A new youth group in Lautoka is making waves, trying to build a platform for youth in the Western Division of Viti Levu.

The Creative Environment Advocacy Social Empowerment for Youths (Creative EASEY) is an initiative that was formed in December 2012 by Mr. Jone Nawaikula for young advocates on their respective issues.

Creative EASEY representative 17-year-old Pravneil Chand animatedly advocated for youth involvement at the Pacific Youth Environment Network (PYEN).

He said that Creative EASEY was a much needed achievement for the youths in the western division.

“It was important to have a link with the Ministry of Youth and National Youth Council because there wasn’t much being done in the West,” he said.

Mr. Chand joined Creative EASEY in September this year and is currently the youngest member of the youth group.

“I was approached by Creative EASEY after school about a gardening workshop in September,” he said. “As soon as I joined, I found out that this was my passion.”

Mr. Chand said that Creative EASEY was involved in advocating for women’s issues, children’s rights and awareness on abuse.

“These are all very important issues but we need more environmental awareness and that’s why I’m here,” he said.

Mr. Chand hopes to take back what he learnt at the PYEN workshop to share with his youth group in Lautoka.

“I’d like to go back and run a workshop with other youth on nature conservation,” he said.

Mr. Chand added that he would also like to work on waste management projects and advocacy.

“We don’t separate our rubbish into plastics, paper and so on which I think is something we should push for,” he said.

He said he was enthusiastic about future projects with Creative EASEY.

“We’re hoping to visit the Yasawa Islands and take with us some supplies for them with help from US funding,” he said.

He hoped that Creative EASEY could branch out to other nearby towns and partner with PYEN to assist in projects.

Originally published on the SPREP blog

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Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Today I learnt…..

Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Today I learnt…..: 6  December 2013, Suva, Fiji - We hear from the journalism students providing you with coverage of the 9th Pacific Islands  Conference...

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Profile: Jope Tarai

(published by Wansolwara)

ON a panel to discuss national politics last month, a largely unknown young man sat shoulder-to-shoulder with three of Fiji’s prominent political figures, Sitiveni Rabuka, Shamima Ali and Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi.

Jope Tarai was the young charismatic voice that represented USP students and by the end of that evening, he had the room silent in admiration. Human rights advocate Faye Volatabu was particularly impressed and encouraged to find a positive young youth who called for youths to do what they can, in the community.

That voice belonged to Jope Tarai, a postgraduate governance student and teaching assistant at USP. An advocate for youth and youth participation, Jope stamped his place as an inspirational young speaker and as a commendable panelist among his seniors. As expressive and outspoken as he is on stage, he seems to be a humble person at heart, as he kept shying away from speaking about himself.

Though a son of Tailevu, Tarai chose to identify himself with his mother who is from Waikete. He talked about how closely he was tied to his mother. He seemed disinclined to discuss his father, but later briefly explained some of the hardships he faced growing up.

“My father was a very ruthless man, he said. “I had to go through a classic case of domestic violence and my paternal family was where certain families were for certain children really don’t care.”

It was curious that Tarai initially pursued a degree in science for his undergraduate study.

“I pushed myself to do it because it was my mom’s wishes and my mother was the driving force behind everything for me,” he says.

Unfortunately, Tarai’s grades dropped because of his lack of interest in the subject and he became more interested in other things.

“I would notice issues that I would usually feel weird that my friends didn’t notice especially around campus and around the country,” he explains.

“There are a lot of things you notice but just to talk about those things compounded with the cultural barrier that we have there are some things for us  young people that we don’t talk about.”

Towards the end of his last semester, Tarai had one more elective he had to do and that was politics.

“The politics electives had a much higher grade and I knew that this was a turning point for me,” he said.

Sandra Tarte was Tarai’s lecturer in 2011 in two of his undergraduate courses for Politics and International Affairs Program.

“He is mature, thoughtful and hardworking and is deeply interested in current affairs and world and regional politics,” she says candidly about him. “I can confirm that Jope is an exceptionally talented student, who has an obvious aptitude for the subject of international affairs.”

Tarai graduated with his degree in Science and began working part-time, as well as a tutor for Korean students.

After realising his passion for politics, Tarai returned and enrolled for an undergraduate study in Politics. During his studies in his 300-level, he was approached by a lecturer who suggested for him to apply for postgraduate studies.

“I applied, a few months later a response came that they accepted my application,” he said.

Taiai says politics was a learning point for him.

“Politics opened it up for me why these things were not that way,” he said. “The more you know the more you want know about other things.”

Tarai began his advocacy work trying to get young people to learn how to ask questions. He started with the Inter-disciplinary Climate Change group and was involved in FALE and Radio Pasifika. Radio Pasifika still continues to run the climate change program called Talimagimagi.

Tarai became involved on more public platforms like student debates where he met Glen Finau during the FBE inter-school debates.

The FBE team was approached by the journalism department for a debate on the topic, “Media Freedom is essential for democracy.” Finau asked Tarai’s assistance for the debate team because he felt that the topic was outside the field of economics.

“He graciously accepted my request and was instrumental in getting the team ready and the main reason for our victory in that debate,” Finau says.

Tarai captained the USP debate team that won the 3rd Europa shield last year and also won Best Debater Award.

Finau said that Tarai was the heart of the team and a great leader.

“He has a true gift in public speaking. Anyone who is in attendance when Jope speaks cannot help but be mesmerised by his eloquence and inspired by his ideas,” he said.

Tarai continues to strive for youth participation and promotes their engagement with the happenings of society.

“We can’t drive any organisation, we can’t drive any student movement without the students so that was basically the first piece of what I want to learn to just get people to think or talk and not rely so much on other people to think for them,” he says.

Finau said that he could see Tarai becoming a leader for society in the future.

“In a time when there is a lot of uncertainty and a lack of true leaders, we need more youths like Jope. He is making a great change and he is empowering and giving a voice to many youths in Fiji.”

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Dispelling squatter myths

Published on Wansolwara Online and republished on the PACMAS blog.

It’s a chaotic scene of make-shift homes made from rusty iron sheets, worn-out tarpaulins and even discarded plastic panels. Space is not a luxury here.

 The unattractive scene is a reality of what we see near our urban and sub-urban areas. These are squatter settlements. The term is heavily-laced with stereotypes, and, for some of those who don’t know better it is accompanied with a wince and grimace.

Those who do not live among them might find it difficult to understand what life is like in a squatter settlement. In fact, research has established that most of what people know about squatter settlements is far from the truth. These myths were exposed to a group of journalists who were given the opportunity to visit squatters at a workshop on housing rights. The group visited a squatter settlement in Tacirua. It is home to about 3000 people. A UN-Habitat background feature had a list of the most common myths surrounding squatters.

I was one, guilty of harboring these ideas when I first ventured in to meet the people at the Tacirua settlement. When we arrived, they had gathered in one of the larger houses to welcome and speak to us. The sense of togetherness was overwhelming, considering the multi-ethnic backgrounds of the residents. Let’s explore the seven main myths that surround squatter settlements:

 Myth #1: “Squatter settlements serve no purpose.” Barau, a young man from the settlement talked about how his family came to the main island for education and work. They managed to rent a house for some time but with the cost of living and supporting the children, they had to move to an informal settlement. That way, his younger siblings could go to school and he and his parents could work to support them. The informal settlement was home for them and many others. It was their life-line to cater for the cost-of-living and give their children a better future.

 Myth #2: “Slums are the fault of slum dwellers who do not want to help themselves.” This also proved not true. There was a man present, Timoci, from Kadavu who was married with eight kids. His children all attended school and his eldest son attended USP. Timoci planted grog in Kadavu to support his family and travelled back and forth to tend to and sell waka. Housing and land were too expensive, even with the reasonable amount of money he made from the grog. The most affordable home he could build was at the Tacirua settlement and he took the offer, choosing to at least have a home for his family that was nearer to school. He is obviously a hard-working father and husband, wanting to help himself and his family.

 Myth #3: “All squatter settlements are the same, and all squatters are poor.” Timoci is able to pay off tertiary fees for his son and support eight children. He makes due with what he earns from the grog he sells. Curiously, the taxi driver that drove us to the settlement also lived there with his family. Both he and Timoci earn a reasonable amount of money. On the other hand, Barau and his family receive minimum wages and struggle to take care of everyday expenses. A considerable amount of those in squatter settlements are poor but not all.

 Myth #4: “Slum dwellers are a burden on the economy”. During the workshop, Fr. Kevin Barr presented statistics that showed over half of the population in employment was living in poverty and 15% of these reside in squatter settlements. At the squatter settlement, those that I spoke to above 16 and not attending school were employed. Otherwise the elderly and mothers stayed home. Barau was 20 and he left school at 17 to work at a cement factory, like most of the young men in the settlement. Instead of being a burden, these people can contribute to the economy and do so, being the main contributors to the informal sector.

Myth #5: “Crime emanates from the slums.” The families at the Tacirua settlement had small arrangements between each other. Some families share water and electricity between them, seemingly content with their lives. Sadly, it’s those in squatter settlements who are easy victims for crime. Barau expressed that the lack of lights made it unsafe for women at night. He said, the settlement was safe, since the families knew each other but it was the nearby neighborhoods that were a cause for concern.

 Myth #6: “Squatters are just people who don’t want to pay rent.” No one wants to pay rent. I would love to get a place and not pay anything but that’s just not how it works. For this community it appeared that everyone in the settlement paid what they had to the land-owner, who on some occasions increased rent to fund his family functions. They paid to keep their homes and avoid eviction.

 Myth #7: “The poor contribute nothing to society and nothing good ever came out of the slums.” Most of the houses in squatter settlements were built from scratch, with limited resources. The plumbing and the alternative water sources also created from the people’s own initiative. Majority of those old enough to be employed are working and braving the meager wages with a budget that helps them survive. These capabilities, creativity and hard work are hard to find even in our “rich” societies. They could contribute much to society if given the chance. Society’s perspective on squatter settlements should be readjusted to bring about change. It is ironic that to survive what they do, they are some of the strongest of our society but yet the most marginalized.

 (The names of those mentioned have been changed for the purpose of this article and the name of the settlement not given.)

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Visitors release Fiji adventure novel

Wansolwara Vol 17. NO1 1 1/June, 2012. ISSN 1029-7316 Page 2 NEWS

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Facebook comic page launches e-shop

By Maryann Lockington

A 20-year-old local man has taken his passion for creating comics and launched a small e-shop selling T-shirts via Facebook.

Maika Bakani, the “Only in Fiji” comics page moderator, launched an e-shop that sold t-shirts printed with his comics’ artwork.

“I was overwhelmed by the great response the comics and jokes received and I’m proud of the community that has been established on the page,” he said.

Bakani said he was a freelance graphic designer who did small comic strips on the side, which he posted up on his Facebook profile.

“Around September last year a friend of mine suggested making a page for the comics and I decided to

 take it up,” he said.

His brother Kalivati Bakani said that he helped Maika pitch ideas whenever he could.

“This became the dynamic of the page; he would ask the public to send in funny stories and jokes (primarily focusing on the Fijian context of “funny”) and then visually portray these jokes in the form of comics, developing different characters and themes making the stories relatable for all those who read them,” he said.

A fan of the page Losena Raiyawa had ordered a T-shirt from Maika and sent the page a picture of her wearing it.

“I like the page because of the funny cartoons and I bought the t-shirt because I liked it and a few of the cartoons was sent in by my brother,” she said.

Kalivati said that the family was proud of his brother’s achievements with the e-shop.

“I personally had no idea that it would develop this far but yes it has come a long way from being just another random comic on Facebook and I am happy for him,” he said.

Maika launched the e-shop application on the Facebook page called “The T-shirt Bure.”

“Only In Fiji is more of a label than anything, it’s not a fully-fledged company or anything like that, although I am considering registering for a business license very soon,” he said.

Bakani’s comic strips use local humour and some vernacular language, with various characters that have grown popular among fans.

One of his most popular characters was the “Vakilz Squad” with the tagline, “They know everything about nothing.”

Originally published by Wansolwara

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Establish your property rights: Ratunabuabua

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Work together to create jobs: NEC

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Journalists should question, strive for truth

by Maryann Lockington

Student journalists should always strive for press freedom even if it seemed unattainable, a former newspaper columnist said at USP's World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) celebrations on Friday.

Former Fiji Times columnist Seona Smiles, who used the literary works of famed American writer Kurt Vonnegut to focus on freedom of expression, said freedom to write the truth was "not something someone else gave you but something you gave yourself".

Smiles said that the media’s job was to always question and look at the little details that might be missed by others.

“Nothing much can stand the scrutiny of the eye that detects the absurd,” she said.

“The ability to look at the normal and find the ridiculous, the absurdity of a situation is the journalist’s greatest skill,” she said.

Smiles is well-known for her own sharp eye, use of humour and razor-sharp wit in her columns and poetry.

She said humour was her way of getting the message across to her readers.

“I attempt to use humour to make a somewhat deeper point to get people to read a somewhat serious matter, such as freedom of information and freedom of speech and freedom of the press, in a way that will perhaps encourage them to open their minds to a view point or at least no alienate them,” she said.

Originally published by Wansolwara

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Liability Contracts Not an Excuse

Liability contracts do not excuse sporting committees from providing a reasonable standard of care for athletes.

Litigation solicitor Nicholas Barnes, from the Munro Leys Law firm said that liability waivers work to a limited extent.

Liability contracts are legal documents that athletes sign to acknowledge the risks involved in the event they are participating in.

Barnes described waivers as a sobering moment for athletes to remind them about the inherent dangers of the sport they were about to participate in.

“You’re not necessarily signing away your rights and accepting all risks, you’re only accepting those risks that are associated with that activity,” he said.

He said there was a system of compensation based on negligence if it could be proved that someone was at fault.

Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) General Manager, Tomi Finau said that poor facility standards and ground condition was a big problem for athlete’s safety.

“As owners of the sport, we always ensure we look at every aspect of safety and welfare of our players, officials and supporters whilst planning, organising or coordinating a rugby league event,” he said.

He said that individual players signed membership forms with liability clauses that acknowledged the risks involved in the game.

“The form is explicit and has been vetted by our legal and is binding and depending on incident, an investigation is done to establish the truth then actions follow.”

Finau said a health cover was applicable to local players in Suva and Nasinu who have access to Suva Private Hospital.

Originally published by Wanolwara

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Cyber bullying on Facebook

Maryann Lockington

Cyber-bullying and harassment on Facebook confession pages has caused major concern for the USP community.

Confession pages post confessions and messages sent in by users anonymously on their page wall, which made them popular on Facebook with OMG Fijian USP Confession pages having 3,092 likes.

USP Student’s Association (USPSA) president, Ifereimi Naruma said that the OMG confession pages on Facebook were becoming a problem because it was not monitored.

Naruma said posts that ridiculed people or could hurt others should not be posted.

“Whoever the administrator is, does not censor those pages,” he said.

OMG Fijian USP confessions administrator, did not wish to reveal themselves, said in an e-mail that what was posted on the page did not reflect their own views, but was sent to them by Facebook users.

“This is a page where student can let off some steam anonymously, so if that particular student was harassed than on behalf of the other admins I offer my sincerest apologies,” the email said.

Naruma said that the pages using “USP” in the page name was a misrepresentation of the university. 

“We are addressing it already and we are addressing it in our meetings,” he said.

Naruma said it was understandable that students wanted space to “let off steam” but bullying and harassing people was unacceptable.   He said that he wanted to start an awareness program on the use of social networks and to advocate against abusing them.

Naruma said that some staff were also ridiculed on the page.

He said USP ICT had been alerted to the bullying and harassment and a formal letter would be issued to the administrators.

Several students from USP said that the page was damaging because it affected students emotionally and socially.

Anti-bullying advocate, Peter Waqavonovono, who has been targeted in these pages, highlighted the problem on his Facebook profile about the page.

“Your HATE is sadly not killing my Spirit and my resolve to get Hate and Bullying Pages closed is ever so reaffirmed,” he posted.

 “Today I encourage more people to report these pages to Facebook and close them down,” he said.

“USP is not an institution for Racists and Haters,” Waqavonovono added.

Former USP student, Hosanna Kabakoro, who was also mentioned on one of the confession pages, also responded to the posts.

“These pages have become an outlet for young people to bully each other,” she said in an e-mail.

“I feel for those whose names have been dragged through the muck by ignorant people who take rumor for fact,” Kabakoro said.

Originally published in Wansolwara

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No legislation for cybercrime: Investigator

Maryann Lockington

No legislation exists in Fiji to deal with cyber-crime, a cybercrime investigator said last week.

Cybercrime Unit Investigator, Serupepeli Neiko said that although there were no stand-alone legislations, there were sections in the Crimes Decree 2009 that deals with computer crime offences.

Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (PacCERT) General Manager, Patrick Queet said that laws that govern freedom of expression and information on the Internet do not exist for Fiji.

“With that said however, many of the larger multinational organisations that hold your personal data such as internet providers and financial institutions adhere to internal policies that enforce privacy of information,” he said.

Neiko said that the Cybercrimes Unit was seeking assistance from the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for their investigations.

FIU Director, Razim Buksh said that the FIU was tasked to protect Fiji from money laundering and other criminal activities.

“The FIU has powers as well as technical capacity and ability to monitor financial transaction activities in Fiji and conduct financial profiling of persons suspected to be linked to or involved in unlawful activities including human trafficking, prostitution and pornography,” he said.

He added that a proper search warrant was needed to access any information in computer storage devices.

Neiko said FIU was not directly involved in our investigations but would seek their assistance in terms of conducting financial background checks of individuals who are subjects to our investigations.

“We are currently looking at ten different cases ranging from stalking to unauthorised access,” he said.

Neiko said said that unauthorised access has been the common cybercrime and there were three cases in 2008 and now nine unauthorised access cases in 2012.

 “These include unauthorised access to private and corporate computer system and database,” he said.

Neiko advises people to be cautious about the amount of information they share on social networks and for parents to supervise their children on the internet.

“To those who feel that they might have been a victim of online attack, they are to visit their nearest police station and register their complaint.”

Originally published by Wansolwara

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Dialogue way forward for Fiji media: PINA

By Maryann Lockington

Dialogue is the best way for Fiji media to be part of the democratic process, Pacific Island News Association (PINA) Manager said yesterday at USP's World Press Freedom Day celebrations.

PINA Manager and Training Coordinator Matai Akauola presented to student journalists, members of the press and high school students about the media.

 Akauola said that dialogue was the Pacific way of solving differences and issues.

“We need to look for strategies that work for situations we have in Fiji today,” he said.

Akauola said that dialogue with the government works better than trying to implement western concepts.

“We are in Fiji, there have been four military coups, we are not in United States or in New Zealand,” he said.

“We have to deal with the realities on the ground."

Akauola said that democracy and the media worked hand-in-hand, but Fiji has had no parliament for seven years.

“Let the democratic process move forward, let’s not derail it because if you want to do anything, do it from within parliament,” he said.

Akauola said that he believed Fijians were free to speak as Fijians and that there should be nothing to hold them back.

He added that a written media code of ethics was good but journalists should be a walking code of ethics.

Originally published in Wansolwara

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