Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) residents held a peaceful roadside rally against the policies of US President Donald Trump in Saipan last Saturday.

The demonstration took place in front of Oleai Beach Bar and Grill in San Jose.

Anti-Trump protest organizer Jeff Race said people are rallying throughout the US and around the world protesting the removal of due process under the Trump administration.

"They're protesting the illegal cancelling of government programs through [the Department of Justice]. They're protesting the cancelling of free speech by Trump, his illegal orders and his anti-constitutional orders as well," he said.

"I think that we are in danger of the United States slipping into a dictatorship and that's why I'm here because I love democracy."

The CNMI Sports Hall of Famer said they were also protesting on the eve of Trump receiving a report from the Department of Defence and the Department of Homeland Security on whether he should invoke the Insurrection Act.

"If he does, he will have the power to send the regular US Army against American citizens who are protesting and that would be a full-on dictatorship.

"I believe that that's what is going to happen whether it happens tomorrow or a week from now or a month from now or three months from now. That is his path to a full dictatorship and I believe that is what he is after. That's his endgame."

Race also worries about America's standing in the international community, as he sees Trump's policies eroding longtime partnerships with allies around the world.

"Trump can do so much damage. We already see him ruining our relationships with our allies and our trading partners. We see him assuming greater and greater power and cancelling, attacking his political enemies, retaliating against people."

(RNZ Pacific)

SAMOA MURDER CHARGE

Police in Samoa have charged a man with murder following the fatal stabbing of a disabled teenager in Upolu over Easter.

The Samoa Observer reported the mutilated body of a 14-year-old girl was found behind a house in Saleimoa on Saturday morning.

Police Commissioner Auapaau Logotino Filipo told the newspaper that a 29-year-old man had been remanded in custody to appear in court in two weeks.

(Scoop.co.nz)

TONGA POLITICS

A political storm is brewing in Tonga over the repayment of a US$190 million loan from China, originally borrowed to build back after the deadly 2006 pro-democracy riots.

The money has also been spent on major projects like the renovation of the royal palace, an upgrade of Nukualofa wharf, and loans to local businesses to help them rebuild.

With the loan repayments now due, debate is intensifying over how previous governments handled the funds.

ABC reported the Lowy Institute calling it a millstone around Tonga’s neck, with the kingdom’s debt levels ranked among the highest in the world.

(Scoop.co.nz)

DHL IS SUSPENDING SOME SHIPMENTS

DHL Shipping is temporarily suspending business-to-consumer shipments to the United States worth more than $800.

DHL said the move is due to a “significant increase” in red tape at Customs following the introduction of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Previously, packages worth up to $2,500 could enter the U.S. with minimal paperwork; however, the threshold has now been lowered due to more stringent Customs checks.

DHL said the new policy will start on Monday.

(CNN)

GUAM INDICTMENTS

Five employees of the Guam Homeland Security Office’s Civil Defense office, including its head, have been indicted over payroll anomalies and summoned to answer the charges in court.

The Pacific Islands Times reported the five will appear in court on 1 May.

They were indicted on misdemeanor charges of “certifying officer malfeasance,” official misconduct, and crime against the community.

One person is facing an additional charge of tampering with public records as a third-degree felony for allegedly falsifying government documents.

(Scoop.co.nz)

DECRIMINALIZING ABORTION

A UN Committee has called for further steps to decriminalize abortion in Solomon Islands.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women held a session in Fiji this month.

The committee commended Solomon Islands on legislative and policy reform to promote gender equality.

But it also acknowledged the need for meaningful reparations for the gender-based violence and discrimination experienced by women during the ethnic tensions of 1998-2003.

It also called for further steps to decriminalize abortion, as part of a broader commitment to ensuring women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

For Tuvalu, the committee noted the intersection of gender and climate justice, but also the cultural and gender stereotypes that have led to a lack of women’s participation in political decision-making bodies.

The committee welcomed Fiji’s efforts to increase social protection and combat violence against women and girls, but also expressed concern about the deeply entrenched gender stereotypes.

(Scoop.co.nz)

NEW ZEALANDERS EMIGRATING IN RECORD NUMBERS

Ditch the winter chill” and “expand your horizons in sunny South East Queensland!” reads one newspaper advert, luring New Zealand’s health-care workers towards a new life in Australia. “Warmer days and higher pays”, enthused another, last year, from the Australian state’s police service. Kiwis who chose “policing in paradise” could look forward to 300 days of annual sunshine and a A$20,000 ($12,500) relocation bonus, it declared.

(The Economist)

OCEANIA SEABIRD SYMPOSIUM

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) has organized the first-ever Oceania Seabird Symposium, held at the University of Auckland.

SPREP’s deputy Director General Easter Chu Shing said not much is known about the great threats to seabirds and the idea was to give it more focus and attention.

She said a key focus of the symposium was highlighting traditional knowledge and the cultural aspects of seabirds.

Chu Shing said her organization would be looking at the outcomes of the discussion to see how it would inform the work underway by SPREP, and also the work of its partners.

(Scoop.co.nz)

FIJIAN WOMEN'S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION

Despite calls from women's groups urging the government to implement policies to address the underrepresentation of women in politics, the introduction of temporary special measures (TSM) to increase women's political representation in Fiji is remains a distant goal.

This week, leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), Cabinet Minister Aseri Radrodro, and opposition MP Ketal Lal expressed their opposition bjection to reserving 30 percent of parliamentary seats for women.

Radrodro, who is also the Education Minister, told The Fiji Times that Fijian women "are capable of holding their ground without needing a crutch like TSM to give them a leg up".

Lal called the special allocation of seats for women in parliament "tokenistic" and beneficial to "a few selected individuals", as part of submissions to the Fiji Law Reform Commission and the Electoral Commission of Fiji, which is undertaking a comprehensive review and reform of the Fiji's electoral framework.

Their sentiment is shared by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, said "putting in women for the sake of mere numbers" is "tokenistic".

Rabuka said it devalues "the dignity of women at the highest level of national governance."

(RNZ Pacific)