Tourism Talanoa: Resilience and adaptability

Opinion: Conflict in West Papua

Armed conflict in West Papua has caused an exodus of displaced people into one of the most remote parts of neighbouring Papua New Guinea. The latest flashpoint in the conflict is in the Indonesian administered Bintang Mountains regency, where state forces are pursuing West Papua Liberation Army fighters who they blame for recent attacks on health workers in Kiwirok district. Since violence surged in Kiriwok last month,...

Letters to the Editor: Thursday, October 28, 2021

Lending a hand Hats off to the youths from Kauvula Place in Nakasi for taking the initiative to clean up the Lighthouse Retreat Centre in Nakasi as a way of giving back to their community! The youths helped weed the centre’s garden, raked the compound, and cleared all the rubbish. The clean-up was a success...

Editorial comment: Placing value on fire safety

It is sad, and unfortunate that a family in Volivoli, Rakiraki, will have a bleak Diwali this year after their two-bedroom home was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night. We learn that Praveen Reddy and his family were away at a neighbour’s house when the fire was noticed about 8pm. He said his wife and...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces vaccination mandate

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced vaccination will be mandated in any workplace that requires a certificate of vaccination for entry. Last week the New Zealand government announced details of its COVID-19 Protection Framework, involving the roll-out of a ‘traffic-light’ system once all DHBs hit 90 per cent full vaccination rates. Ardern told the media...

Letters to the Editor: Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Shital pushes through! Thank you so much Jioji Cakacaka for your letter titled “Pinktober pledges” where you shared the story of your beloved wife who is a cancer survivor. The letter was heart-touching, and I’m glad The Fiji Times has provided space for cancer survivors to share their stories and experiences which is never easy...

Editorial comment: Encouraging turn of events

This issue of the reopening of our international border is attracting attention. As we gear up for the reopening next month, we are reminded about why tourism is important for many reasons, and high on that is the local economy. So when Rosie Holidays announced it has received more than 5000 bookings over the past...

Letters to the Editor: Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Pinktober pledges We heard a lot of testimonies and stories from families and friends who have claimed to be healed through traditional medicine and care which I believe is a myth, but my advice to all women in Fiji, especially young women, “please go for an early check up to the nearest hospital because cancer...

Opinion: Timor-Leste soon to run on fumes

The young nation of Timor-Leste has been blessed with $US23 billion ($F47.71b) in oil and gas revenues over the past 15 years, which has paid for 86 per cent of state activities. But that era is almost over, and exporting the remaining oil and gas can probably fi nance the government for only a year or two more. Even if the...

Editorial comment: Making it count for us all

As we count down the days to the reopening of our international border, attention has to shift to getting Fijians ready. There can be no doubts about the fact Fijians in the tourism industry are anticipating a change in fortunes. They are looking forward to good things. The COVID-19 pandemic has not been good for...

Letters to the Editor – Monday, October 26, 2021

New President CONGRATULATIONS to the Tui Macuata (Matanitu Vanua of the Tovata Confederacy) for been selected to be our next President. My only concern is for Government not to use him for its propaganda and rubber stamp. Tui Macuata is a fair and wise decision person. Happy retirement Mr and Mrs Konrote. JIOJI MASIVESI, Tadra-...

Editorial comment – Encouraging news

The revelation that Qantas and Jetstar announced last Friday that they have several new international flights from November in light of increased bookings from Australians is encouraging. One of their most popular destinations we are told is Fiji. We are told there was an increase of 200 per cent in bookings for Jetstar flights following...

From the Crowd: Coming out

WHILE many of us are still under all sorts of lockdown restrictions, we who are in Sydney due to various reasons or Acts of God, are facing the delightful prospect of rejoining you. I would certainly give up the delightful freedoms now permitted in parts of Australia for a glimpse of family. Included in that...

Letters to the Editor – Sunday, October 24, 2021

Headlines in the Times I REFER to the letter by Bharat Morries ( FT 21/10) asking why opposition political leaders quite regularly find their way to The Fiji Times front page headlines accompanied by big pictures. Mr Morris, my two cents take is that they attract readers like me to know about important issues concerning our...

Editorial comment – Water safety

The revelation that an 11-year-old student is alleged to have drowned in the Sigatoka River earlier this week will once again raise the issue of water safety. The victim, according to police, travelled from Suva with her parents, and had gone swimming without their knowledge. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the victim had been warned...

Carotid stenosis

Sound like a carrot smoothie … it is actually the abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel in the neck. This blood vessel supplies the brain with oxygen and nutrient to function. To understand this medical condition we have to go back to the basics of the human anatomy (study of the normal human body and its functions)...

Diagnosing the state of Fiji’s health system

Hospitals are the primary ultimate healthcare facility. The anecdotal evidence suggests that Fiji’s health system and facilities are in pretty poor shape. Drug shortages are commonplace, health infrastructure is in a deplorable condition in some places, and new hospitals that were commissioned years ago are either incomplete or still remain inaccessible to customers. To add to the problem, constructive criticism...

Gareth Baber leaves a mark and an impression

Olympic Sevens gold-winning hero and our head coach Gareth Baber is to join Edinburgh as skills and assistant attack coach. The 49-year-old Welshman will move to Scotland in December, having been in his role as Fiji 7s head coach since January 2017. The former Cardiff Blues coach had a spectacular spell with Fiji, guiding our national 7s...

Letters to the Editor – Saturday, October 23, 2021

Trek up Mt Korobaba Ana Madigibuli, via this week’s Kaila! newspaper, shared the exciting and thrilling experiences of the 20 youths from Kauvula Place as they went on a hiking expedition to Mt Korobaba. Most of the youths experienced their first hike that day, leaving their homes as early as 4am with different expectations of...

Sport post-COVID

Sport ground to a halt in April as our country was hit by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. And now, nearly half a year later, I’m looking ahead to tomorrow – the return of competitive sport in the form of football’s Digicel Premier League. Really? Well, you’ll find out my concerns as you...

Benefits of starting young

The following article is part of Consumer Council of Fiji’s (CCoF) Project Financial Resilient Fijians (Project FRF) which is being implemented through partnership with United Nations Capital Development Fund’s (UNCDF) Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP). The project aims to help Fijian consumers become more financially resilient in the face of natural perils. When...

Promises, promises … Now even one of these can jail you

I’m old enough to remember when politics was fun. In my short career as a Fiji Times reporter I was in the thick of the 1982 General Election. It was a more innocent time in some ways – after all, no one was looking over their shoulder and wondering if there would be a coup...

Editorial comment – Sticking to the rules

The reopening of the containment borders in September started a chain of events that saw a slow return of foot traffic in most urban centres around the country. It then kick-started a rather quick return of traffic around the country as people lapped up the return of freedom to travel. Now with sports set to...

Justice for sorcery – Accusation related violence in PNG

Jesten Jessy was bedridden with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 during the pandemic. Later, he recalled that he had seen a woman doing something, involving sugarcane sprouts. A magic spell to give him fever and weakness? So, while she was sleeping, he beat her to death with a piece of timber. Not every case like this...

Letters to the Editor – Friday, October 22, 2021

Life-long lessons! The pieces compiled by Litia Cava and Wanshika Kumar titled “Life-lessons of pandemic” and “Bainivalu’s love for flowers”, respectively, (FT 20/10) shred life-long lessons. The stories inspired girls and women. In her article, Litia shared the story of Alisi Merenayara who went out of her way to assist her husband in meeting their...

Editorial comment – Our children’s education

There were some interesting figures released when the Fiji Bureau of Statistics carried out the Fiji Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in March and April this year. It stated 31.7 per cent children of secondary school age were not attending school when the survey was done. It revealed that 28.2 per cent children of upper secondary...

Opinion