Oceania

Some 49 international observers will monitor Vanuatu’s snap election, with Australia, the United States and Japan closely following the process because of the local government’s close ties with China. Almost 220 candidates are running for 52 seats. The Supreme Court dismissed a recourse against the dissolution of parliament after the government called an election to avoid a vote of no confidence.

Caritas Oceania released a report on the feast day of Saint Francis (4 October), highlighting the impact of climate change and public debt on the region’s island nations. The latter call for high-income countries to help build the resilience needed to protect local communities. The current cost is at least a billion dollars a year, but less than half of that is provided.

It remains difficult to verify damage to buildings and people after the 11 September quake. First assessment and verification missions started yesterday. In the archdiocese of Madang, the roof of the cathedral and the university, where about ten students were injured, were damaged.

Church calls for an end to impunity for those who torture women accused of witchcraft. Last month four women were killed because they were blamed for the death of a local businessman. So far, the government's implemented plans have not worked.

Nine women were attacked following the sudden death of Jacob Luke during a walk in the woods. Four were killed while the others are receiving treatment at a hospital and a Catholic health facility. The violence continued even after the businessman’s funeral with the homes of the accused set on fire. The women were “tortured and locked up in a house,” said Auxiliary Bishop Ain. “It was terrible.”

At a meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on the Oceans, which ends tomorrow, Indigenous and Church representatives from Pacific Island countries discussed how to defend the seas from a Christian perspective. For the archbishop of Suva (Fiji), an anthropocentric paradigm should replace the economic one.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands issued an appeal for World Refugee Day. Another 10 families from the Indonesian province bordering PNG have recently arrived in Vanimo, joining 12,000 who arrived in the last 30 years. The new Australian government is asked to provide medical assistance to the 104 former deportees on Manus Island still left in the country.

U.S., Japan, India and Australia ready to intervene to prevent Sri Lanka's economic implosion and a humanitarian crisis of regional impact. Under indictment are the policies of President Rajapaksa, who is too bent on Chinese positions. For China, the Quad's commitment to Colombo will "dissipate."

The agreement involved some 10 island nations in the region. However, the parties agreed to work together in five areas, but not security. For the members of the Pacific Islands Forum, the priority is the fight against climate change and post-COVID recovery, not big power geopolitical confrontation. Beijing poorly prepared its diplomatic initiative.

Canberra's U-turn with the defeat of conservative Scott Morrison and Labor's return to government is being watched closely outside the country as well. Newly appointed Foreign Minister Penny Wong - an ethnic Han Chinese originally from Malaysia - to oversee the crux of relations with Beijing.

The small Pacific archipelago, so called because it was thought to be home to King Solomon's mines, actually lacks everything: hospitals, infrastructure, airports. China, which has offered to bring a certain degree of development, is welcomed as a liberator. But taking sides is not the solution, comments Monsignor Luciano Capelli to AsiaNews.

Sipri: China and India follow the U.S. in military spending. In 2021 the Chinese arrived at 293 billion dollars (+4.7%). Delhi's defense outlay touches 76.6 billion. Upward trend also for Japan and Australia. After four years, Iran's military budget has increased again. In Qatar, growth of 434% compared to 2010.