Pacific news in brief for April 15

Papua New Guinea – earthquake

Papua New Guinea has been shaken by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.

The US Geological Survey reports the quake was 110 kilometres east-north-east of Kimbe.

It was 49 kilometres deep.

The USGS has marked it green, which means there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

CNMI – new Tinian airfield

The US Air Force has awarded a contract for an airfield on Tinian in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.

Fluor, an engineering and construction company based in Irving, Texas, said it would receive about US$409 million to finish the project within five years.

US Defence News reports the Air Force launched bomber raids against Japan from Tinian during World War II, but the island’s jungle has grown over the concrete.

Since January, airmen have started to clear hundreds of acres of jungle so construction work can begin.

CNMI – child abuse cases

The Northern Marianas government says child abuse and neglect cases have shot up at an alarming rate.

More than one thousand incidents have been reported in the Northern Marianas so far this year.

A Youth Services Division spokesperson said there were just over one-thousand cases last year compared to 271 in 2020, an increase of nearly 170 percent.

Vivian Sablan said it’s a massive jump.

If you or anyone you know needs support or would like to report an incident contact the Department of Public Safety in the CNMI at +670-664-9000 or + 670-664-9070

PNG – Australia aircraft

The Australian Defence Force says it has identified a World War II Beaufort aircraft, first reported missing in 1943, in the waters south of Gasmata, Papua New Guinea.

The site was discovered in 2020 but identifying the plane and its crew has taken time.

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Robert Chipman said the aircraft identity plate and cockpit lever were recovered from the site and will be returned to Australia under a permit granted by the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery.

A memorial service for the families of all four crew is being planned for April 26 at the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Amberley, Queensland.

Samoa – new academy

Samoa has been selected as the location for the Pacific Islands Academy of Sciences and Humanities secretariat.

The Samoa Observer reports the formal launch of the Academy is expected to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting scheduled for October.

A spokesperson representing the International Science Council’s Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific confirmed the decision to establish the headquarters in Samoa was endorsed by the Pacific Establishment Committee.

Samoa – dog population

A vet in Samoa said it would take five to 10 years of large-scale desexing to improve the dog population.

Dr Harriet Thornton with Samoa’s Animal Protection Society said it’s hard to know if dogs are strays or owned.

She said it’s also hard to know if any gains have been made from current desexing programmes.

If everyone got together and got on board and we have enough funding, we have enough personnel, it would probably still take us five to 10 years to get on top of it. But that’s where the issue lies is though it’s possible practically, we just don’t have that kind of resource behind us to do it.