Food and water as well as shelter are a major concern for the people of Vanuatu. Residents on the outer island of Enae say they will run out of food and water in a week and desperately need help. Health worker Donald Kalsong said some supplies have reached Enae, but not enough. He said only Read more
“In Port Vila the destruction is everywhere, and there’s no news from anyone around the islands yet,” says the Bishop of Port Vila, John Bosco Baremes. “There’s just no shelter, with so much having been blown away, and people will need somewhere to shelter while they rebuild.” Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand and Caritas Australia are Read more
The Vanuatu Christian Council has condemned the hanging of two suspected sorcerers on the island of Akaham in South Malekula. The general secretary of the Council, Shem Temar, told Radio Australia International that pastors are supposed to promote Christian values which includes respect for human life. He said more information was needed before he could comment Read more
Police have arrested suspects on the island of Akaham in South Malekula in Vanuatu following the killing of two people over allegations of sorcery and witchcraft. Those arrested include church pastors and customary chiefs. According to the Daily Post, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, John Taleo, has described the killings as brutal and unlawful murders. Read more
Members of New Zealand’s Hurricanes rugby union team will visit Vanuatu to spread a message against domestic violence. Professional Development Manager for the Hurricanes, Steve Symonds says the program will help support local law enforcement and challenge the resilience of the players themselves. Listen to interview
The visit was largely unremarkable, except in one key way: a religious sect was born that views Philip as their god. Matthew Baylis recently chronicled that visit and the religion, which thrives even 40 years later, in his new book “Man Belong Mrs. Queen: Adventures with the Philip Worshippers.” “They had a jolly old time. Read more
Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Martin Krebs as apostolic nuncio to Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu. Archbishop Krebs was previously apostolic nuncio to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, and apostolic delegate in the Pacific Ocean. Source Vatican Information Service
A second Melanesian country is considering the death penalty as a punishment for major crimes. Vanuatu’s Minister for Justice and Community Services, Silas Yatan, says the government may bring in the death penalty. This follows several recent killings, including the murder of two women. In May this year the Papua New Guinea Parliament adopted a Read more
Vanuatu’s Prime Minister, Moana Carcasses Kalosil, has promised the Vanuatu Christian Council that his Government is going to start paying 10 percent of the national budget to the churches. Based on the present budget, 10 percent would amount to 21 million US dollars. Kalosil became Vanuatu’s and the region’s first Greens prime minister when he Read more
Population control was under discussion in two places in the Pacific region last week Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Health and HIV, Jamie Maxtone-Graham, has called for proper plans and strategies for population control to cater for the increasing population in the country. Quoting reports from a demographic health survey carried out in 2006, Maxtone-Graham Read more