Oceania

Australia: Rescues of Tourists Underscore Risks of Outback Travel

Date: December 5th, 2006 |

Two recent incidents involving the rescue of travelers serve as reminders of the risk of travel in the Outback. Four people were driving in the Northern Territory from Alice Springs to Nyrippi when they had a flat tire they could not repair. As night fell they abandoned the vehicle and began walking to an outstation [read more]

Fiji: Coup Threat Rattles Islands

Date: November 28th, 2006 |

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A political crisis pitting the prime minister against the military commander has pushed the nation to the brink of a military coup. Australia’s foreign minister warned that a takeover was likely to occur within two weeks, and both Australia and New Zealand have warned their citizens about travel here because of possible conflict. New Zealand [read more]

Fiji: Tensions between Military and Government

Date: October 31st, 2006 |

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Political tensions have increased in Fiji following the threat by the head of the military to remove the prime minister sometime in November and the recent call-up of 3,000 reserves. The military leader opposes parliamentary bills that would grant pardons to people involved in the 2000 coup. In the wake of the call for the [read more]

Pacific Rim: Waves from New Zealand Storm Lash Americas

Date: June 27th, 2006 |

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In a clear indication of how connected our world can be, an intense low pressure system several hundred miles off New Zealand caused hurricane force winds that pushed huge waves eastward, resulting in heavy surf from Northern Chile to Southern California June 18-20. Beachfront homes and businesses were damaged from Peru to Mexico, but no [read more]

New Zealand: American Hiker Dies from Hypothermia

Date: May 2nd, 2006 |

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A 70-year-old American woman became the sixth tourist to die this year while hiking in the mountains when she and her partner, a 64-year-old American man, got disoriented at the top of their trek on the Tongariro Crossing and lost their way as night fell. They felt they had lost the trail because the descent [read more]

Fiji: Military Stages Coup

Date: December 5th, 2006 |

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After a year of political tension, the military staged a bloodless coup Dec. 5 and took control of the country. A state of emergency is in effect and military checkpoints have been established in Suva. The city was calm on the day of the coup, but unrest is possible. Defer non-essential travel to Suva until [read more]

Tonga: Riots Destroy Business District

Date: November 20th, 2006 |

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Riots that followed a rally protesting the slow pace of political reform devastated the capital city of Nuku’alofa Nov. 16, destroying some 80 percent of the city’s business district and killing at least eight. New Zealand and Australian troops arrived at the government’s request and secured the airport, so flights are operating normally and the [read more]

New Zealand: Rail Strike in Wellington

Date: July 4th, 2006 |

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A pay dispute between rail maintenance workers and management caused the suspension of train service between Wellington and Auckland June 29. Workers say they only want their pay to be brought in line with other rail workers and the strike is a last resort. They have refused to work overtime or to be on call [read more]

Fiji: Extra Police to Oversee Elections

Date: May 2nd, 2006 |

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Voters go to the polls May 6-13 in the second election since a 2000 coup pushed ethnic Indian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry out of power. Authorities canceled all police leave for the month and planned to deploy an extra 1,000 officers to monitor the polls, with another thousand on standby. Tensions surfaced May 1 when [read more]

Australia: Queensland Recovers from Cyclone Larry

Date: March 28th, 2006 |

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Cyclone Larry, a category-five storm that pummeled almost 200 miles of the Queensland coast March 20, destroyed most of Australia’s banana crop, about ten percent of its sugar cane and thousands of homes in the agricultural town of Innisfail, but did little damage to Cairns or other popular tourist sites. The Great Barrier Reef survived [read more]