{"id":8273,"date":"2021-03-31T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=8273"},"modified":"2021-03-30T16:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T06:20:00","slug":"weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/international\/pacific-news\/439221\/png-covid-19-vaccination-programme-complicated-by-frontliner-hesitancy\">Uncertainty among health workers<\/a> about taking the vaccine required more awareness raising before administering the AstraZeneca injections could begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in PNG has now exceeded 5000. There have been more than 50 deaths recorded as caused by the infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vaccine hesitancy coupled with widespread misinformation about COVID-19 are of significant concern ahead of an anticipated wider vaccination programme. The PNG Defence Force will be deployed to assist with disseminating information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it is still not clear where the required number of vaccines will come from. The government of Australia has yet to convince the European Union to release one million AstraZeneca doses from their contracted allocation. In addition, Canberra has not yet advised if locally produced stocks will be diverted from domestic use to PNG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marshall Islands invited to join the Biden Climate Summit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Biden has invited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2021\/mar\/26\/joe-biden-climate-change-virtual-summit?CMP=soc_568#Echobox=1616823793\">40 world leaders<\/a> to take part in an online climate summit next month. The two-day meeting coincides with Earth Day on April 22<sup>nd<\/sup>. According to a White House statement, the US will have issued an \u201cambitious 2030 emissions target\u201d before then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other than Australia and New Zealand, the only member of the Pacific Islands Forum to be invited is President David Kabua of the Republic of Marshall Islands. This has come as a surprise as it was expected that Fiji would be invited. Fiji is a former chair of the Conference of Parties (COP) and is the incoming chair of the Pacific Islands Forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It appears that this is a result of an oversight rather than a reflection of concerns about the ongoing tensions within regionalism. However, it is unlikely to assist in terms of calming troubled waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Samoan elections<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The general elections will take place in Samoa on April 9<sup>th<\/sup>. With around two weeks to go, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/international\/programmes\/datelinepacific\/audio\/2018789071\/electioneering-ramping-up-in-samoa-amid-calls-for-change\">campaigning is well underway<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These elections are attracting attention for a number of reasons. The incumbent Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) is used to being returned time after time with little or no difficulty. However, a number of observers are saying that this time things may go differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newly established <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samoaobserver.ws\/category\/samoa\/81604\">FAST party<\/a> is gaining a lot of attention during the campaign period. It is led by the high profile Fiame Naomi Mata\u2019afa. She was formerly the Deputy Prime Minister. The FAST party looks to have a lot of support among the Samoan diaspora, although only those resident in the country are eligible to vote in the elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The caretaker Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, remains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/international\/pacific-news\/439270\/samoa-caretaker-leader-supremely-confident-on-poll-chances\">confident of success<\/a>. He has predicted that his party will secure at least 45 of the 49 seats in contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Zealand looks at supporting vaccinations in Cook Islands<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government of New Zealand has been asked to expedite a vaccination programme in Cook Islands. This is part of preparations for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/travel\/news\/124663908\/travel-bubble-with-cook-islands-by-may-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-says\">travel bubble<\/a> between the two countries. Whilst previously it was hoped that the two-way travel bubble could be in place by the end of March, this will not happen. It is now expected that it can commence in May although no definite start date has been announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Mark Brown, is in New Zealand for talks with Prime Minister Ardern and her government. He requested that New Zealand provide Pfizer vaccines for the 17,000 population of his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chamber of Commerce of Cook Islands has expressed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/national\/programmes\/checkpoint\/audio\/2018789249\/cook-islands-chamber-of-commerce-boss-disappointed-no-travel-bubble-announced\">disappointment<\/a> that there is nothing more definite coming out of the talks as businesses continue to suffer with no tourists travelling to Cook Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pacific teams make their mark in Australian rugby league competitions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two teams from the Pacific islands region have taken up residence in Australia to compete in state rugby league competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Queensland, the PNG SP Hunters have made Runaway Bay their home away from home as they compete in the Intrust Cup. They have taken part in this competition for several years now. They took out the title in 2017 and are hoping for a repeat of that this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In New South Wales, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nswrl.com.au\/news\/2021\/03\/24\/silktails-pumped-and-ready-to-go\/\">Fiji Kaiviti Silktails<\/a> are joining the Ron Massey Cup competition for the second year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both teams have had to leave families and friends behind to spend the entire season in Australia in order to compete. For all the players, being able to play in these competitions is seen as a potential pathway to spots in the National Rugby League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"Author label wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AUTHOR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Tess Newton Cain<\/strong>&nbsp;is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\">Griffith Asia Institute<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;<em>and project lead of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.griffith.edu.au\/asia-institute\/partnerships-collaborations\/pacific-hub\">Pacific Hub<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty among health workers about taking the vaccine required more awareness raising before administering the AstraZeneca injections could begin. Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in PNG has now exceeded 5000. There have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1021,248,1056,524,1057,1426],"tags":[1173,1087,323,1026,535,969,1050,935,1022,1275,1534],"class_list":["post-8273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pacific-outlook","category-png-and-the-pacific","category-politics","category-public-diplomacy","category-security","category-weekly-pacific-bulletin","tag-cook-islands","tag-covid-19","tag-fiji","tag-marshall-islands","tag-new-zealand","tag-pacific-islands","tag-pacific-outlook","tag-papua-new-guinea","tag-samoa","tag-tess-newton-cain","tag-vaccine"],"acf":[],"modified_by":null,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March | Griffith Asia Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March | Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-30T22:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg?fit=1000%2C556&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"556\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\"},\"headline\":\"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-30T22:30:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":772,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Cook Islands\",\"Covid-19\",\"Fiji\",\"Marshall Islands\",\"New Zealand\",\"Pacific Islands\",\"Pacific outlook\",\"Papua New Guinea\",\"Samoa\",\"Tess Newton Cain\",\"Vaccine\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific\",\"Region-PNG and the Pacific\",\"Topic-Politics\",\"Topic-Public Diplomacy\",\"Topic-Security\",\"Weekly Pacific Bulletin\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/\",\"name\":\"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March | Griffith Asia Insights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-30T22:30:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":556},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Insights\",\"description\":\"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"width\":2930,\"height\":308,\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/griffithasiainstitute\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/GAIGriffith\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/author\\\/gaigriffith-edu-au\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March | Griffith Asia Insights","description":"Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March | Griffith Asia Insights","og_description":"Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty","og_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/","og_site_name":"Griffith Asia Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","article_published_time":"2021-03-30T22:30:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":556,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg?fit=1000%2C556&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Griffith Asia Institute","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_site":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Griffith Asia Institute","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/"},"author":{"name":"Griffith Asia Institute","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a"},"headline":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March","datePublished":"2021-03-30T22:30:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/"},"wordCount":772,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg","keywords":["Cook Islands","Covid-19","Fiji","Marshall Islands","New Zealand","Pacific Islands","Pacific outlook","Papua New Guinea","Samoa","Tess Newton Cain","Vaccine"],"articleSection":["Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific","Region-PNG and the Pacific","Topic-Politics","Topic-Public Diplomacy","Topic-Security","Weekly Pacific Bulletin"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/","name":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March | Griffith Asia Insights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg","datePublished":"2021-03-30T22:30:00+00:00","description":"Delays and uncertainty surround vaccine rollout in PNG The commencement of vaccinations of frontline health staff in PNG has been delayed. Uncertainty","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg","width":1000,"height":556},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-31-march\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 31 March"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","name":"Griffith Asia Insights","description":"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","width":2930,"height":308,"caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GAIGriffith"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/author\/gaigriffith-edu-au\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10318,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/pacific-outlook-bulletin-22-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":8273,"position":0},"title":"Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 22 November","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"22 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 Pacific Games underway Honiara lit up on Sunday as the 17th edition of the Pacific Games got underway. It is a project that has been seven years in the making and has not been without controversy. It is the first time that Solomon Islands has hosted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/pacific-outlook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Griffith University Pacific Outlook banner - map of the Pacific region over a beach background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10501,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/pacific-outlook-bulletin-24-january\/","url_meta":{"origin":8273,"position":1},"title":"Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 24 January","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"24 January 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 Political shifts all round The year has got off to a busy start on the political front. We have seen some significant political shifts across the region. In Papua New Guinea, the Prime Minister, James Marape has reshuffled his cabinet. This sees Justin Tkatchenko reappointed as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Griffith University Pacific Outlook banner - map of the Pacific region over a beach background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7271,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-21\/","url_meta":{"origin":8273,"position":2},"title":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"13 May 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0 Tensions in Port Moresby Tensions in Port Moresby rose after a senior police officer was killed by off duty members of the PNG Defence Force. Senior Inspector Andrew Tovere was attacked by drunk off duty soldiers whilst seeking to enforce a ban on sale of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Coronavirus in the Pacific&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Coronavirus in the Pacific","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/feature-series\/coronavirus-in-the-pacific\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pacific Outlook","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10281,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/pacific-outlook-bulletin-8-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":8273,"position":3},"title":"Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 8 November","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"8 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting The leaders of the region are gathering in Rarotonga, Cook Islands for their 52nd annual meeting. The meeting is hosted by Prime Minister Mark Brown as Forum Chair. The theme for this year\u2019s meeting is \u201cOur Voices, Our Choices, Our Pacific\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/pacific-outlook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Griffith University Pacific Outlook banner - map of the Pacific region over a beach background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10335,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/pacific-outlook-bulletin-6-december\/","url_meta":{"origin":8273,"position":4},"title":"Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 6 December","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"6 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 COP28 Begins Amongst much by way of controversy, the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) is now underway in the United Arab Emirates. This global forum is of prime importance to Pacific island countries given the leadership their negotiators have provided over many years. It is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Griffith University Pacific Outlook banner - map of the Pacific region over a beach background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10035,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/pacific-outlook-bulletin-11-october\/","url_meta":{"origin":8273,"position":5},"title":"Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 11 October","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"11 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN | A fortnighly summary of recent developments and news in the Pacific region. It covers various topics including the upcoming BRI Forum, Compact negotiations, Vanuatu's new Prime Minister, Pacific tourists caught in Israel violence, Forum Trade Ministers meeting in Fiji, and Tuvalu's new Constitution.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | Papua New Guinea and the Pacific","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/pacific-outlook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Griffith University Pacific Outlook banner - map of the Pacific region over a beach background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"featured_image_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500-1000x0-c-default.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}