Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Vanuatu's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, March 4th, 2007
12:55 pm [ringbark]	At least two killed in Port Vila clash http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21324416-1702,00.html AT least two people have died in violent clashes between rival groups of islanders in the Vanuatu capital. Vanuatu's Prime Minister Ham Lini and chiefs from the affected communities were holding a crisis meeting today to try to calm the situation following the fighting, sparked by a dispute between the residents of two of the archipelago's 83 islands. According to witnesses, a 300-strong mob of Tannese islanders armed with bushknives and clubs yesterday afternoon stormed an area full of Ambrym island residents following clashes at a reconciliation ceremony earlier in the day. Chiefs play a prominent role in Vanuatu society, and are usually successful in defusing volatile situations using "kastom" (custom) ceremonies. At least two people were killed in the violence, which forced many Port Vila businesses to close. More than 100 people were holed up in the compound of the paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), fearing further violence. Security at Port Vila's main hospital was increased, with staff saying they feared groups from both sides would come and "finish off" the wounded. An Ambrym elder at the hospital visiting the wounded criticised the slow response of police and the VMF. "Where are the police and VMF? We called the police many times but they never came," said the man, who did not want to be identified. "The VMF headquarters were just down the road but they watched the Tannese come into the area and didn't try to stop them. Even now, 24 hours after this happened, there is still no police protection for our community," he said. Vanuatu has so far managed to avoid the kind of serious ethnic conflict that has plagued other Melanesian countries such as their neighbours in the Solomon Islands. http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Vanuatu Civil Unrest/Political Tension The Government of Vanuatu declared a state of emergency on 4 March 2007 to restore public order in Port Vila. The proclamation prohibits assemblies and demonstrations. At this stage no curfew has been put in place. Australians are urged to exercise caution and monitor the media for any new security threats and risks. You should avoid large gatherings and demonstrations. You should monitor the media and other local information sources for information about possible demonstrations or public gatherings and avoid relevant areas. (Comment on this)
Friday, November 11th, 2005
4:41 pm [ringbark]	Sound Centre Marke has just emailed as follows: Sound Centre Burns To Ground It's now 1.57am Sat morn Vila time and I have just got back from the Sound Centre where I have been for the last 2 hours. According to Ian Irving, he was alerted to the fact there was a fire burning inside the front of the store at he guesstimates as 11.30pm. The building was gutted with the fire also destroying Fung Kwan Chee down to Photo Express / Madame Dinh. Seems no one missing or burnt, more details in the morning when they come to hand. Marke This follows on from the news on 27 October... Within minutes of the Waterfront restaurant burning down this morning, as can be expected, rumours were rife - arson or accident? We expect to have something from our journo's later with a coverage in this weekends Vanuatu Independent and the www.news.vu Port vila Presse website. In the meantime there are a dozen or so photo's online now at http://www.vanuatunews.com website news photo gallery Marke (Comment on this)
Monday, November 7th, 2005
12:35 pm [pawlick]	people of Vanuatu i salute you! i collect postcards sent from all over the world and i still don't have a postcard from your country i appreciate if someone can send me one in case you can help me i post my mailing address Pavel Tsapyuk "Telecom-Expert" company office 903, building 18 Yunnatov street Moscow, Russia 127083 have a great time, brothers and sisters! (Comment on this)
Monday, May 2nd, 2005
11:46 pm [tigertales74]	moving to Port Vila Hi, We're considering a move to Vila from Qld, Aust. with our family (2 adults, 3 kids) but are having a really hard time getting useful info about living in Vanuatu. If any of you could answer some or all of these questions we'd be extremely grateful and we'll buy you a drink when we get there! Cost of Living: What is an average rent for a 3 bedroom house? We've received one rental listing which has extremely expensive houses - on average in excess of 100,000vt a month - is this normal? Are most houses rented furnished? Is there a reasonable second-hand market in Vila for household goods, appliances and vehicles, boats etc? How does the price of second hand vehicles compare to the prices here in Aust.? Electricity - what should we expect to pay to power a 3 bedroom house with family (eg. washing machine, TV, fridge, computer, lights etc)? Water - who supplys it (a company contact email would be great), what would we expect to pay as above? Can anyone supply a link to a detailed map of Vila - we need to know where the suburbs are, and can you give us any recommendations on which suburbs might suit our family? We would be working at USP and the kids would likely attend the international school. Work visa's for wives/partners: my husband has secured a job at USP. What is the likelyhood of getting a work visa for myself? I work in admin roles here in Aust. We are concerned that the cost of living in Vila is more than we can afford on one income. Are we paranoid, or is it really expensive (compared to Australia)?? Can't wait to hear from you. Regards tigertales74 Current Mood: confused (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 14th, 2005
12:49 am [rengetsu]	I was knocking around on the Port Vila Presse website and found this article about a Peace Corps volunteer in Vanuatu. Just thought I'd share it with those interested :) x-posted in peacecorpsfolks community. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 24th, 2005
1:08 pm [rengetsu]	newspaper? In my Cross Cultural Experiences class we're supposed to pick a country and do some kind of folder on it. We're supposed to keep up with the news and what's happening in the country. I chose Vanuatu :) Does anyone know of a good newspaper that I could find online for Vanuatu? Or even a news source that often has articles about Vanuatu? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 13th, 2005
8:44 pm [pants_attack]	Bislama Hey everyone! I'm new around here. I'm doing an oral presentation on Vanuatu for my world issues class. I've found a ton of info, and it's all very interesting. I just don't want my audience to get bored or anything when I'm giving my presentation, so I was thinking I could try teaching them a little bislama. I was hoping someone here could translate a few simple phrases for me, or tell me where i could find the translations. I'd really appreciate it. I was thinking of having some easy phrases like "hello, how are you?", "nice to meet you", "Do you have the time?", "where is the washroom?", and "no, sorry". I was also hoping to learn how to say "we really love your presentation!" as a bit of a joke for the end. Thanks for any help you can give me!!!! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, November 26th, 2004
10:38 pm [ringbark]	Finding Nemo http://abcasiapacific.com/focus/stories/s1243881.htm The above offers a transcript of the recently broadcast documentary describing the trade in reef fish. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 7th, 2004
6:54 am [alagbon]	Kava news Somewhat Vanuatu-related... http://www.abc.net.au/ra/newstories/RANewsStories_1100582.htm (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 6th, 2004
8:48 pm [ringbark]	BBC information The BBC have a useful country profile of Vanuatu at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1249790.stm though in common with almost every other source, it tells you that a vatu is divided into centimes. There is not now, and never has been, a unit smaller than the vatu. Their article about the current election is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3869175.stm Of course, if Natapei loses, it will make the profile above obsolete... (Comment on this)
Monday, June 21st, 2004
4:03 pm [islandman]	hey y'all. I'm new around here. I had a question about the languages of vanuatu. I am looking to hopefully do a year of study abroad looking at the preservation of indigenous languages...and Vanuatu is one of the places that has taken my interest...and I was wondering if any of you knew whether they are taking efforts to preserve or document the languages of Vanuatu? Any info about the languages would be helpful....thanks. (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 3rd, 2004
5:30 am [ringbark]	Vanuatu 4 New Zealand 2 That is all (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 20th, 2004
2:29 pm [chown_me]	Newspaper? Any idea how I can get a copy of a recent newspaper from Vanuatu? Nobody's web links seem to be working. Current Mood: hopeful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, April 19th, 2004
10:16 pm [sneakysnaga]	Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Andy, and I've spent the best part of the last year studying the island of Tanna, and how it is affected by natural hazards and how this affects the way of life on the island. As a result of doing this study, as part of my degree programme at Coventry university, I have decided that one day I must come and visit Vanuatu. I do have one question. Well maybe its more than one really. I read as part of my research that a few years ago the government of Vanuatu had lifted a ban on anthropological research in the country. I wondered why there had been a ban in the first place. The article also stated that a lot of traditional practices are dying out. I wondered if anyone could give me some examples? Thanks.:) PS I have started a community for people interested in disasters and hazards. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
2:52 pm [chown_me]	Question I am doing a project/oral presentation on Vanuatu for my sociology class. I haven't had a lot of trouble finding information except for one important thing: How do you pronounce Vanuatu? Thanks for any assistance! Current Mood: curious (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, February 28th, 2004
12:15 am [flicity]	hi! hi everyone, im flic and im new to this community and am about to embark on my 1st travelling experience! im heading to vanuatu in may to do aid work for 6 weeks, followed by 2 weeks holidays if anyone had been there and can tell me ANYTHING about the place, id LOVE to hear it! cheers :) (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, February 28th, 2003
7:46 pm [ringbark]	TV rugby coverage The Vanuatu television website doesn't seem to be working at present, so I'm reduced to looking at http://www.vanuatu.net.vu/accommodationintro.html to get a clue. Vanuatu isn't a TV paradise - most of the programmes (as far as I know) are sourced from France and NZ, so I wouldn't want to guarantee the availability of rugby coverage, especially as it is such a key requirement for you guys. You might give Marke Lowen (see previous post) a call or an email - I'm sure he will be able to help you with details of current plans. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 19th, 2003
9:19 pm [ringbark]	Vanuatu web hosting I wondered if there were any companies providing web hosting services in Vanuatu as they appear not to be signed up to any Copyright conventions. They may therefore be able to provide hosting for fan sites that were being hassled by large Hollywood corporations. There are web sites hosted in the .vu domain, which I suspect are msotly genuine Vanuatu or Vanuatu related sites. See http://www.tvl.net.vu/WebSites.htm for a list of some of them. You can find free space (a bit like GeoCities or Tripod) at www.de.vu which appears to be German in origin (and probably not physically hosted in Vanuatu). You can find a scary old picture of me at one of the sites there if you use your imagination and pick out the obvious URL. I won't be linking to it, because I know Google would find it... You are right, I believe, about the copyright issues. However, I'm not sure what view the country's government would actually take about such a thing. From a practical point of view, the internet bandwidth infrastructure into the country is fairly limited. A while back, Usenet wasn't available in the Republic because of lack of bandwidth. I suspect that very popular fan sites (e.g. Nicole Kidman) would probably kill the country's network, especially if they contained any video (or possibly even audio) content. I suggest you talk to Marke Lowen, whose email address is vol at vanuatu dot net dot vee you. I wouldn't want him to be spammed. He might be able to help you. I congratulate you on your imaginative question and wish you success. Please let me know how you get on. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 16th, 2003
8:56 pm [ringbark]	Wedding You have a fantastic and extremly informative website. . . but I couldn't find the answer to my question ---- Weddings???? My fiance and I are planning to elope to vanuatu the last week in feb/first week in march. I have seen that all the hotels and resorts offer complete, not to mention expensive wedding packages -- is there another way to > go? I am looking for something simple, just the two of us on the beach in port vila. . .. can you reccommend anyone to me? Thanks for your help, look forward to visiting your beautiful island Thank you. This comes from http://travel.state.gov/vanuatu_marriage.html Marriage in Vanuatu In order to marry in Vanuatu, the parties must do the following no less than 21 days before the ceremony: fill out and submit a form to the Municipality of Port Vila (P.O. Box 99, Port Vila, Vanuatu; phone: (678) 22113; fax: (678) 25002; submit copies of their passports (if expatriates), proof of dissolution of previous marriages (if applicable); give their places of birth, current addresses, names of parents, and the particulars of two persons who will witness the ceremony. This information will be posted at the Town Hall for 21 days. The Mayor of Port Vila will then conduct the ceremony on the Friday following the expiration of the waiting period (marriages are performed only on Fridays) at the Town Hall or at a location of the parties' choosing within Port Vila. If performed at Town Hall, the fee for the ceremony is Vatu 1,500 (USD 13.65). If performed elsewhere, the fee is Vatu 5,500 (USD 50.00). Parties desiring a religious ceremony, must make arrangements with a minister who is authorized to perform marriages. The minister is required to announce in Church the couple's intention to marry 21 days prior to the ceremony, or to post the banns at the Church 21 days prior to the ceremony. After the ceremony the Minister will lodge the necessary documents with the Town Hall. Persons wishing further details on marriage in Vanuatu should contact Madeline at the Municipality of Port Vila at the above fax number. I got the above information from a Google search for port vila town hall - the reason I chose to search for that is that I know that this is where births, marriages and deaths are registered, as my son's birth was registered there in 1991. Check the advice by calling the municipality. If you do decide to go for it, MAKE SURE THEY SPELL EVERYTHING CORRECTLY ON THE CERTIFICATES. Finally, remember that he wedding is only one day - it is the start of a lifetime together, and the wedding itself is just one day. Please let me know what happens. Oh, and I'm not in Vanuatu any longer myself - our family moved to New Zealand in 1993. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
8:53 pm [ringbark]	Banking How can I open an account without it being $25,000, and how do I go about doing this? You can open a bank account in Vanuatu by presenting your identity papers and an initial deposit at any of the banks in Vanuatu. Banking law worldwide requires that all banks, even in offshore banking centres, positively identify their customers before opening accounts. If you have a legitimate reason for wanting an account in Vanuatu, I suggest you contact one of the trading banks in Vanuatu. They will be able to tell you the requirements for opening accounts and the different products available. ANZ Banking Corporation http://www.anz.com/Vanuatu/ Westpac Banking Corporation http://www.vanuatu.net.vu/westpac.html National Bank of Vanuatu Equity Investment Bank http://www.equitygroup.vu/about.asp European Bank http://www.europeanbank.net/ (Comment on this)