Teilweise neu: 2001-10-16 Contents of this issue:
1. Girls Set Free 2. Fragile Economy 3. Celebrations Continue ======================================================================== Old contents were: 1. Celebrations Continue October 16th, 2001 1. Girls Set Free: Three teenage girls wrongly jailed for eight months may be in line for $70,000 dollars in compensation. The girls spent eight months in Auckland's Mt Eden Women's Prison after they were convicted on charge of aggravated robbery. They yesterday won their appeal against the conviction when it was overturned by the Court of Appeal. The three judges on the bench told the girls "we offer our sympathy to them". But the girls' lawyer, Gary Gotlieb, said they wanted more than sympathy. They wanted an apology from police and compensation from the Government. Teangarua (Lucy) Akatere and Tania Mayze Vini, both aged 17, and McCushla (Krishla) Priscilla Fuataha, 16, had their charges quashed after the Crown'smain witness, a 13-year-old girl, retracted her evidence by affidavit. The younger girl had claimed she and the three older girls attacked a 16-year-old schoolgirl at Three Kings Plaza, in Mt Roskill in August 1999, punching her, slashing her with scissors and robbing her of $10. New evidence presented to the Court of Appeal showed the 13-year-old was unreliable, had given several different accounts of the same incident and that the three girls were nowhere near the crime scene. Mr Gotlieb said compensation was not the immediate priority for the three girls. He said the main focus was their emotional wellbeing and victim support. But a compensation claim would be lodged. Justice Minister Phil Goff's office said today they expected a claim from Mr Gotlieb but it had yet to be submitted. Murray Gibson, the Auckland lawyer who won compensation of $868,000 for David Dougherty, who spent three years in prison for a rape he did not commit, said under new guidelines the three girls could get between $60,000 and $70,000 each. That was working on a formula of $100,000 for each year spent in prison after a wrongful conviction. 2. Fragile Economy: Tonga's Finance Minister, Siosiua 'Utoikamanu has warned that economic uncertainties in the United States since September 11th have left his country's economy in a vulnerable situation. Mr 'Utoikamanu was speaking at a meeeting Tonga's Government/Private Sector Consultative Committee where he gave an address on the state of the Tongan economy. 3. Celebrations Continue: Niue's week long double celebration of 100 years political association with New Zealand and 27 years of self government continues today with the official opening of world food day and an ethnic dish competition. Its the third round of the centennial golf tournament and tonight the education renaissance fiafia ball takes place at the Niue High School hall. Yesterday the island's youth took part in raft and canoe racing and the government staged a fiafia dinner at the village of Hakupu. Tomorrow its tabloid sports for veterans and the University of the South Pacific stages an open day and launch of the book Tau Tala Tu Fakaholo a Niue. The governor general of NZ and Nuie Dame Silvia Cartwright along with NZ MP's arrive on Thursday evening for the formal flag raising ceremony Friday. Representatives of NZ radio, print and tv media will also arrive on the air force 727 flight to record the historic occasion. The Niue government has spent $100,000 on the celebrations which will conclude on Monday when the Ekalesia Church celebrates Peniamina's Day - the appointment of the first trained Niuean missionary in 1846. __END__
