29 Jan 2020

Dateline Pacific for 29 January 2020

From , 5:06 am on 29 January 2020

Several Pacific countries are already dealing with epidemics and some are taking extreme measures to try and halt the spread of the new coronavirus. While authorities say the risk of an outbreak remains low, little is being left to chance - especially in measles-devastated Samoa; A refugee advocate says it's ludicrous for Papua New Guinea officials to deny refugees were tortured in the Bomana detention centre; The women and children crisis centre in Tonga says a sudden spike in the number of drug-related domestic violence cases in the kingdom is worrying; Papua New Guinea has again maintained its position as the most corrupt country in the Pacific on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index which rates it at 137 out of 180 countries, and; New Zealander Vern Cotter has been appointed the new head coach of the Fiji national rugby side on a three-year deal.