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Pacific Beat

ABC Radio Australia 25 Episodes Jul 24, 2026

Focusing on the Pacific region, the program brings you interviews with leaders, newsmakers, and people who make the Pacific beat.

Episodes

Vanuatu chiefs apologise after backlash over female leader appointment Jul 24, 2026 0:45:17 Vanuatu's House of Chiefs has apologised after a public backlash over its call to revoke the appointment of Dr Anna Naupa as the new Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Two bodies recovered as search continues for missing boat passengers off East New Britain Jul 23, 2026 0:49:07 The bodies of two women have been recovered from the sinking of a boat off of East New Britain over the weekend. Twenty-five others remain missing at sea.

Twenty-seven remain missing at sea Jul 22, 2026 0:45:30 Twenty people, mostly children, remain missing at sea, four days after two boats sank in rough seas off East New Britain.

Taiwan office closure "a monetary transaction" says East Sepik Governor Jul 20, 2026 0:48:11 PNG's opposition leader says the government's decision to close Taiwan's trade office was likely not a geopolitical decision but a financial one. Also, There are signs the Catholic Church is being increasingly targeted by separatist groups in Indonesia's Papua region.

350 arrests in Timor-Leste scam center crackdown Jul 17, 2026 0:47:09 A major crackdown on international scam centers in Timor-Leste has resulted in 350 arrests. Police raided multiple heavily secured call centre compounds over the past week in a major crackdown against what experts say is a growing trade in the developing nation.

PNG Police pursue group who tortured elderly women Jul 16, 2026 0:50:01 Papua New Guinea police are hunting for a group of men who tortured and attacked two elderly women, accused of sorcery in Enga Province. The incident, captured on video and shared widely on social media has helped police identify those behind the attack.

250 people apprehended by Timor-Leste police in major scam center crackdown Jul 15, 2026 0:49:51 More than 250 people have been apprehended in Timor-Leste following a sweep of raids on alleged scam centers. While details about what the alleged scams are is still unclear, these raids follow on from a major bust last year in the Timorese region of Oe-Cussee where authorities raided a hotel detaining 30 foreign nationals and seizing phones and starlink units.

Timor-Leste police arrest 90 foreign nationals in scam center crackdown Jul 14, 2026 0:45:11 In Timor-Leste, police have raided suspected scam centres around the capital Dili, with more than 90 foreign nationals arrested.

Australia's foreign minister says China missile test proves need for a regional security agreement. Jul 13, 2026 0:47:36 Australia has offered stronger support for a regional security pact across the Pacific, in the wake of a Chinese ballistic missile test last week.

Palau President accuses Beijing of intimidation Jul 10, 2026 0:47:46 The President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr, has accused Beijing of intimidating Pacific Island nations with this week's test firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific.

Pacific backlash continues against China ballistic missile test Jul 9, 2026 0:43:58 Tuvalu's leaders say they are gravely concerned about a Chinese missile test that landed in waters near the small Pacific nation.

Former Kiribati president condemns PRC's ballistic missile test Jul 8, 2026 0:52:22 Former Kiribati President Anote Tong has condemned the Nuclear Ballistic test by China and says it undermines foreign relations between Beijing and the Pacific region.

Super Typhoon Bavi lashes Rota, no casualties reported Jul 7, 2026 0:48:07 A category 5 Super Typhoon Bavi has rocked the island of Rota in the Mariana Islands. The mayor Aubrey Hocog says respondents have reported extensive damage to infrastructure.

Rabuka set to sign new security agreement with Australia Jul 6, 2026 0:46:47 Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Fiji today, where he's expected to sign a major new security agreement with the Pacific nation. The pact is intended to upgrade the Vuvale Partnership first signed in 2019.

Solomons PM wants regional security agreement Jul 3, 2026 0:52:43 Solomon Islands' new Prime Minister Mathew Wale is in Fiji for a state visit. He says there's a "growing consensus" in the region in support of his idea for a regional security agreement.

Enga governor requests more Australian police amidst fears of election violence Jul 2, 2026 0:44:45 Papua' New Guinea's Enga Province Governor, Sir Peter Ipatas is urgently calling for more Australian police officers to be deployed to his province ahead of the 2027 election. The push comes after violence and killings in Enga overshadowed the last national vote.

Marshall Islands still feeling the effects of cold war nuclear testing Jul 1, 2026 0:49:54 It's 80 years to the day since the US nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands began with Operation Able, when a 23 kiloton atomic bomb was detonated in the atmosphere over Bikini Atoll in July, 1946.

Vanuatu Opposition MP denounces Nakamal Agreement Jun 30, 2026 0:46:01 Australia and Vanuatu have signed The Nakamal Agreement. The landmark deal states Vanuatu will consult Australia on proposed third party engagement in Vanuatu's critical infrastructure, and which was must be free from militarisation and foreign influence.

New Caledonians await results of provincial elections Jun 29, 2026 0:47:26 Crucial provincial elections have taken place in New Caledonia, and results could lay the foundations of the territory's future.

Samoa to draft law requiring MPs to undergo drug testing Jun 26, 2026 0:49:14 Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Schimdt says his government will draft legislation requiring Members of Parliament to undergo drug testing.

Fossil fuel investments in Tuvalu Trust Fund at odds with climate action Jun 25, 2026 0:53:38 The Australian government has refused to release internal documents about Tuvalu's trust fund after an investigation by French international news agency AFP found that funds have been invested into fossil fuels.

Timor-Leste mourns former president Francisco Guterres Jun 24, 2026 0:52:09 Thousands of people have turned out at Dili's international airport to honour the late former president of Timor-Leste Francisco Guterres as his body was flown in from Malaysia.

Cargo ship with three tonnes of illicit drugs, seized in Solomon Islands Jun 23, 2026 0:44:02 A 100-metre cargo ship, suspected of being involved in transporting more than three tonnes of illicit drugs to Australia, has been intercepted by Solomon Islands authorities.

Appointment of Australians to senior positions in PNG Police Force causes stir Jun 22, 2026 0:45:03 Bougainville's leaders have condemned a move by Papua New Guinea's parliament to impose a three-quarters majority for any vote to ratify Bougainville's independence referendum.

Pacific Beat

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