Manila Regional delegation (Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, autonomous States, territories and colonies of the Pacific)

Introduction

The ICRC maintained contacts with National Societies and governments in order to encourage ratification of the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols by those Pacific States which had not yet done so, and to support the National Societies in their dissemination efforts. In December the ICRC opened a media liaison office in Sydney, Australia.
AUSTRALIA FIJI NEW ZEALAND PAPUA NEW GUINEA PHILIPPINES SOLOMON ISLANDS VANUATU

AUSTRALIA

The regional delegate carried out three missions to Australia in the course of the year. He went to Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney to pursue the dialogue with the government and the National Society, to take part in a basic training course for future Australian Red Cross delegates and to prepare the Second Regional Conference on International Humanitarian Law.

In May delegates went to Canberra and Melbourne to brief the Australian Red Cross and government officials on the ICRC's activities in the region and to discuss the government's contribution to the institution's budget. In July delegates took part in a conference organized by the armed forces in Townsville (Queensland) on the impact of international humanitarian law on the conduct of operations by land commanders.

The Second Regional Conference on International Humanitarian Law, which was convened by the Australian government and the National Society, was held in Canberra in December. It was attended by over 150 government and Red Cross/Red Crescent participants from 35 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a large ICRC delegation. The conference's aim was to stimulate debate on international humanitarian law in preparation for two meetings to be held in 1995: the Review Conference of the 1980 UN Weapons Convention and the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. This event coincided with the opening of the ICRC's media liaison office in Sydney. The office's main objective is to establish a network of contacts among the international and Australian media with a view to promoting the ICRC's image and activities in the Asia and Pacific region.

FIJI

Three missions were carried out in Suva to monitor ongoing dissemination programmes financed by the ICRC and conducted by the National Society and to maintain contacts with the government and the ICRC's local office.

In August the regional delegation organized a dissemination training course in Suva for 11 Red Cross representatives from the following States and territories: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Western Samoa and Vanuatu. The Federation's regional delegate also attended the course.

The ICRC provided teaching materials to the Fiji Red Cross Society to help it promote understanding of international humanitarian law among the armed forces, which provided a contingent for the peace-keeping forces in Bougainville.

NEW ZEALAND

The regional delegate conducted two missions to Wellington in the course of the year. In May he informed the National Society and government officials about the ICRC's activities in the region and discussed the government's support for the institution. He also took part in a basic training course for members of the New Zealand Red Cross Society who were to be seconded to the ICRC or the Federation.

During the second mission, in November, the regional delegate participated in a training course organized by the National Society for its dissemination officers.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The ICRC carried out four missions to Papua New Guinea with a view to monitoring the situation in Bougainville and pursuing the dialogue with the authorities concerning ICRC visits to people detained in connection with the crisis on the island. Although a formal agreement was eventually reached, visits to detainees were delayed owing to a volcanic eruption in Rabaul in late September. The visits were rescheduled to take place in early 1995. At the end of October the regional delegate gave briefings and dissemination materials to the regional peace-keeping forces assigned to Bougainville.

PHILIPPINES

The peace process between the government and the various opposition parties continued apace. Whereas talks with the National Democratic Front ended in stalemate and discussions with the Moro National Liberation Front failed to resolve any of the major issues, negotiations with the far right produced some positive results.

As a consequence of the apparent failure of peace talks, tension remained high at the end of the year in northern Luzon, Bicol and particularly in Mindanao, which saw a significant rise in Muslim insurgency and the re-emergence of Christian vigilante groups.

The National Amnesty Commission, which failed to attract a significant number of rebels, extended its deadline for the submission of applications to the end of the year.

The ICRC's main activities in the Philippines consisted of making visits to detainees held in connection with insurgency-related incidents, handling correspondence between detainees and their families, arranging family visits and promoting knowledge of international humanitarian law among the armed forces.

Activities for detainees

The number of detainees visited decreased in 1994 to about 550. Fewer arrests were made and some detainees were released. During 251 visits, delegates registered 152 new detainees and offered all those seen the opportunity to contact their families through Red Cross messages. An ICRC field nurse followed the progress of all inmates with special medical problems and supervised the disinfection of eight places of detention. Throughout the year the ICRC distributed hygiene and leisure items to 40 places of detention.

The family visit programme, run jointly by the ICRC and the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), proceeded smoothly, enabling some 340 detainees to receive visits from their relatives.

Activities for the civilian population

Fighting between government forces and Muslim rebel groups led to the displacement of thousands of families in certain areas of Mindanao. Following a joint survey, a special ICRC/PNRC relief programme was conducted on the islands of Sulu and Basilan and in North Cotabato. In all, some 4,000 families benefited from this one-off distribution of rice, noodles, sardines, soap and blankets.

Tracing activities

As in previous years, the tracing service collected, processed and filed information pertaining to people held in connection with insurgency-related incidents, coup attempts or Muslim secessionist activities. In all, the ICRC collected and distributed 183 Red Cross messages and issued travel documents for 80 refugees accepted by host countries for resettlement.
Dissemination

As all the armed forces and police academies included international humanitarian law in their curricula, the ICRC reduced the number of dissemination sessions held for these groups. In 1994 the delegation took part in a dozen sessions and distributed some 2,500 publications. No dissemination activities could be organized for the armed opposition because of problems in reaching them.

In April a lawyer from the Philippines Commission on Human Rights received a special one-month course of training in Geneva on international humanitarian law and its dissemination to the armed forces.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

The regional delegate carried out two missions to Honiara. He monitored the programmes carried out by the Solomon Islands Red Cross for refugees from Bougainville and maintained contact with government representatives.

VANUATU

This country received two ICRC visits in the course of the year. On the first occasion the regional delegate met representatives of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society and the government. They discussed the promotion of international humanitarian law and information campaigns aimed at raising the National Society's profile in the country. The ICRC provided teaching aids for this purpose. On the second the regional delegate went to Port Vila in June to take part in the sixth meeting of Pacific Red Cross Societies, organized by the Federation for 24 participants from 15 States.