Trouble in Fijian paradise
Stories about the Chinese influence in the Pacific usually concern China's 'Belt and Road Initiative' - construction of commercial infrastructure such as ports proposed in PNG, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, or the Chinese leasing Darwin Harbour.
Yet that's not the full story. With the soaring number of Chinese middle-class, tourism in the Pacific is also booming.
Recently, a Chinese-owned company called Freesoul began building what would be Fiji's biggest resort. In 2018, they secured the rights to a parcel of land on Malolo Island, west of Tavarua and Namotu Islands, and began construction of 370 bures and Fiji's first casino.
The land wasn't ideal for their intended use so they began augmenting it to fit their needs: excavating a channel through the reef; reclaiming the mangroves; and felling the trees.
Freesoul had no approval to conduct the works, so the owners of the land next door, Woody Jack and Navrin Fox from Yamba, plus a third owner Ratu Jona Joseva from Fiji, campaigned against Freesoul's insousciance. Freesoul repeatedly skirted Fijian law as none of the work had Environmental Impact or Development approvals, and they subsequently ignored two court orders to stop the destruction.
Before and after (photos supplied)
Navrin Fox and his fellow land-owners accused them of running roughshod over Fijian environmental law, permits, the environment, and the island locals.
After a year of feeble protesting, the story was picked up by Newsroom New Zealand who've produced a number of stories and a video. In the process, Newsroom employees were detained by Fijian police for criminal trespass. The employees, however, weren't tresspassing, they were on land that belongs to Fox, Jack, and Joseva, but had been annexed by Freesoul. They've since received an apology from Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
Nav wrestles with a Freesoul flunky. Image from video below.
It's a story that goes all the way to the top. It can also be read as a portent of what's to come as China exerts its influence across the region.
Read Part 1 (of a three-part series):
Surfers who helped stop an environmental disaster (story and video)
Parts 2 and 3, focussing on the local's plight, will be released later this week.
See also earlier articles by Newsroom:
Massive resort desecrates Fiji island jewel
Fiji resort charges ‘too little, too late’
Comments
Fuck me...I hate this greedy bullshit.
Onya Nav and crew for fighting the good fight.
What do we reckon about one of those gofund me things to get them some coin back?
Drives me completely insane. Greed has destroyed so much, for the benefit of so few. I work for a eNGO at the moment and it's sad that so much of our time is wasted now trying to fight off money-hungry tourism developers who are trying to exploit the beautiful and quiet places left in the world.
There's a small twist in the story too. Historically, Fijian PM Bainimarama doesn't have a great relationship with the press - during his ascent by coup he shut down the Fijian free press - and he also has a frosty relationship with New Zealand. In fact it's the latter that's caused Fiji to look north to Russia and China for support.
However, in this case he's sided with the journalists - NZ journos, no less - against the Chinese developer.
Bainimarama has a strong nationalist streak - he ordered the 2010 decree that stopped foreign exclusivity at Cloudbreak, for instance - and this matter follows the same pattern. A foreign power imposing themselves over sovereign instutions.
If he's involved there's a good chance we'll see an ideal resolution.
At the end of the day it's a military dictatorship.
Great article about what the world needs to know about, Stu. No different than what has happened in the South China Seas. No respect for the environment while trying to claim what does not belong to them.
1.5 Billion Chinese want to be rich today not tomorrow, I live in a Chinese enclave ATM just north of Sydney and its a filth hole, they pile 8 people or more into a house paying about $150 a week rent each, hence the Chinese can afford to buy our houses at a higher price than ordinary Australians, I'm sure the ATO aren't getting their cut either, they wont speak to you or give you the time of day, none of them speak English of course, they all work together at the local clubs Chinese restaurant, just look at our current and ex politicians all tripping over themselves to sell out Australia to China!
Insousciance! Nice.
Is it ...
Insousciance
Or
insouciance
???
Welcome to the future.
The true face of China is not the firm , tight lipped contempt of Xi Jinping , it is the absolute arrogance of a bullying child in the sandpit who has realised that he is getting as big as the teacher and soon no ône can or will stop him.
I posted this in the "CHINA" forum a while back and will post it again for those who haven't seen it.
https://www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/tasmania/china-sets-i...
Make no mistake this kind of development shitstorm on Malolo could be coming to your little slice of paradise soon and it will sneak in on any greedy political system it can attach itself to.
Thanks garyg1412 - Great link and very scarey.
Having just purchased 10 acres about 30 minutes up the road from Frechinet national park - to get away from all this crap - this is a major concern. Why can't people just appreciate the natural beauty and not impose themselves on the environment. They just destroy what they came to see.
Yeah wow, what an eyesore that will be and in such a pristine zone. Is that full steam ahead yet or being fought against still?
I'll have to check in with some of the local crew ?
There is a bush fire at Dolphin Sands (the area) at the moment - hope its not related.
Craig
I think it's with the Tasmanian Planning Comission at the moment so not full steam ahead just yet. I know most of the locals do not want this in their backyard but our greedy pollies aren't normally on the same wave length as their constituents so who knows. I can guarantee you one thing though, like what is happening on Malolo, is that that influx of additional fun loving human beings will complete fuck areas like these both environmentally and aesthetically. Any dumbarse like myself without environmental qualifications can work that one out.
Yep not good at all! Lots of places have been destroyed by too much human traffic and interaction.
Ha Ha OHV500 you're about 7860 acres behind this mob. Are you sure they don't surround you??? Not wrong about destroying what you came to see though. Been to Winglass Bay lately. It's like a human version of the M7 in Sydney.
Haven't been in lately - I'm up slightly north of Bicheno.
Wish they would just go away.
"The majority of the landowner consent forms have been signed by Mr Kejing."
An apt name.
Classic batfink - wonder if that could be classified as a pun!!
If the land is what is shown it has already been ruined years ago. Looks like a flogged out paddock and I don't have a problem with eco tourism when done well. This one however looks shabby. The people involved are not the 'A' team and there is a whiff of wham bam about it in a real old school way, meaning real estate before thorough ecological analysis and planning. I would even question the economic fundamentals as the last thing you want is a half baked project which runs of money and steam and you are left with a rusting wreck.
Paging Blindboy, Blindboy to the second aisle.
I’ll save him the trouble.
“ But , but , but.....America. China is just a big happy sweet panda bear !”
Etc etc.
You’ve got to question BB’s relentless denial in the face of such evidence.
This is coming , big time.
One of my last duties as a bus driver was to take a bus load of Chinese tourism officials around Byron Bay.
They were frothing.
Chinese money is just discovering, what to them, is an "undiscovered" paradise.
I asked the lady sitting next to me, who spoke pretty good English, how Byron could absorb many more tourists.
She said no problem to build hotels. Casinos.
Sinophobic BB? Or just a new reality as Chinese money starts to flex it's muscle.
Going on the strength of that photo, it looks like Nav and the Chinese guy are doing a jungle foxtrot with Nav being warned about sly groping.
All from the Australaisan Surfing Lawyers Association:
http://www.surfinglawyers.com.au
If you have a legal issue relating to the ocean or surfing then it may be that ALSA lawyers can help you on a pro-bono basis.
By way of example, ALSA lawyers will be available to assist on:
Environmental law issues for community and not for profit groups;
...
Where ALSA is able to help, we will find you a lawyer with the right skills, wherever possible from your area.
Contact Peter Strain if you wish to become an ALSA pro-bono lawyer or if you have a need for one.
Mission
ALSA’s mission is to offer a peak body in which Australasian surfing lawyers can develop friendships and camaraderie amongst its members. ALSA aims to contribute to the education of its members by organising educational conferences each year. Where possible, ALSA will, through its members, assist “not for profit” groups involved in the surfing community and other groups interested in matters concerning the ocean and its environment. Through its charitable arm, ALSA aims to assist approved projects or charities.
ALSA is also the official legal counsel for Surfrider Foundation (Australia) and also assists SurfAid and other surf related organisations from time to time.
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Agree with FR76 -this is only the thin edge of the wedge. In the 90s and 00s, the movement of rural Chinese to the cities was the largest migration in human history, and those people are now reaping the financial windfall of becoming the world's factory. Wage growth may shift Chinese manufacturing elsewhere but the middle-class - which is approx 500M people - is already upwardly mobile and they have lot's of money to spend. What's happening here will soon be happening all over.
Just returned from Kangaroo Island. Seems the Chinese like it there also.
What a shame. Who knows where and when it'll end in Bali and the rest of Indo, which is becoming or actually has become an eyesore in places and now to find out Fiji is in their sights, But as Stu reported they're all over the Pacific gradually, quietly having their way. Had a trip to Taiwan 6 years ago and it's all about Chinese tourists as there are a tiny amount of Westerners compared to the Chinese, any rate they're weird travelers that have to be in big groups and spend most of the day in a bus, usually 2 or 3 buses in a convoy, really harmless and they spend en masse when dropped off at the carefully chosen tourist trap. I'm fine with them, they don't surf which is even better, but the amount of transport, concrete multi story hotels, reef blasting, mangrove clearing and casino's needed to keep them happy is wrong. Tourism should be about seeing the place as it is and not another version of the same formulated, heavy handed profit driven crap.
They don’t surf......yet.
The thing is that Australia won’t change foreign ownership laws to prevent this from happening to us because the Chinese community already has the numbers to threaten political parties. Same with restricting immigration in any way.
Isn't it happening to us already? or happened, that gate is wide open. Goldy and Byron, 2 easy examples, who knows who owns what in this country nowadays. Developing countries look at us as "the" model to emulate and go from there. We do have some environmental and development legislation that occasionally works for the better, but often not.. Lets just say there's a ton of work to be done from both us and our fearless, all knowing leaders to get the balance back to sustainability for employment, profit and the environment. The other question I wonder about is how much money do the Chinese have to be splashing this amount of cash on concrete globally? Where does it all come from?
On a day trip to GBR, 80% Chinese tourists. Cheese and crackers were brought out and they went mad, literally pouring them into handbags. The staff had to scream at them all to stop and share, just pigs. They've ruined Japan in recent years more than bogan Aussies. I don't care which piece of rock you were spat out on, but there's no excuse for the level of ignorance they show in this internet age. Can't wait for the new Sunshine Coast runway to open...
yeah thanks sprout, we r so excited about the new runway as well. the council illegally changed the direction of the runway under some bogus excuse and the planes will now fly directly over beautiful Mudjimba and kongs island. we have a international airport 1hr away (bne) and another 2hrs away (goldy) but apparently they were too far away. maybe they can build a bridge to kongs island when the Chinese arrive. our mayor does not represent our region or our regions needs. he is all about development, development, development, yet will not provide any infrastructure to cater for this influx of people moving up. im sure he has already sold out to the Chinese
Mr Marshall said the China market was again a key driver drawing record numbers to the state.
“For the first time, the number of visitors from China exceeded 700,000 for the year and they spent almost $3 billion while here. China continues to lead NSW’s tourism growth and there was also a huge jump in visitors from Korea, Japan, India and Indonesia, with these markets growing by more than 15 per cent,” Mr Marshall said.
“We will continue to capitalise on the diverse opportunities on offer in China by actively building new markets, supporting new products and services and develop our industry partnerships to ensure that NSW continues to be the number one destination for international travelers.”
http://www.destinationnsw.com.au/news-and-media/media-releases/china-tourists-deliver-big-business-nsw
I assume "actively building new markets and supporting new products" in this context means advertising and despoiling little-known locations.
It was Destination NSW that was the host organisation for the Tourism Honchos I drove around.
Scary thing is they are only just "discovering" this area.
It was Destination NSW that ruined my favourite campground on the NSW South Coast. Was once a quiet little corner at the end of a dirt road, and in all the time I visited it I could hardly recall seeing another person there. Then about a decade ago it became a "featured" destination. Given the full promotional package to lure in fuckwits and their hashtags. And it worked.
Now? Every weekend the carpark is full and it's almost impossible to get a campsite, then if you do there's a high chance it'll be next to a bunch of pissed idiots on a bucks weekend who wont sleep till 4am.
Thanks Destination NSW!
That's exactly what happened to a few former tiny sleepy mid-north and north coast spots. The other weekend there were two bucks parties and a 40th.
I'd just come off rotation, all I wanted to do was surf, chill and sleep.
I'm hearing you on that one Sprout, a couple of things, we visited the Louvre in Paris and just trying to see the Mona Lisa was like being in a mosh pit. No orderly queue, just a swarm of Chinese almost fighting to push forward and get the obligatory selfie.
Second, at a nice ski resort here in my area, my wife and I have been coming to for years there is a new push to attract Chinese tourism. The (kinda posh) hotel we stay in used to have a spectacular breakfast and dinner buffet. Sadly, they've now resorted to set meals. We asked why on the sly and basically the Chinese guests overwhelm the buffet and strip it before any others have a chance and secondly (and most strangely imo) the amount of food they waste. Apparently, in China, wasting food is a sign of wealth. I've witnessed this a few times in my travels. This and many other personal experiences I could share.
I'm hoping as tourism becomes more commonplace amongst the Chinese, they gradually come to accept international standards of ways to behave when abroad.
As individuals, I quite like Chinese people. As travelling tour groups, that's another thing.
Same here to Zen. I have a Thai wife and have been to many of the islands in Thailand.
What the Chinese tourists do to these resorts makes me want to cry. No human decency whatsoever. Fuckers can't even use a toilet, and don't get me started on the buffet breakfast.
They haven't found our south coast yet...yet. But I spoke to a Victor Harbor councilor last week that was very excited and confident about a cruise ship terminal to be built ( 2021 estimate ) at Victor in front of the volleyball courts along the Pines. The ship would anchor near the Dump and ferry passengers from its lee side to the terminal, I've seen this done in The Bay of Islands in NZ. It all could fail and evaporate or it may happen, potentially we may get "discovered" as well, but I really hope not.
Eh? I suppose they could check out Urimbirra Wildlife Park and take the Cockle Train to Goolwa for lunch.
Who knows Ben? It took me by surprise at 1st, but there's a major winery region right on our doorstep, even have a boutique whisky distillery out past Urimbirra, $500 a bottle. I haven't seen it yet and at that price I won't be either. There's plenty to see and do from the mouth to Cape Jervois, eat and drink yourself into a coma and isn't that the cruise ship type of tourism.
South China Sea reefs obliterated:
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/29/opinions/south-china-sea-coral-reef-d...
War graves ransacked:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-13/outrage-as-warship-grave-stripped...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2017/nov/03/worlds-bigg...
The honey badger: he don't give a sheeeet:
It will be ironic that USN carrier battle groups will ultimately be the ones to protect the marine environment in the Pacific.
Think of the tourism venture opportunities for the locals though !
Oh , wait , I forgot about zero dollar tourism https://theaseanpost.com/article/zero-dollar-tourists-not-welcome
You lot are missing the point just think of the money! yippee....still nothing from BB..mmm
Unfortunately, this problem is only going to get worse and by that, much worse. The Chinese have zero regard for environment, locals in the countries they plow into, or any other reasonable sensitivity for that matter. It all boils down to how much money they can extract and how quickly. A history lesson on how Chinese view themselves in and against the world will give you all the information required see why this will never change.
On another note, Singapore just seized a second major haul of pangolin scales in as many weeks. Destination? Vietnam and China. Why? Traditional Chinese Medicine, one of the greatest frauds of modern time and one that will inevitably wipe out many plant and animal species (ironically, many of the parts targeted are no different from toenails). This mentality is finally being exposed to much of the world who previously only saw China as a benevolent, growing economy.
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/singapore-seizes-pangolin-sc...
Its been a battle surfers, we've broken no laws and I'm confident Freesoul have 10 times over. The general theme is China's here to stay in the Pacific and we better get our laws in place otherwise we'll have nothing left. From Equinor to Ardani to our little battle in Fiji, theres one common theme.....MONEY = GREED and fuck the world whilst we do it.
It's a grim situation Nav but here's to a good ending.
Good work in front of the camera too. It woulda been easy to lose your shit at that hired goon but you stayed cool.
Just watched the vid Nav and hats off to you for standing your ground and making this public and people have got to understand that all of us have to make a stand against this because it can happen anywhere.....greedy fukin bastards ...no respect for OUR world .
The Chinese government print trillions of dollars worth of their currency like monopoly money and filters it out to their businesses as debt that may or may not ever need to be repaid. A lot of this directly and indirectly fuels purchases of assets around the world.
They must laugh at the scam they have set up and how easy it is to buy assets and resources.
They learned how to do this off the western central banks but now do it on a massive scale.
So the wealth used to buy our real estate is not all hard earned through being good at business - much is funny money getting parked in safe places.
Print money and call it stimulus or liquidity and it is a nicely disguised form of counterfeiting.
But the modern god - the economy - and the high priests who worship it - politicians - see all money as good money. The mantras used are "Must support economy" or the variant on this "must create jobs" which shuts down any debate as it is true in a way.
Why don't we do it? We could but you need massive state control over things like exchange rates and lending. The USA does the same things in a well disguised way (the Federal Reserve is just a bunch / cartel of private banks who created the ultimate "licence to print money 100 years ago to their massive benefit) protected by being the world's reserve currency. China is just doing it in a different way to the USA at a faster pace. It is not sustainable. It will probably end in tears but in the meantime they get to buy lots of goodies around the world.
This x 1000.
Bernanke unleashed it but mostly to paper over massive holes, the Swiss National Bank bought a whole heap of Apple shares (what does that have to do with it's mandate??), the BOJ owns that nation's entire bond market, and now it's a free for all of printed fiat buying up the world.
Protip: put up some restrictions or you will have the floor underneath you sold and rented back to you.
Every time we see the name "China" it involves a deep water port here, don't get me started on the Darwin fiasco. Island with a big airstrip there, Fiji, Vanuatu, Spratly islands, take, expand and deny access. Gas and electricity infrastructure, large farms. They are aggressive and needy and that makes them dangerous. These actions whilst appearing benefactory to those island nations with the cheap loans and claims it will bring tourist dollars are bullshit everyone knows it. This is the thin end of a large wedge which at the back end has the Chinese military and Government driving to make it stick. People better start thinking about what the Chinese long game is, what they are doing now is the short game.
Don’t forget Cape Preston. The ALP gave China their own military grade airstrip in the heart of the Pilbara resource zone.
Adjacent to a deep water port of course.
The only consolation is the further the supply line from the homeland, the harder it is to firstly project, and then maintain.
Yes but the long term sustainment of operations relies on those staging points being available and defended. Only have to look at the recent incursions in the Spratly chain to see how this works, first they blockade the island or atoll or sandbar with "Fishing boats" and other vessels, next they move in start extending the land mass into something useable and then install the weapons platforms. We have to remember even though they are stepping on the Vietnamese and Phillipines toes, they only do so knowing how easy it is take those countries and their resources and open up other supply lines.
I'm thinking a little further away Fkook, based on a love of the sea, history and ships. Even if Yamamoto were to take Midway, the US Submarine fleet would have had a field day with his supply lines (they had a field day anyway). For the Japanese, taking Attu and Kiska presented enough of a problem with supply, and didn't endure. Running the slot in night supplies depleted the 'Tokyo Express' enough and our side was far closer to home when fighting this action.
I've had a look at the supposed strategy of both sides and think it would go hot long before the Chicoms get to consolidate their second island chain, but that's a little further away. Prob best to leave it at that.
You hit the nail on the head FK, the long game is all about staging points like Darwin and Daru in PNG. Note they'll also be sand mining in PNG as well which is a copy cat of the tactic used in Taiwan with the fleet of dredges. Forget stocking guns and ammo, Australia doesn't have fuel security and guess who controls sea lanes to the north? The country will come to a standstill within two weeks when the tap is turned off without a shot being fired.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/china-to-build-200-million-fishery-pro...
Bang on fkook! And you know what, you only have to understand just how long it took them to build 'the great wall' to understand that these people actually DO think long-term. Our 'leaders' only think in 4 year intervals..
Australia is selling out bigtime, we are fools for getting our economy so reliant on theirs.
You wont get any argument from me on that one. Labor are the worst for selling out to Chinese interests. I was going to swap energy providers here in QLD to Alinta, nice fat 28% discount. So a little research on ASIC and the web and it turns out Anastasia Pluckaduck did a deal with a Chinese company who own Alinta, they also own the gas powered station at Dalby here as well as other major infrastructure within the national power grid. People have no idea how lucky we were that someone in Govt saw the light and kept Whatwhy out of the 5G network. The UK has had to throw millions of dollars to remediate all Whatwhy tech out of their national networks and govt infrastructure. Let's not forget these fkas were responsible for the intrusion onto the CSIRO network a couple of years ago. I chase severe weather and one thing I have been monitoring is radar outages and since that event I have noticed a significant pattern of outages during dangerous weather events, cue Twilight zone music here.
You wont get any argument from me on that one. Labor are the worst for selling out to Chinese interests. I was going to swap energy providers here in QLD to Alinta, nice fat 28% discount. So a little research on ASIC and the web and it turns out Anastasia Pluckaduck did a deal with a Chinese company who own Alinta, they also own the gas powered station at Dalby here as well as other major infrastructure within the national power grid. People have no idea how lucky we were that someone in Govt saw the light and kept Whatwhy out of the 5G network. The UK has had to throw millions of dollars to remediate all Whatwhy tech out of their national networks and govt infrastructure. Let's not forget these fkas were responsible for the intrusion onto the CSIRO network a couple of years ago. I chase severe weather and one thing I have been monitoring is radar outages and since that event I have noticed a significant pattern of outages during dangerous weather events, cue Twilight zone music here.
And conveniently from the table very kindly supplied in the What's What thread. Alinta showing revenue of over $2 billion with no taxable income and hence no tax paid. Of course they ploughed every cent back in...
(First figure revenue, second taxable income, third corporate tax paid)
Yew!
ALIMFRESH PTY LIMITED 258,135,519 51,426,339 5,699,748
ALINTA ENERGY PTY LIMITED 2,225,303,934
ALKANE RESOURCES LIMITED 118,477,584 3,705,413
ALLEGIS GROUP APAC HOLDINGS PTY LTD 135,191,306
Navrin Fox.
YOU. FUCKEN. LEGEND!!!!!!
We need people like you,
Cheers
Tibet.
they did it there, the pacific is on the way too.
Once the airport renovations in Tassie are finished ......It will become a fully fledged international airport. Better see Tassie now before its fucked.
There are already chinese surfers around Main beach Surfers Paradise.
The OLYMPIC GAMES will do wonders to promote surfing on an an international level. Should be great for boosting tourism.YEAH.
Hope our Olympic team boost surfing tourism in Australia. NOT.
Here they come. These are the good old days.
Excellent - once that airport is finished they'll all be driving up from Hobart to the East Coast and we won't have to dodge the Kia Carnivales through the Fingal Valley anymore!!!
Mark my words, we will fight a civil war here in Australia by 2050, due to this China fuelled greed.
If you don't already have one, apply for and get a firearms licence and buy pistols, rifles and ammunition. Or, get them illegally and store them. Do it ASAP before we lose our ability to defend ourselves.
Harsh reality is coming fast.
Civil war will be fought over food, water and exports of them. Quality produce and water will be shipped out, while we're left with low quality contaminated crap. China controls our quality food and water now, they control our transport to and through the ports. They have pre positioned military muscle throughout the Pacific. Our only chance is to fight on Aussie soil.
My greatest fear is too many will be too passive for too long. We might lose the fight before it even starts.
The greed, fuck you all, don't give a fuck attitude you are seeing in this Fiji story, article, is the tip of a fucking huge iceberg.
Get ready to fight.
Or.
Fuck.
I hate to think of the alternative.
Interesting to note, as a Pacific Islander on twitter pointed out, all they could see was two foreigners fighting over Fijian land! Every time Nav kept saying it was his land I couldn't help but cringe. Vinaka Palagi saviour!
Yes there are issues with the way that China conducts itself in the Pacific but Australia, NZ and others are hardly any better. All the sinophobia in these comment sections needs to check itself against the colonial histories and ongoing actions of Australia in the region. Surfers also have a long history of destructive tourist practices so it's not like we can all point blameless fingers....
Show us the Aussies responsible for blowing channels through Coral reefs in Fiji wthout even bribing for permits and I’ll gladly apologise.
It might have happened 50 years ago , maybe even in the 80’s , but times and cultural attitudes have changed massively since then.
Also , not sure if you are aware , but Fijians are able to OWN land in Australia. Aussies can only lease in Fiji and the Aussies in question gave a share to a Fijian. No Fijians allowed to own land in China.
And Australia gives aid to Pacific islands every year.
Did your mate on Twitter mention this ?
For what its worth I own land at Waidroka Bay. I have freehold title . I am not the only Aussie to do so.
Funny thing they didn't mention it. It's like, how dare they make an observation about foreigners fighting over their land, a land that was colonised and finally granted independence and is central to their world view. I mean, we give them aid and they have the hide, nay, the nerve, to make an observation relating to a history of colonialisation! I tell you what, some people are just so ungrateful for all the aid that we give them!
Tell that to all the Fijians living in Australia.
Chinese arrogantly destroyng Fiji , Fijians not welcome in China.....get it ?
But harp on about injustices from decades ago if it makes you feel better. ( Fijian independence 50 years ago )
Actually, it’s fuckwits like you and your apologism that’ll be the foot in the door that lets the Chinese take over the entire pacific. Go tell your kids that it’s all good that they’ll be subjugated in their homeland because the British empire did something similar a century ago.
Actually the brits never flooded the joint with their people unlike the Chinese future of Fiji
Thanks for pointing out the hypocrisy so I didn't have to.
It seems to me that the booming chinese tourism industry here is growing faster than most of the infrastructure that supports it. An example is parking space for the endless numbers of white coaches in small coastal towns, public toilet facilities etc
I don't believe the average Chinese tourist gives a flying fuck about 'eco-tourism' or aboriginal culture and history. That's just how we sell the idea to Australians.
https://www.portstephensexaminer.com.au/story/3658774/birubi-resort-a-bl...
https://www.domain.com.au/news/chinese-developer-phillip-lee-sparks-ire-...
Does everybody remember when there were fuck all Russians in Bali ? S E ASIA ?
Look out people the Russians and the Chinese are going to travel enmasse. At least the girls are hot.
Chinese girls are hot ???????
dimdim Be wary of what Russian girlies you look at. Two of my brother's school mates each got a bullet in the back of the head - rumour had it they got involved with the wrong Russian girls. No shit!!! And that didn't happen in Russia.
In a recent article
"The biggest complaint about regional Australia is the lack of free WiFi.
This had become a tourism marketing problem for Australia because half this segment of Chinese Millennial travelers used social media , and more than a third used travel review sites, to plan their holidays.
Lack of free wifi in regional Australia is a significant barrier and limits opportunities to post real-time experiences." ,the report concluded
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/australian-government-to-spend-million...
Give me a break ,, where do I start on problems that affect 'regional Australia' that are more important than a busload of Chinese tourists uploading fucking selfies to social media.??
Herded like cattle , and shuffled through the gates of tourism , embarking , disembarking , being prodded , on a schedule , gotta go , next selfie, back in the bus.,,,next Wifi 200km
A bit off topic here but I am completely against surfing being an Olympic sport.
What do surfers have to gain from it? Recognition ? Industry related jobs.?
The Olympics will be next level promotion for surfing.
More people than ever will want to take up surfing and travel around the world to participate.
More people than ever in your favorite lineup.
The Chinese are just starting to take up surfing.Lookout.
These are the good old days.
Will taking and posting selfie's ever get old? Seems more popular than ever but I live in hope it will fade as a trend.
Selfies are the trophy to show (and mostly just annoy) friends. They distort and host of human behaviours to our detriment.
If you do not like someone , tell them so . If someone pisses you off because they have no respect for you , or the environment , tell them .
Tag up your local signs , aka graffiti ! It works , but be careful , don't take your cell-phone , wear throwaway shoes , don't touch anything , and definitely don't leave any
evidence . Very early in the morning is best , work to local conditions !
No body likes being disliked , especially the Chinese !
More on this with Liam Bartlett 60 mins tonight..
Any update on this story ?
Go Fund Me - $10k raised of 26k wanted for Legals.
Today is Judgement day
https://www.fijitimes.com/freesoul-trial-ends-judgement-next-year/
That Beran Island looks nice
Martin Daly wouldnt have dug a trench through Coral would he ?
Chinese scum.
Ive walked on that spot a few years before those Chinese were there.
Beautiful pristine tip of the island with low key accom for small numbers.
Sad to see what's gone down.....
not that Australian scum would ever do anything like that right matey?
https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2022/04/28/poona-lake-luxury-cabins...
Oh great. Most of the area is flogged to death and now they want to ruin the rest.
Absolute disgrace if it goes ahead. Should be going the other way too with DI generally. Greatly reduce permits and introduce a lottery system for peak season or something to get the numbers down.
yep, fully agree Sprout and Seeds - but its not a done deal yet. Getting the local TOs support is critical, and I understand that's not yet happened. But overall, it is just wrong - commercialising National Parks. They'll talk it up as much as they like as being 'sustainable', but it will impact and degrade the environment in the long run, no doubt, so let's hope it never gets the green light.
Chinese resort developer Freesoul fined $650,000 for damaging Fijian mangroves and reef
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-28/chinese-developer-fiji-resort-fin...
The chinese 'locusts' are decimating the worlds' donkey population, too! Eating the dried skin or wearing a donkey skin coat makes the chinaman virile.
I try to be non-judgemental but it's not easy. Both my Dad and Grandmother were born in Shanghai. Grandma was a well to do White Russian, her parents having the foresight to split from the Fatherland prior to the Bolshevik revolution (They walked through Siberia). She could speak seven languages and eventually came out to Australia with my Dad post WWII. Gran would cross the street if she saw a chinese person and I never understood why she hated them so much.
They aren't like us. I don't know if they're human. But they have to be, right? I wonder if they're such sinister c*#^s because they don't believe in God? Something like 70% of them are atheist. Or they're naive or infantile or fucked in the head, or will kill and eat or do anything to survive. Unlike us here in Queensland where the living is easy compared to that shit-hole.
And leave the mangroves and reef alone!
Oh dear. Better to separate the Chinese govt and business from the people. Just like I wouldn’t want people from overseas to judge me by what this government does, or Woodside, BHP, or other Goliath multi-national companies based in Australia.