Thai/Philippines venture to invest US$25m in PNG, Freeport under pressure, Nauru option ‘savaged’

Headlines from the region’s media:

• Asian-PNG fishing company to invest $US25million in PNG plant, vessels (Post Courier)

• Stranded Filipino fishermen to be repatriated from PNG (Post Courier)

• Freeport feels pressure to build underground facility (Jakarta Globe)

• Former Australian Immigration head savages Nauru refugee detention centre option (Radio Australia)

• Malaysian export growth in January slowest since Oct 2010 (The Star)

• Tonga’s economic decline should prompt Pacific rethink on WTO membership – PANG (Radio New Zealand International)

• Tonga questions WTO membership amid global recession (Epoch News/Pacnews)

• Indonesia tax cuts troubling Malaysia palm oil producers (The Star)

• Guam port raises fees, shipping costs to follow (Pacific Daily News)

• UBS and JPMorgan Chase forecast major investment ahead for Indonesia (Jakarta Globe)