Vanuatu’s
Prime Minister Jotham Napat has voiced serious concern over
claims of a “second republic” by a group in the small
northern province of Torba.
The government has found
itself in a position where it has been forced to issue an
official warning.
A statement from his office refers
to reports emanating from Torba’s Gaua Island – which sits
roughly 120 kilometres north-east of Espiritu Santo,
Vanuatu’s largest island – of a group claiming to represent
a so-called “second republic” and raising a new
flag.
Vanuatu is made up of six provinces and has a
population of about 300,000. Torba, which has a population
of just over 11,000, is the least populous.
The
government said any attempt to establish a separate
republic, government, or to raise any flag other than
Vanuatu’s national flag at the expense of national unity was
unconstitutional, illegal and had no legal effect.
It
said it considered these reported moves as unacceptable and
warned that those responsible would face the full force of
the law.
“The Government of Vanuatu wishes to make it
absolutely clear that Vanuatu is a single, sovereign, united
and indivisible Republic as enshrined in the Constitution of
the Republic of Vanuatu,” the statement read.
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The
government called on all Ni-Vanuatu citizens, particularly
community chiefs, church leaders and youth leaders in Torba
Province and across Vanuatu, to refrain from participating
in, supporting, or facilitating any such
conduct.
“Chiefs are custodians of peace and unity and
are urged not to allow their names, nakamals or communities
to be used for unlawful purposes.”
The government
instructed the Vanuatu Police Force to monitor the situation
closely and to investigate any unlawful
activity.
“Vanuatu’s unity, sovereignty and
Constitution are non-negotiable,” it
said.
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