More than 11,000 km separate the Northern Mariana Islands from Gaza and Israel.

But the conflict has landed sharply on Saipan after the vandalism of a “Free Palestine” mural has sparked community anger, an arrest, and a wider debate over free speech, protest, and safety in a small Pacific island community.

The mural, painted on private property in the village of San Jose and associated with the grassroots group Marianas for Palestine, was defaced last week.

• READ MORE: Israel returns unidentified, mutilated remains of Palestinians to Gaza
• Other Gaza and the Pacific reports

Police intervened and arrested a 45-year-old man on charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespass.

The incident has triggered strong reactions locally, highlighting how global conflicts can reverberate even in remote Pacific communities.

Ponce Rasa, the property owner who spoke publicly following the incident, said the past week had been overwhelming but expressed confidence in the legal process.

“We’re doing fine,” Rasa said.

Community thanked
“I just want to thank the community, my friends and my family for the outreach of support. We’re just continuing to push through with the ordeal and hopefully the judicial system takes its course — and I have faith in that.”

The mural was created by Marianas for Palestine, a group that says the artwork is intended as a humanitarian appeal rather than a political provocation.

One of the group’s organisers said the message was rooted in concern for civilian suffering in Gaza.

“Strip away all the context, and at the very core, children are getting murdered every day. There is a genocide going on in Gaza,” said Marianas for Palestine’s Salam Castro Younis.

“And so the mural stands for a plea for humanity – that we should stand up against this and we shouldn’t live in a world that allows that to happen.”

He said the vandalism went beyond property damage and should concern the wider community.

“This individual’s actions – to trespass and vandalise that mural and to show his support for a genocidal apartheid state – speaks volumes,” said Younis, whose father was originally from Palestine.

Vandalism suspect booked
“We’re a small island community, so we should all be concerned.”

The vandalism occurred on private land, and community members assisted police in locating the suspect, who was later detained and booked. Authorities have said the case remains under investigation.

The mural’s organisers say its imagery – which includes local and regional symbols – was meant to highlight shared struggles and global interconnectedness, not to import conflict.

“It was really heartfelt to see all the responses online and the actions people took,” Younis said.

“It gives hope that even here, on a small island, people are seeing the truth.”

Rasa said the incident underscored the importance of respecting local laws and community norms.

‘Enjoy the culture’
“San Jose is a small village, and Saipan is a small community,” he said. “People come here to enjoy the culture and the history of the island.

“But to come here and do whatever seems to please you is not law-abiding.”

“That’s how we become a civil society,” he added. “We look out for one another.”

The man arrested in connection with the vandalism later issued a public statement defending his actions as an exercise of free speech and disputing the trespass and vandalism allegations.

Police, however, confirmed he was arrested on February 2 and charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespass.

He was detained at the Commonwealth’s Department of Corrections.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

What happened at New Zealand human rights campaigner John Minto’s home? Let me tell you.

Let me tell you that he wrote about it and Facebook took it down. Yep. Wrong after wrong.

Minto, national co-chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) advocacy and protest group, has been arrested at least 23 times for standing against racism.

• READ MORE: Prominent activist targeted in ‘pathetic’ attack on property
• Facebook censorship on West Papua – then deafening silence
• Other reports on the Gaza genocide

A couple of nights ago two Palestinian flags were stolen from the Christchurch Ōtautahi home of John and his partner, Bronwen. “Nazi scum” was spray-painted in large letters on his footpath.

The sign “make poverty history” ripped off the fence and the Te Tiriti sign spray-painted.

But John, who has been a leader in New Zealand protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza which has killed at least 71,000 people since October 2023, has been unable to report this because Facebook removed his original post about this crime.

Why? Because white supremacists and their allies want to win this round, their complaints are supported by oppressive social media mechanisms.

Human rights are under threat. A genocide in Gaza is supported by our New Zealand government. Propaganda is rife. And the Treaty that represents partnership, that should uphold the rights of the tangata whenua is being pushed to the gutter.

And speaking of gutter. Here you see it.

People who feel entitled to storm private property and tear down signs that stand against extermination and exile.

Facebook is blocking shares about the details about the vandalism. Censorship! To thwart the censorship, share this commentary if you wish to share the truth and disempower those who want supreme power.

Saige England is an award-winning journalist and author of The Seasonwife, a novel exploring the brutal impacts of colonisation. She is also a contributor to Asia Pacific Report. Republished from a social media post with the author’s permission.

New Zealand police are investigating after the home of Te Pāti Māori election candidate Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke was invaded, vandalised, and a threatening letter left behind.

They said the burglary of a Huntly home was reported to police on Monday.

On Friday, Te Pāti Māori issued a statement saying it was the third incident to take place at Maipi-Clarke’s home this week.

• READ MORE:  Te Pati Māori candidate’s home broken into, vandalised, threat left behind
• ‘Completely unacceptable’: Labour candidate Angela Roberts ‘slapped’ following political debate
• Other NZ election 2023 reports

The candidate for Hauraki-Waikato said the attack was premeditated and targeted, and politically motivated.

Danger on the campaign trail had increased because of race baiting and fearmongering from right-wing parties, Maipi-Clarke said.

Despite the attack, she was not scared, she told The Hui’s Hauraki-Waikato debate.

However, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has dismissed claims his party was race baiting, and increasing danger for candidates on the campaign trail.

‘Not responsible’
Peters told Newshub Nation that notion was wrong, adding that he was not responsible for the actions of other people.

He said he would never work with Te Pāti Māori.

Te Pāti Māori said it was working with police to find a person who broke into their youngest candidate’s home.

Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the party was outraged and it was seeing more abusive behaviour in this election than ever before.

“You go at one of our mokopuna, you go at all of us. And it doesn’t matter how different we think, when we see our mokopuna being abused, we will unite and it will have the absolute contrary affect of what I think perpetrators are trying to do when they’re individually picking off on our youngest, on one of our babies … it’s disgusting,” she said.

The party was looking into improving security for candidates to prevent future attacks, she said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The successful restart of Papua New Guinea’s New Porgera Limited gold mine is currently at high risk due to the security crisis in the valley.

Twenty one people have died since March 6 as Porgera, Enga Province, has turned into a “killing field” amid tensions between two ethnic groups, the Nomali and Aiyala.

Barrick Gold chief executive and president Dr Mark Bristow responded to questions raised by the Post-Courier saying that “a safe and stable operating environment is critical for the restart of Porgera Mine.

• READ MORE: Other Porgera mine reports

“Therefore, we see a need for an immediate intervention to address the lawlessness in Porgera as the current conditions put in jeopardy the restart of mining operations.

“Safety is paramount at the Porgera mine site. Our primary concern is the welfare of our local employees who reside in Porgera and commute to and from the site.

“As with the rest of the community, we rely on the police and other law enforcement agencies to provide law and order.

“Our local employees are directly impacted [on] by the ongoing violence and the resulting closure of vital government services, including schools and hospitals.

Support for special police operation
“We support the community’s calls for a special police operation and sustainable security solutions to the many social issues that have grown since the mine was placed into care and maintenance, including tribal violence and murder, kidnapping, hijacking, vandalism, and the widespread proliferation of high-powered firearms.”

Losses from illegal mining and theft are estimated at K100 million (NZ$46 million) a year and K200 million (NZ$92 million) from Hides Tower Lines sabotage — not including sizeable PJV security costs and the substantial ongoing costs for constant repair of fences, buildings, vehicles and other equipment and infrastructure.

Speaking to the Post-Courier, Police Commissioner David Manning said that the focus of security personnel would be to secure the surrounding communities of the mine site.

Commissioner Manning also confirmed the deployment of an extra 100 Special Services Division (SSD) officers to assist in curbing the rise in crime and to help restore normality.

“We are ready to assist, and I have had briefings with the local leaders and we will be working closely with the district development authority (DDA) to ensure we have the support but also work together in bringing back peace to Porgera,” he said.

A security brief released on Wednesday has shown that the high number of killings are in the town area.

As of Wednesday, critical community services such as the BSP Bank, Paiam Hospital and local schools are closed again indefinitely.

Law and order crisis
The law and order crisis applies to the whole Porgera Valley and not just the mine site and its infrastructure — this also extends to other operational footprints (Hides Power Station, HTL Corridor, Riverine, and Highlands Highway).

Law and order is at the lowest point ever since the opening of the mine and this is  affecting the operation of the mine, landowners, and the communities.

A security update from the district has reported:

• Continued deterioration of security (law and order) in the Porgera valley;
• Firearms sightings and discharges within SML/LMP continue to increase;
• Multiple instances of armed holdups and theft from employees and contractors. Since January 2023 a number of supply trucks and passenger buses have been ambushed and looted between Laigam and Kairik Airport;
• Security incidents involving the kidnapping of women and children have increased,
• Effectiveness of MS and PNG Defence Force personnel on the ground is limited due to the absence of necessary resources and specific orders; and
• Tribal fighting throughout the valley and at Hides continues, with ongoing fatalities and widespread property destruction.

The Post-Courier understands that local police numbers are down, firearms are used regularly within the valley and intrusions into restricted areas continue with armed men entering the mine site.

It is alleged there is a lack of support from the district, province and the national government for more security forces at Porgera.

The lack of leadership and support from community leaders and landowners have seen criminal elements protected and served by the clan and communities.

Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.

Women wept among the smoking remains of melting water tanks, hot corrugated iron and the fresh smell of burnt paint on wood as men sat speechless, teary-eyed and staring into nothingness.

Before them was a heap of ruins, a five-in-one school building that housed grades 3-6 classes and an administration building in East New Britain’s Takubar village — all burnt to the ground in less than an hour.

Their hard work, sweat, time, many pleas and money raised to build a new school over the years, was gone by a single strike of a match.All at the hands of nearby settler raiders who threatened to burn down the school for reasons known only to them.

Martin Talavura is a teacher at the St Francis Takubar Primary School at the back of Takubar village and Takubar industrial area that leads to Livuan village in the Kokopo district.

He was awakened at 5.48 am at his house at Sotek compound on Thursday to the sound of bells ringing at the school when settlers at the New Radaaz compound entered the school area and started vandalising school property.

He thought it was just the usual morning school bell ringing as he proceeded to prepare breakfast for this children.

He was alerted by his children who returned to tell him that there was noise coming from the school.

‘I saw smoke rising’
“I came out of the house and saw smoke rising up from the school,” Talavura said.

“I walked up and saw several people, but I was scared so I stood from afar.”

He stood and watched helplessly in tears as the classrooms collapsed to the ground.

“I stood and watch as the buildings burnt to the ground,” he said

“I saw this school start and was here to take in the new students.

“My heart was heavy as tears clouded my eyes.

“There were about 15 people, many were just boys led by a few men who came out of the school area and into the compound after burning down the buildings,” he said.

Talavura said the culprits were all just boys, saying he did not know why the school has to suffer and could not understand why people would attack a public institution.

He said the school was established in 2018 to cater for children in the areas of Kabaleo, Bitagalip, Livuan, Ramale, Takubar village and the industrial area, Tokua and even children of the perpetrators.

Grim future for the students
More than 300 students will not be able to attend classes for the rest of the year and 16 families remain homeless following the burning down of the school.

This is believed to be the first time a school property has been burnt down by people in East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea.

The school lost its classrooms that accommodated grades 2-6 classes, its administration building, student academic record books, 800 chairs and desks, water tanks and lawn mowers and brush cutters.

Those people who rented houses in the area were forced to pack and seek refuge elsewhere under heavy police presence. They will return when the situation has cooled down.

According to eye witnesses, a passenger vehicle carrying mothers to their home two days ago was attacked by the settlers and the women were stoned.

Police have attended the scene and are expected to make arrests soon.

Future grim for students of St Francis Takubar