MPs

The report on the review of Parliament Members' Expenses and Allowances was tabled by the Chairman of the Committee on Institutional and Constitutional Affairs, MP Sakeas Lulu.

The Expenses and Allowances include; Traveling Expenses, Overseas Travelling Expenses, Responsibility Allowances, Subsistence Allowances, Sitting Allowances, Accommodation, Touring Allowances, Gratuity and Constituency Allowances.

The Committee explained that the increased allowances are justified mainly by the high demand of needs from their constituencies.

Seremaiah offered free of charge fare for the 24 young men to come over to Port Vila on his ship.

The youths are on a mission to work in Australia under the Seasonal Workers Program (SWP), so they can use 10% of their income to build churches on Vanualava Island, Motalava Island, Mota Island and Guaua Island in the Torba province

Seremaiah also promised to offer them free of charge shipping fare for both their cargo and church building materials back to their home islands once they return from Australia.

The MPs are part of a bloc of political groupings, reportedly comprising over two thirds of Vanuatu's 52 MPs, who this week agreed to commit to forming a new coalition government.

They have decamped to Pele, north of Vanuatu's main islands of Efate, where the leader of the Graon Mo Jastis Pati, Ralph Regenvanu said it is easier to control the movement of MPs.

This follows an application by the public prosecutor's office late last month to invoke the provisions of the Leadership Code in connection with the recent convictions of the former MPs.

The Code says that if a breach is serious enough, the leader or leaders concerned may be dismissed from office.

Fourteen of the former MPs are serving jail terms, while Jimmy, who was not jailed, received a suspended prison sentence.

FBC News says it has sighted the email, which it says was found on a computer in an internet shop in Lautoka last week.

The shop owner, who alerted police, is under military guard in hospital after he was allegedly severely beaten by police officers.

FBC News says the attack was planned to be carried out by what it calls disciplined officers during a parliamentary sitting also attended by the acting Prime Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

A police spokesperson, Ana Naisoro, says the police will not be making any comments on the ongoing investigations.