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Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News update
David Lang CMG CBE proudly shows off his honour with granddaughters Louise and Vicky Williams Headlines: 'For the country I love'; Charter flight on the way; Helicopters for FIGAS?; Wife to wear the trousers at Casa Rosada.
'For the country I love'FORMER Attorney General David Lang received the honour of Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) at Government House on Friday. Mr Lang chose to have the honour bestowed upon him in the Islands rather than by The Queen at Buckingham Palace. Accepting the CMG, he told a packed reception: "I wanted to receive the insignia in the Falkland Islands because the Falkland Islands are my home and while the award has been for overseas service, in a sense for me it has been for service to the country I love, to the country which is my home." The CMG was awarded for Mr Lang's long service to the UK's overseas interests, including the 19 years he spent as Attorney General to the Falkland Islands. His nomination was supported by four former Governors of the Falklands. Mr Lang is believed to be the longest-serving Attorney General in the history of the Overseas Territories. He received the CBE in 1993, particularly for his work in the Turks and Caicos Islands during a period of intense drug crime, when his own life was threatened on several occasions. He has also worked as Attorney General in the Pacific island of Nauru, and has served the crown for a total of 29 years. Governor Alan Huckle, bestowing the honour, said of Mr Lang: "His legal knowledge is legendary, his memory phenomenal, and his commitment - reflected in long hours in the office when necessary - unquestioned." Mr Huckle also joked that Mr Lang would only be able to wear one of his two honours around his neck, and suggested that perhaps his wife Theresa could wear the other. The CMG was created in the 19th Century to reward service in Malta and the Ionian islands. It has since evolved to encompass any members of the diplomatic service and those who render service to UK interests overseas. Charter flight on the wayCOUNCILLORS have given permission for a charter flight to be made to the Falklands from Argentina. The Austrian Airlines 737-800 is to bring between 40 and 60 Austrian/German passengers to the Islands on November 20 as part of a South American tour originating in Vienna. The visitors are expected to be in the Islands for one day. This is the first charter flight the Falklands government has allowed to arrive in the Islands from Argentina since 2003, when Argentina refused charters permission to cross its airspace. Councillors say the Falklands' policy has not changed, but that Argentine policy may have. Speaking on Falkland Islands Radio, Cllr Mike Summers commented: "It's the Argentine policy to deny charter flights to the Falklands, not ours, and if there do people want to run tourists to the Falklands using foreign registered aircraft, that's fine by us." Cllr Janet Robertson agreed. She told Penguin News: "It's not an Argentine carrier - we have no reason to object to an Austrian carrier coming here. "From the information we've had we are confident that it is an ordinary chartered flight there is nothing in the paperwork to suggest otherwise." Helicopters for FIGAS?THE government may include helicopters in its future air service. Pressure on the aging Islander airframes currently in use increased following the loss of one last year on West Point Island. Whether or not it can be rebuilt is the subject of a report from an inspector from Britten Norman, the aircraft manufacturers. In addition, rules made by Air Safety Support International which is responsible for the regulation of air services means some airstrips may become unusable by Islanders. As a result, councillors are now looking at the best way to deliver future air services and this, Councillor Mike Summers said, could include a combination of rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft. The idea of using helicopters is not new, he said. While it could be a more expensive option it would bring the opportunity for significantly more flexibility. "Particularly in support of the tourism industry, helicopters would give the opportunity to go to a lot more locations than it is currently possible to go to," he said. An open-minded approach is needed to the problem, Cllr Summers said. "We need to think what would provide in the next thirty years or so the best opportunities for serving the existing communities and also expanding tourism and other opportunities around the Falklands." Wife to wear the trousers at Casa RosadaARGENTINA'S current first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has won the country's presidential election. She will succeed her husband Nestor Kirchner and become Argentina's first female president at an inauguration ceremony on December 10. Falklands councillors said they expected little change in Argentina's approach to the Islands. Councillor Mike Summers commented, "Neither Mrs Kirchner nor her supporters has said much at all about her foreign policy plans and objectives in general, never mind in relation to the Falklands. We don't know if she will maintain the same team or whether she'll have a different team or if she'll maintain the same policies or change direction." He added that from the Argentine perspective, foreign policy objectives in respect of the Falklands under Snr Kirchner have not been conspicuously successful: "It might be time for them to rethink their approach to the Falklands. But whether they will or they won't, we don't know - we'll just have to wait and see." More than 200 Falklands war veterans arrive in the Islands on Tuesday - pull out schedule inside.
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