1. Cabinet has taken note of a proposal for the establishment of direct air links between Botswana and Mauritius.
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2. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Transfer of Prisoners (Amendment) Bill which amends the Transfer of Prisoners Act 2001 to allow Mauritius to accede to the Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners.
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3. Cabinet has agreed to applications for Land Conversion being invited under the second and last 800 Arpents Scheme as provided under section 11(4) of the SIE Act 2001. The land which will be acquired, will be used for housing and other approved social and educational infrastructure projects.
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4. Cabinet has taken note of developments in the construction of a new NTC Depot at Rivière du Rempart.
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5. Cabinet has taken note that the first round of negotiations for the fifth Protocol under the Fishing Agreement between Mauritius and the EU will be held in Mauritius in September 2003.
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6. Cabinet has agreed to accept Recommendation 193: Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002, which calls upon Governments to provide a supportive policy and legal framework, consistent with the nature and functions of cooperatives and guided by internationally recognized cooperative values and principles, as well as to promote the important role of cooperatives in bringing marginal survival activities within the ambit of legally protected professional work fully integrated into mainstream economic life.
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7. Cabinet has agreed to a high level participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, organised by the Government of Japan, in collaboration with the UN, the World Bank and the Global Coalition for Africa, and scheduled to be held in September 2003.
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8. Cabinet has taken note that the Meeting of the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) for the Eastern and Southern Africa Region will be held in Mauritius from 7 to 9 October 2003. The objective of the meeting is to review progress, consider issues of concern to the Customs Administration of the region and to formulate strategies for future development of the RILO.
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9. Cabinet has taken note that the Committee set up under section 41A of the Sugar Planters and Millers Arbitration Control Board (Amendment) Act has, after examining the figures of each sugar factory area, concluded that “Force Majeure” will not prevail in any factory area this year.
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10. Cabinet has agreed to the Road Traffic (Conduct of Passengers) Regulations 1967 being amended to provide for severe penalties against passengers who commit such offences as –
(i) failing to pay bus fares;
(ii) misbehaving in public buses; and
(iii) smoking in public buses.
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11. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the missions of –
(a) the Minister of Tourism and Leisure to Madagascar from 2 to 6 August where he had had discussions with the Malagasy authorities on how best to promote the development of the Indian Ocean as a specific tourism destination to boost up tourism in the Indian Ocean Islands and to explore investment opportunities in the tourism sector for Mauritian investors; and
(b) the Minister of Economic Development, Financial Services and Corporate Affairs to Gaborone where he attended the meeting of the Committee of SADC Ministers responsible for finance held on 7 August.
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12. Cabinet has agreed to the Annual Stamp Issue Programme for 2004, as recommended by the Postal Authority and the Stamp Advisory Committee. The themes are “Petits Metiers”, Mountains, Stone Buildings and Anthurium andreanum. A set of four stamps will be issued in respect of each of the themes.
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13. Cabinet has taken note of developments in the setting up of a Multi-purpose Training Centre at La Gaulette by the Rotary Club of Rivière Noire on a lot of land provided by Government.
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