Marian Faa
Marian Faa is a journalist in the ABC's Asia Pacific Newsroom, telling stories with a focus on the Pacific. She previously worked as a cross-platform news reporter for ABC Far North based in Cairns. In 2020 she received the Queensland Clarion award for New Journalist of the Year. Follow her on Twitter @marianfaa
Latest by Marian Faa
Nauru gave Australia advanced warning of decision to sever ties with Taiwan and recognise China
The Australian government says it "respects" the decision taken by Nauru to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognise China instead.
Fijian dentists warn cheap dental work leaving people with 'gum tissue burnt, lips stuck together'
Dentists in Fiji say unlicensed operators are providing cosmetic dentistry services using phoney false teeth and imitation dental jewellery that can corrode and become toxic in people's mouths.
Chaos in the streets of Port Moresby after 'technical glitch' hits public servants' pay
Violence erupts on the streets of Port Moresby after a payroll error docked about $100 from the pay of public servants across the country.
In Bougainville, the 'wanted boys' are known for robbing cashed-up visitors. Police are allegedly orchestrating it
Chiefs and community leaders in Bougainville want an investigation into police officers over their alleged involvement in arming and orchestrating an organised crime gang that targeted people who had travelled to the autonomous region to buy guns and gold.
'I believe it': The 'lost tribes' of Israel theory runs deep in the Pacific, as modern conflict sparks division
Six Pacific Island countries have voted with Israel to oppose the UN resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. For many nations in the region, the connection to Israel runs deep.
'We have to find a way to go forward': Torres Strait Islanders look to the future
More than 70 per cent of people on Thursday Island/Waiben voted in favour of a Voice to Parliament. Defeat hasn't cooled their desire for more control over their region's affairs.
Indigenous Australians look to the future with hope despite Voice referendum defeat
While many say they are devastated by the No result in Saturday's referendum, First Nations leaders around the country are also hopeful that positive change can result.
'It is so disappointing': Couple separated, hundreds stranded as Air Vanuatu grounds multiple flights
Vanuatu's national carrier has grounded its only international aircraft due to engineering issues, triggering cancellations and delays for up to 800 people.
Mining forced most of Banaba's population to relocate. Now an Australian company plans to mine the island
People from the remote Pacific Island of Banaba say they've been blindsided over an agreement to explore phosphate mining on the tiny atoll and Centrex, an Australian mining company, inked the exploration deal.
Japan releases treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, as activists make last-ditch call for UN intervention
Japan has begun to discharge treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima power plant more than a decade after the disaster. Experts say the process is safe, but Pacific activists want the UN to intervene.
Fears Guam is the 'guinea pig' for a multi-billion-dollar missile defence system
Expected to cost nearly $8 billion, the defence system being built on Guam is designed to detect and shoot down incoming ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, but not everyone is happy.
An exciting discovery leads to controversy as Harvard scientists collect fragments from interstellar meteor
Scientists from Harvard University have collected fragments believed to belong to a huge interstellar meteor, but PNG officials say the research was conducted within their waters without the required permits.
Ethnicity criteria to rank patients for surgery in New Zealand labelled 'a courageous move'
The controversial tool has been implemented in Auckland, taking a person's ethnicity into account when placing them on non-urgent surgery waitlists.
First Nations women take lead role in marine conservation
A group of First Nations women are taking a lead role in marine conservation with a new program teaching them to identify marine species and survey the Great Barrier Reef.
Former guerrilla fighter Xanana Gusmao in prime spot to take Timor-Leste's election
Former guerilla fighter and independence hero Xanana Gusmao is in prime position to win Timor-Leste's parliamentary election, with more than half of the votes counted after Sunday's poll.
As a young girl, Armanda was brutalised by invading Indonesian forces. In her country, democracy is not taken for granted
When 63-year-old Armanda Ferriera talks about Timor-Leste's bloody struggle for independence, tears spill from her eyes.
Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko steps aside
PNG's Foreign Minister faced widespread calls to resign after he called critics of a video, made during a taxpayer-funded trip to the coronation of King Charles III and posted on social media by his daughter, "primitive animals" and "useless individuals".
Australian-born PNG foreign minister under fire over 'primitive animals' comments
Calls for Papua New Guinea's foreign minister to be sacked — and have his citizenship stripped — over "racist" and "derogatory" comments are intensifying ahead of US President Joe Biden's historic visit to the country.
PNG foreign minister says critics of his daughter's coronation trip Tik Tok video are 'primitive animals'
Savannah Tkatchenko flaunts extravagant meals in first-class airport lounges and "elite" shopping experiences at luxury-brand stores in the video showing what she got up to on the taxpayer-funded trip to London to attend the coronation of King Charles III.
'The woman's place is at home': How these women are fighting to change old ways in the Pacific
Pacific politics is a boys' club. But why are so few women in the region elected to positions of power? Some say change — while slow — is possible.
Bank customers in PNG told to repay money after 'technical issue' lets them overdraw hundreds
A "technical issue" has allowed some customers with Papua New Guinea's largest bank to overdraw money from their accounts, while others have watched their bank balances drop.
With deep-sea mining applications set to open, fears grow for the Pacific
With applications set to open for companies to mine the depth of the Pacific ocean, leaders call for a suspension to the controversial practice.
'I thought it would benefit me': Thousands of Papua New Guineans caught up in Golden Sun 'pyramid scheme'
Thousands of Papua New Guineans fall victim to a scheme that promises money in return for reviews of 15-second blockbuster movie clips.
Micronesian president accuses China of bribery, espionage and attempts to undermine his country's sovereignty
In a scathing 13-page letter to Congress, David Panuelo says China has committed espionage in Federated State of Micronesian waters, bribed local politicians and attempted to undermine the nation's sovereignty.
'A very dark chapter': Former Nauru president Baron Waqa to fill powerful Pacific diplomatic role
The controversial choice of former Nauruan president Baron Waqa as the Pacific Islands Forum's next secretary-general is attracting criticism from human rights groups and former political opponents.