marshallislandsjournal.com
Home  • Subscriptions  •  Photo Library • Services  •  Advertise  •  About Us • Journal Archive
Subscribe to the Journal. One year costs just $52 by check or $57 by PayPal (See subscribe button at top)! Click here to see a sample of the Journal.
Friday, April 10, 2009
This Week's
Inside Stories
Loining plant to hire 600 workers
Pan Pacific Foods’ loining plant is expected to resume operations this month, Minister of R&D Fred Muller told the Chamber of Commerce at its meeting at the end of March. The loining plant will soon move to full operation and employ 600 workers, he said.
CMI celebrates 16th annual Foundation Day
The College of the Marshall Islands celebrated its 16th annual Foundation Day last Friday with the blessing of its new “world class” energy center facility and plenty of optimism for the future. At the formal Foundation Day ceremony, President Wilson Hess said “there are more students attending CMI than ever before because more students are succeeding than ever before.” This is because CMI has “found formulas that work. It is the success of the students that we have measured…and that we celebrate.”
Women worried by rising oceans
Traditional Marshallese practices and culture as we know it will cease to exist because of climate change. This was the message hammered home by environmental experts from the RMI Environmental Protection Authority and the Office of Environmental Planning and Policy Coordination who spoke to the nearly 100 women who participated in the second quarterly Women’s Forum on climate change at the International Conference Center Tuesday.
Giving kids a second opportunity
A program for out-of-school youngsters in Majuro received a boost from Matson Navigation’s parent foundation last month. “Youth to Youth in Health’s Youth SMART Program (YSP) received another generous contribution from the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation in Hawaii of $5,000,” said program Director Julia Alfred. The YSP Program was established in 2006 to provide assistance to the Ministry of Education in reaching out-of-school aged children by providing basic tutorial services to “move kids back to the ladder” of education.
MIHS, NVTI students gets training
Government ministries and the business sector are working together to engage Marshall Islands High School senior students in a “hands-on” experience to give them a clear picture of the workplace, enlightening students and helping them reach their goals. From writing to reality training — government, private businesses, and NGOs are educating 96 seniors from Marshall Islands High School (MIHS) and National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) to improve their field of study.
Big vote soon
Though the currently pending motion of no confidence was “pre-filed” with Nitijela nearly two weeks ago, there was confusion and debate at Wednesday’s session as to when the vote must be held. Late next week now appears to be the likely date for the showdown vote for control of the government between President Litokwa Tomeing and his own party members.
During Wednesday’s Nitijela meeting, Speaker Jurelang Zedkaia counted days on his fingers as part of calculating when the Constitutionally-required five-day wait would be over so the no confidence vote (‘vote in jelke’) can happen. There were questions from members as to whether the Constitutional provision refers to five sitting days — Friday is a national holiday — or simply five consecutive days, and some debate on procedures surrounding the five day wait until the vote.
After initially indicating that Wednesday next week met the five-day requirement, Zedkaia then said the Nitijela will meet sometime next week “at the call of the Speaker” — which means he will decide which day to meet and it will be announced later this week or early next. This is the fourth motion of no confidence (the others were in 1998, 2001 and 2008), and the second against President Litokwa Tomeing, but the first-ever by government party members against their own President and Cabinet.
Thursday next week appears to be a likely target for the vote, since it is five sitting days from this week’s meeting.
Speaker Jurelang Zedkaia
While several senators and the Speaker debated issues, newly appointed Foreign Minister John Silk entered a motion, which was seconded, that upon Nitijela’s return the vote be conducted by open roll call.
No vote was held on the motion.
The Nitijela had not held a meeting for more than three weeks prior to Wednesday’s sitting, since the scheduled March 26 meeting was called off at the last minute and the motion of no confidence was pre-filed the following day further derailing the session that was expected to end after 20 sitting days. This week’s meeting marked the 20th day of the session that started in January.
Hundreds poisoned
An outbreak of food poisoning hit hundreds of Ebeye Islanders late last month, giving staff at Leroij Kitlan Kabua Memorial Hospital a real-life emergency to respond to.
Tainted food served during an “erak” — the final funeral ceremony following a burial — resulted in over 200 people crowding into the hospital suffering from diarrhea and vomitting.
According to officials at the hospital, both national and local police forces on Ebeye transported patients from both ends of Ebeye and from Gugeegue Island all night until 5am the following morning.
“The hospital was packed with patients, especially		 children,” according to one staff. “There was no space for them so outside emergency room was also packed. We had to get help from all the youth at ‘Mid-Corridor’ town to give the staff some hands in putting nails in all the poles outside in order to hang those IVs (intravenous bags).”
Health task force members took samples of the sandwiches and soup that were served at the erak, and checked food products at a local business.
“We are waiting for the results that has been sent out from the hospital lab,” said the official.
Hospital officials estimated that they saw more than 200 patients the night of the erak.
Foundation Day included fun and excitement such as this tug-of-war. Administrators, teachers, staff and students came together last weekend to celebrate the ‘can-do’ attitude that has brought CMI back to full accreditation, readying the institution for the ‘next level.’

Journal 4/11/1970

Journal 4/10/1992
P1 Marshalls District Administrator Robert Law has been appointed to head the new Trust Territory Liaison Office in Honolulu. The new post and job appointment was announced April 1 by High Commissioner Edward E. Johnston. The new post was created so business between the Trust Territory, Hawaii and the US can be handled more efficiently,” said Law. Johnston told the Micronitor that Oscar deBrum will be named to succeed Mr. Law as Distad.
P1 The official christening of the new Dornier 228 aircraft which arrived recently in the Marshalls was held on the tarmac at Majuro International last Thursday. President Amata Kabua was on hand for the ceremony to accord the Dornier representatives present acknowledgment for the locking into service of the new air conditioned aircraft. The aircraft delivered to RMI is the 194th Dornier of this type produced. A new special anti-corrosion technique
had been employed in the production of this particular plane, the result of studies of corrosion in earlier equipment. First Lady Emlain Kabua did the honors with a bottle of champagne, and within the hour the new Dornier was in service on a round trip flight to Mili.
P1 MEC power plant staff Hunson Bokmeto, Leonard Jekkar and John Garlick install the new engine at Majuro’s power plant. The installation of the fifth engine is expected to be completed this month after the arrival of additional parts.
P12 Take 10 energetic young people with ideas about health problems in the community, a drama director, and eight days to work, and what do you get? An hour and 15 minute presentation of seven short skits and music that were as uproariously funny as they were thought provoking. A couple of legends — the mother and the bird (Inedrel) and the blind woman and the lizard — were given modern twists to subtly pose questions to the audience about malnutrition and family relations. The program was performed by Youth to Youth in Health members for a large crowd of parents, teenagers and health staff at the CMI cafeteria Friday. It was the conclusion of a two-week drama workshop sponsored by the Family Planning program and the Honolulu Theater for Youth.
P21 Assumption High School third quarter awards. Freshmen first honors: Talei Bing, Berry Muller, Christine Capelle, Angela Kinere, Edwin Concepcion, Judy Lani, Varuna Gunasekera, Kiyoko Makiphie. Sophomore first honors: Jessica Reimers, Kakom Jetnil, Nebwij Ritok, Theresa Kijiner, Patricia Keju. Junior first honors: Joanna Bing, Claudia Muller, Mandy Ritok, Kadede Loran, Tamar Myazoe. Senior first honors: Shelma Andrike, Hellia Konou, Florence Barekiau, Lisa Lee, Maria Muller.
P28 Majuro’s fastpitch softball league got down to business last week with Ace pitcher Whitney tossing a no-hitter and his teammates demolishing the Delap Survivors in the opening game, 15-0.
P4 The mid-corridor missile range islands of Kwajalein Atoll were the scene of a harried confrontation this week between island owners, Army representatives and Trust Territory officials. Upward of 100 Ebeye residents, former inhabitants of the Army-controlled mid-corridor islands, returned to the missile range islands of Kwajalein lagoon and declared that they would stay until a new settlement was reached that would better satisfy their demands. The islanders feel the $40 per month subsistence allowance paid them while they live on Ebeye is not adequate. High Commissioner Edward Johnston, who was in Honolulu for the Second Annual Conference on the Economic Development of Micronesia, flew to Majuro with Amata Kabua, president of the Senate of he Congress of Micronesia. After two days of talks, an agreement was reached between the Army and the demonstrators. The Army has agreed to pay a $140,000 yearly subsistence to the present claimants while negotiations are open for an eventual settlement of the problem. COM Representative Ataji Balos was spokesman for the dissidents.
P9 How’s the tourist business in Majuro? Interview with Mr. Ben Barry on the present status of tourism. Micronitor: What plans do you have for tourism in Majuro? Barry: We got big plans for the high school gym that’s now under construction. We plan to have live entertainment there. It’ll be a real moneymaker. Micronitor: What kind of ‘live’ entertainment? Barry: Oh, all types. Music, wrestling — anything the people will go for. Micronitor: Can you give me a picture of the average tourist we get in Majuro? Barry: Well, in order to get here you must be middle class, rich or filthy rich. Some of the latest ones have been retired. A lot of them are women and have been all over the world.

Journal 4/15/1974
P1 A conference of traditional leaders from throughout the Trust Territory was held in Ponape this week, despite the fact that the conference had all the appearances of a flop and included only representatives from the two districts of Ponape and Truk.
P1 Trust Territory officials testified in Washington on April 4 in support of a $61 million budget appropriation, which they hope to raise to $75 next year. Stanley Carpenter, Director of the Office of Territorial Affairs, told the Senate appropriation subcommittee that the TT wants progressively increased ceilings of $75 million, $80 million and $85 million over the next three fiscal years.
P10 “The treadmill to oblivion” (Come out of the taro patch with your hands up). This headline is followed by a listing of about 40 job openings in Saipan, Ponape, Palau and Majuro including the following: Accounting Technician, Saipan, $3,379. Must be college graduate. Federal Program Coordinator, Yap, Marianas and Truk, $4,514. Supply Specialist, Saipan, $5,387. Trade Technician, Saipan, $4,014.
P12 The Marshall Islands District Library Museum Building has been awarded a $9,000 grant-in-aid by the Headquarters Division of Community Development for a painting and landscaping job. The new building was constructed by American International Contractors. The landscaping job will be supervised by a Peace Corps architect.