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Friday, April 25, 2008
Waylon: Local
to national
Waylon Muller is the new Chief of the Ministry of Finance’s Procurement and Supply Office. Muller headed Majuro Atoll Local Government’s tax office until earlier this month. He takes over from Doug Anjain, who has moved to be the senior budget officer within Finance.
ROC helps
Coop School
The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has recognized a local private school. Ambassador Bruce Linghu, who presented a check for $5,000 to Majuro Cooperative School last Friday, said while it was uncommon for his government to give donations to private institutions, the donation is a symbol of his government’s recognition of the quality education the local elementary school is providing to the children of the Marshall Islands.
Trio charged
with assault
Three Majuro men have been charged for allegedly beating another man in what police and witnesses describe as an unprovoked attack. Junior Leer, Geigio Note and Scotty Mejjena were charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and malicious mischief, while Mejjena is also charged with obstructing justice.
ROC officials
here for May Day
President of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng and Vice Foreign Minister Elizabeth Chu will lead a 10-member delegation from the Republic of China that will join in the 29th anniversary celebrations to mark Constitution Day May 1. The Taiwan group will arrive on April 29 and be here to May 2.
Continental
adds fifth flight
Continental Micronesia will add a fifth flight to its Majuro service starting June 10, bringing to two weekly non-stop flights from Guam.
Continental released its new summer schedule for June 10 through August 17.
Just 11 days
of water left
Majuro Water and Sewer Company reported Tuesday this week that airport reservoir levels climbed slightly as a result of the rain over the weekend. But there is still barely more than an 11-day supply for Majuro.

Phone:
(692) 625-8143
(692) 625-8146
Fax:
(692) 625-3136
Mail:
PO Box 14 Majuro, MH 96960 Marshall Islands
In Person:
On the ocean road behind Formosa in Uliga, Majuro
Martha Horiuchi
(left) and Swigly Bilene gave lively performances in The Comedy of Errors that continues through Saturday. Photo: Vinny Ng.
Bill 1756 not dead!
Although the political environment in Washington, DC is now less favorable than it previously was for passage of Senate bill 1756, a leading US Senate professional staff member told the Journal that the bill “is not dead.”
Allen Stayman, advisor to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Senator Jeff Bingaman who originally introduced the bill, told the Journal late last week that the bill could still get US Congress approval.
“Senate bill 1756 is not dead,” Stayman said. He said he’s spoken to representatives of the four atolls — “who support the bill” — and to an RMI Embassy official in Washington — “who has said the committee should defer action until the RMI national government develops a position.” The bill, now on hold, proposes to set funding for the 177 health care program at $4 million annually through 2023, which would change the current year-to-year funding that is providing less than $1 million. It would also expand health coverage to 10 islands. It would make Marshallese who worked at Bikini and Enewetak eligible for a US Department of Energy worker compensation program that currently provides compensation to Americans who suffer certain types of illnesses after working at nuclear sites, require regular reports to the US Congress on the status of the nuclear waste dome at Runit Island in Enewetak, and call for additional radiation studies. “There has been significant delay and the political situation here is less favorable,” Stayman told the Journal. “But I think progress could be made this year with strong RMI support.”
AMI relinks the outer islands
Air Marshall Islands flew its first commercial revenue-generating flights Tuesday afternoon, bringing passengers in from Jaluit and Kili. “We had a full flight inbound,” said an obviously delighted AMI general manager Dan Fitzpatrick. AMI’s Dash-8 conducted a successful test flight on Monday, followed by flights to Kili, Jaluit and Namdrik on Tuesday to inspect runways. Fitzpatrick said the Kili and Jaluit runways checked out fine, allowing the plane to transport passengers on the flight back from these two islands. On Wednesday, the Dash-8 was to fly to the other four outer island runways in question for inspections: Wotje, Likiep, Elenak (Mejatto, Kwajalein) and Aerok (Ailinglaplap). Fitzpatrick said the plan is to fly to Kiribati on Thursday. The Jaluit/Kili return flight, and the planned Kiribati service are the Dash-8’s first commercial flights since October 10 — more than six months with no service.
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The new ambassadors chosen by the national government to represent the Marshall Islands on the world stage attended their swearing-in ceremony at the International Conference Center last Friday. Pictured from left are Ben Graham, who’s headed for Washington DC, with his wife Monique and baby; Darlene Korok and Jiba Kabua, who’s headed to Tokyo; Lynda (with baby) and Phillip Muller, who’s headed to New York; and Odelia Kijiner with grandfather Tom Kijiner, who’s the new ambassador at large.
Photo by Earlie C. Bing