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FRIDAY, August 28, 2009
Silk's quest to save 100 lives
The Hawaii state Health Department’s decision to remove Marshallese eligibility for dialysis and cancer treatments starting next Tuesday will become a “humanitarian crisis” if it moves forward as planned, Foreign Minister John Silk (pictured) told Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle in a letter last week. Hawaii’s Health Department, citing lack of reimbursement from the US federal government for the costs of providing health services, set September 1 as the date when all citizens of the RMI, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau will no longer be eligible for Hawaii’s low-income health insurance program Quest, and will be shifted to a new basic health insurance program that will not cover
dialysis and such cancer treatments as chemotherapy. “Why is Hawaii singling us out?” Senator Kessai Note asked the Nitijela on Wednesday. The former President said there are many people of different nationalities living in Hawaii who benefit from its health services, not just Micronesians. Silk told the Journal this week that Congressman Neil Abercrombie from Hawaii has added an amendment to the pending health bill to make citizens of the three freely associated states eligible for Medicaid, which would resolve the issue. “The proposed curtailment of services will affect approximately 50 Marshallese citizens undergoing scheduled dialysis treatment, and a
similar number receiving regular chemotherapy for cancers,” Silk said to Lingle. "Hawaii has always been the one special place within the United States that has reached out to help its fellow Pacific Islanders, and it is in this spirit that we urgently seek your help and intervention.”
President Litokwa Tomeing and deputy chief secretary Fred Pedro were among the delegation of VIPs who made their first tour of the Pan Pacific Foods (RMI) Inc. facilities last Friday and observed first hand as 400 Marshallese worked through their 12 hour shift loining tuna for the US market. Photo: Suzanne Chutaro
Ading's $137.7m budget
This Week's
Inside Stories
VIPs tour
the loining plant
“Impressive,” was the word of choice RMI President Litokwa Tomeing used to summarize his tour of the Pan Pacific Foods (RMI) Inc. facilities on Friday. On an invitation from Xie Feng, PPF RMI’s chairman and president of PPF’s parent company the Shanghai Kaichuung Deep Sea Fisheries Co, LTD — a quasi Chinese government state run fisheries company — Tomeing, Ministers Ruben Zackhras and Norman Matthew along with Chief Secretary Casten Nemra, Deputy Chief Secretary Fred Pedro and advisor Neil Milne were given a full tour of the fish processing plant in operation. This was the first time for RMI’s top-level officials to view the facilities.
Dry-dock on hold
until November?
A perplexing set of circumstances is besetting set-up and arrival of the long-awaited Majuro dry-dock project and, according to Namu Senator Kaiboke Kabua, unresolved resolution of questions on a lease for the new operation are still unanswered. He expressed the opinion that November may be a more realistic expectation for further development
Women power
Guam Legislature Speaker Judith Won Pat exhorted Marshall Islands women to run for public office and get involved in seeking solutions to problems in their islands in a speech to the annual conference of the country’s national women’s group. “Many of you should consider public service or elected office,” she told an audience of more than 300 people that crowed the ICC and included Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing and many elected and traditional leaders Monday at the opening of the Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI) annual weeklong board meeting. “You can sit at home and complain or get involved in (creating) solutions.”
KALGov gets tough
on alcohol imports
Any vessels coming to Ebeye Island intending to sell beer or hard liquor without proper authorization from the Kwajalein Atoll Local Government will be ticketed by Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission members. That is the word from officials at KALGov administration. This applies not only to those trying to smuggle alcohol but will also include the vessels’ operators and owners.
MAWC makes a difference
Majuro Atoll Waste Company garbage collection and Ministry of Public Works roadside clean-up work was recognized at last week’s Chamber of Commerce meeting at Marshall Islands Resort. Meanwhile, continuing problems with fixing Majuro Hospital's hazardous medical waste problems were a focus of concern at last week's Marshall Islands Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Finance Minister Jack Ading (pictured) on Tuesday introduced the RMI’s second largest budget ever at $137.7 million.
The fiscal year 2010 national budget is about nine percent higher than last year’s $124.5 million budget.
The big winners, continuing the RMI and US governments’ focus, are the Education and Health sectors, getting $59.4 million (including a combined $800,000 for EPA, Majuro Atoll Waste Company and USP) or 43 percent of the total.
The Ministry of Education will get $25.9 million (all except $2.1 million from the US government), Ministry of Health will get $20.6 million ($11.5 million from the US), and the College of the Marshall
Beautify the islands... Keep trash off the streets & beaches.
Islands will get $12.1 million ($10.1 from the US).
Donor funding accounts for 73 percent of the national budget ($100 million), the balance is from local revenue, which includes $3 million from the ship registry (up $1 from the current year) and $2 million from fishing rights (up $500,000 from FY2009). Funding of note in the FY10 budget: • Slightly over $5.1 million of the European Union’s $6.9 million is going for outer islands solar projects.
• $1 million is set aside for the new fiber optic cable.
• $16.7 million is the amount of rent for Kwajalein landowners (part of this will go into the escrow account).
• The US Trust Fund contribution is $11.1 million.
• Loan repayments to the Asian Development Bank of $3.2 million.
The increase to $137.7 million from FY2009’s $124.5 million is nearly all accounted for by an increase in donor funding: new EU money of $6.9 million, an increase of $1.5 million in ROC funding, and a bump up of $4.5 million in US federal grants.
Local revenue is estimated at $34.9 million compared to $33.2 million in FY2009.
No child left behind
Teacher: A..B..C..
Student: Teacher... I'm hungry!
Pictured is downtown Uliga in 1969. At left is now the RRE administration building, with Bilimon’s Store opposite.

Journal 8/29/1970

Journal 9/3/1974
P1 The Congress of Micronesia Senate adopted a House Joint Resolution last Thursday refusing the US offer of a Commonwealth status for Micronesia. The resolution declared the US offer as “unacceptable in its present form” to the Congress of Micronesia because the US failed to recognize or conform to the “four principles and legal rights” endorsed by the Micronesian Political Status Delegation. Marshalls COM Senator Isaac Lanwi said: “The Marianas District Legislature
P8 A Saipan businessman has announced plans to form a new airline to serve the Northern Marianas and Guam. The airline, to be called “Marianas Airline,” is being formed as a sole proprietorship by Ray Guerrero, who was formerly Northern Marianas manager
for Guam-based Air Pacific International.
P10 A fund raising activity entitled Labor Day Ball is being sponsored by the Majuro Chamber of Commerce to raise money for playgrounds. The ball will be held at Jerry Kramer’s Reef Bar. Among prizes that will be given out each half hour: a full day charter on the famous Le Takinal (grand prize), a round trip ticket on Air Mike to Kwajalein, and 50 gallons of gasoline contributed by Majuro Auto Service.
has gone on record favoring a commonwealth status. We in the congress haven’t even decided what alternative we want. This is our business. It’s none of their (Marianas Legislature) business. They should shut up.”
P1 Marshalls District Representative Henry Samuel has become the first congressman to come out in favor of independence for Micronesia. In a prepared statement, Congressman Samuel said the commonwealth status offers Micronesians the chance to become American citizens. “But the citizenship we are being offered is, even legally, a second class citizenship and would have no vote in the US Congress,” he said. “And if we are to be treated the same way as America has treated all of its dark-skinned people, we may become even less than second-class citizens.”
P4 A new school calendar isn’t usually the subject of news but the latest effort of the Marshalls Education Department deserves some notice. This year’s calendar represents the combined work of Amja Jonathan, Tokwa Tomeing, Lee and Helen Kenty, Alee and Hanako Term, and Marcus Henry. They produced the Marshalls’ first illustrated calendar. Featured on the calendar are a series of cartoons featuring “Kiar” bird characters. The calendar will be distributed to all teachers both in the district center and outer islands.
P7 An interesting fact that may surprise new comers to Majuro is an observation made by Micronitor in front of the Mieco building. In one one-hour period, 103 taxis passed this location, yet the same observation carried out one year ago would have noted no taxis. Other vehicles observed were 65 private pickups, 42 private cars, 10 government trucks, 13 government jeeps, six motor scooters, four buses
and one bicycle…There are probably 50 taxis now operating in Majuro. Despite the large number, taxi owners say they are having more brought in.
P10 John Heine is the new principal at Marshall Islands High School. He had been living in the US for 10 years before taking up his new post. In the meantime, the first gymnasium in the Marshall Islands is nearing completion at the MIHS campus. The Seebee Civic Action team is handling all the construction, while Public Works is furnishing the backboards for the basketball court. Funding is done by the education department headed by Noel Bigler, Industrial Arts teacher.

Journal 8/28/1992
P1 Has the Marshall Islands been mistakenly maligned as the syphilis capital of the Pacific because of an error in diagnosing a relatively common disease here? Officials at the Ministry of Health are undertaking a study to investigate. Suspicions that earlier surveys were tainted by an extraordinarily high level of “yaws” among Marshallese has led to a mass screening program of non-sexually active children. To test the reliability of past syphilis screening programs — the most recent of which confirmed that the Marshalls’ rate was still high but going down — the Ministry of Health on Friday launched its first blood screening of five-to-10 year old elementary school students in Majuro. Yaws is a skin disease caused by bacteria, with symptoms of big festering sores on the arms and legs. In some countries where yaws was eradicated, such as the Marshall Islands, medical officials are now seeing a resurgence of the problem. If an adult had yaws as a child that was untreated, they can test positive on a syphilis screening test because the two communicable diseases are similar.
P1 “We cannot correct 40 years of habit in the public sector overnight,” said Chief Secretary Oscar deBrum, the government’s top public servant. But he said the current review of public service is a move in the right direction for improving efficiency in government. “We’ve adopted the US system of working eight hours a day whether or not we’re doing anything,” he said. “It fits the US system. But we’re trying to follow them instead of developing something that fits our custom.”
P5 Accidents and typos do happen, but RRE’s Deli probably wouldn’t have liked this one. Working on their menu, one of our typesetters typed out the following: “Hand and egg sandwich — $1.55.” Wonder if it comes with a ring.
P6 Nine AMI flight attendants graduated last week from a four-week training program, qualifying them to work on AMI’s DC-8 jet. The group includes Newona Tabu, Nerling Yates, Mary Jacklick, Janerose Calep, Michelle Silk, Beulah Kalles, Chris Jacob, Andrew Peterson and Rodney Muller. They were trained by a team from Air New Zealand.
P11 Assumption High School Principal Sr. Aurora de la Cruz proudly displayed the certificate of accreditation issued to the Majuro school by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
P20 Vincent Reimers’ newly refurbished 40-foot boat was blessed and launched last Friday in Majuro. He says it will be used for fishing, charters and jambos. The former Navy launch doesn’t have a name yet, but Reimers says that will be taken care of in due time.