Friday, December 19, 2008
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E-mail: |
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Phone: |
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Fax:
(692) 625-3136 |
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Mail:
PO Box 14 Majuro, MH 96960 Marshall Islands |
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In Person:
On the ocean road behind Formosa in Uliga, Majuro |
| Mobil drops gas price 15¢ Mobil dropped its price to local gas stations by 15 cents per gallon on Friday last week. Mobil has now dropped its prices to dealers in Majuro $1.92 per gallon since late July, when international market prices began diving. SEPS and Riwut, traditionally the two stations with the lowest prices, dropped from $5.24 per gallon to $5.09 earlier this week. RRE and Ace’s One Stop were expected to drop to $5.14 a gallon. RMI declares emergency The Marshall Islands Cabinet declared a state of emergency at its Cabinet meeting Tuesday, and also approved a new disaster relief agreement with the US. Cabinet officials confirmed to the Journal Wednesday that a state of emergency has been declared. This, coupled with approval of the joint US-RMI agreement under the Compact, gives the RMI access to a disaster relief fund. The Cabinet action comes in the wake of ongoing flooding in Majuro and other islands. Cable project moving ahead NTA is edging closer to an agreement for bringing the fiber optic cable to Majuro and Ebeye. The signing deadline for both the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia has been delayed from Monday (December 15) to allow time to resolve a few issues, NTA General Manager Tony Muller told the Journal Wednesday. “We’re not totally out of the jungle yet, but we’re getting there,” he said. “We have a few more wrinkles to iron out before the signing date is confirmed.” $50k for USP tourism class Irene Ta’afaki, the director of the University of the South Pacific’s Majuro campus, is putting together a draft curriculum for a tourism and hospitality course for its 2009 school year. The course is being funded by a $50,000 grant from the National Training Council. |
Like the movies, where the good guys always show up at the last second to save the day, US Ambassador Clyde Bishop marched into President Litokwa Tomeing’s office Tuesday bringing news that the deadline was postponed for the escrow account with more than $22 million for Kwajalein landowners.
Within minutes, President Tomeing and Ambassador Bishop signed a letter to Bank of Guam instructing the bank to maintain the money in the account. The action by Tomeing and Bishop prevented the money from returning to the US Treasury on Wednesday this week.
“It’s a big relief for everyone,” said Minister in Assistance Christopher Loeak. “It gives us an opportunity to work on the LUA.” On Wednesday, the Journal spoke with Bishop, who had just returned from the Bank of Guam. “I instructed them that the money will remain in the account,” he said.
The Ministry of Finance on Wednesday confirmed that the account is worth $22,070,175.93. A President’s Office spokesman told the Journal Wednesday that the President does not see the US postponement of the deadline as “the end of the road. The President is grateful for the deferment. Now, the next step is moving toward establishment of a new land use agreement (LUA).” In November, President
Tomeing in his letter to Bush listed five issues as “core concerns” to be addressed:
• Annual Kwajalein payments to be backed by “full faith and credit” of the US.
• Increase the inflation adjustment from two-thirds to full inflation.
• Provide adequate funding for Kwajalein infrastructure problems.
• Come to an agreement for deciding what equipment/infrastructure is usable and which is to be demolished when the US leaves Kwajalein.
• Extension of the December 17 deadline “to fashion the new LUA pending your favorable consideration” of the core concerns.
The US said the first two items are “not open to further negotiations,” because the Compact is a “binding international agreement.”
On the issue of funding for Kwajalein infrastructure, Davies said there is currently $4.8 million unspent from Compact Ebeye special needs and Kwajalein infrastructure funding that can be used, as well as other Compact sources. Regarding an agreement for dismantling of US government assets at Kwajalein, “we respectfully submit that it is premature to engage in any such discussion,” Davies said. “Given that our binding agreement provides for use of Kwajalein through at least 2066, it would be impossible to predict what assets or equipment might be in place at that time.” On behalf of the US government, Davies conveyed to President Tomeing “the highest regard for the unique and mutually beneficial relationship that exists between our two countries.” Bishop told the Journal that the extension of the deadline is an “appreciation of the long-lasting relationship between the two countries and President Tomeing’s saying to me he was in discussions with the landowners and needed more time.”
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A government-requested survey of the underwater area by Enemanit Island in Majuro did not confirm extensive reef damage as charged by the RMI EPA in its case against Pacific International Inc. The grounding of its vessel Emerald in April 2007 was blamed for underwater damage at Enemanit. The survey, by local diver Matt Holly, was evidence in a government/EPA case against PII last Friday. Holly’s report confirmed some residual damage to coral, but did not confirm damage to the extent described by EPA official Andrew Finlay and CMI marine science instructor Dean Jacobson in their reports following the grounding more than a year ago. Attorney James McCaffrey, prosecuting the case for the Attorney General’s office, called Jacobson to testify Friday. Jacobson said he happened to be at Enemanit the day after the grounding and found a mix of “unaffected corals, intact but scarred corals, fractured coral heads and entirely crushed coral rubble.” He estimated that the “seriously damaged coral” area was 35-40 square meters in size. Later in the hearing, PII attorney David Strauss called EPA General Manager John
Bungitak. He began questioning Bungitak about a fine EPA had recently issued against PII in relation to its dredging at the airport fire rescue building site. When McCaffrey objected to this line of questioning, asking what the relevance was, Strauss fired back: “I’m showing that EPA is singling out PII.” Later, Strauss asked Bungitak about 24 EPA citations issued against Ministry of Health, Ministry of Public Works and Majuro Atoll Local Government which had not been paid. Bungitak confirmed that they had not been paid, and said some were settled out of court while others were referred to the AG’s office for prosecution. “All have been referred to the AG for prosecution, but only PII and Sam Leon were actually prosecuted?” Strauss asked. Bungitak confirmed this, noting that some were settled. “Others whose damage is worse, they don’t prosecute, waive the fine or let go,” Strauss said. “When it is time for the court to set the penalty, the big picture is relevant. PII’s been singled out. EPA reduced a fine for KMI, but increased the fine for PII after PII cleaned up (the Enemanit area).”
P1 Tourists come to Micronesia for many reasons; one reason is that these are “slow-paced” and sleepy islands. But, very likely, these islanders are not going to be “sleepy” anymore. These slow-paced islanders are very soon going to be experiencing the rat race of big cities, competition, pollution, noise, ulcers, lung cancer, deafness and heart attacks to name a few. In fact, these problems are coming to Micronesia, according to Dr. Martha Ward, who has been here on Ponape for about two years conducting blood pressure research among Ponapeans. A blood pressure test conducted by the Navy in 1947 on Ponape found that “the blood pressure of the people did not go up as the people got older.” Blood pressure was low and normal. Dr. Ward’s present research seems to show that blood pressure of Ponapean people has increased tremendously since the 1947 study. “Our research seems to indicate that the people in Kolonia, the district center, have higher blood pressure than the people in the municipalities and on the atolls,” she said. “Women in Kolonia have the highest blood pressure in Ponape. What kind of work do the women in Kolonia have to do? Nothing! All they do is worry — worry about their kids getting into trouble, worry about them going to school, worry about their husbands’ jobs, worry about the bars closing.”
P1 It was a motley crowd if ever there was one at Laura Beach, no identifiable stereotype applicable. Jerry Kramer was there in a van with his kids, not the usual business-like Jerry, but the stubble-bearded, faded jeans, over-washed tee-shirt kind of Kramer, an escapee from mid-winter Milton Mass. doing 15 years to life on the charge of falling in love with the Marshall Islands. He pulls the trigger on his stay-on beer, and surveys the crowd. “Really big,” he says in an easy way. And it is that. Hundreds of them.
Secretary of Finance Al Fowler with his starched and scrubbed safari 4x4, Kejjo Bien’s Downtown Lunch Wagon with Lele and the girls pushing colas and munchies. A flock of young Nauruan chicks looking happy. Work cronies from PII, Tobolar, Lanai Bar, the Power Plant, Es Kap Bob, MCAA, R&D and Captain Moses’ crew. All gathered for the serious business of pulling a rope, creating a memory, enjoying each others’ company, and having a laugh. After a few short insistent toots on his whistle, Mike Musgrave manages to call the first two teams to order and the First Annual Marshall Islands Tug of War gets under way. Stan Ryley and the R&D team eventually end up the champions for the day but the real champions are the guys behind the scenes, the guys who took time to organize the affair, put their hearts into making fun. Thanks Majuro Sports and Recreation Club for giving your community a nice day.
P2 The Marshall Islands government was sued in the High Court Friday by a Japanese who said he was defrauded by a government “permanent residency” scheme.
The RMI government made “false and misleading” claims in its advertising of a permanent residence program for Japanese, said Yoshiaki Mizukami in a complaint filed by attorney David Strauss.