Marshall Islands Journal February 12, 2010

Missed the shot

Obviously, the driver of this car was in such a hurry to get to his game at the busy CMI court that he blasted through a small coconut tree and crashed into the backstop. Only problem: it was a Sunday, no games. Fortunately for CMI, there was almost no damage to the backboard support.Photo: Giff Johnson.


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Inside Stories


	Friday, February 12, 2010


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Four new cases of HIV in RMI
Four Marshallese tested positive for HIV in one three-month period at the end of 2009, demonstrating the rapid spread of this sexually transmitted disease. The Ministry of Health in its latest quarterly report to the United States for the October-December, 2009 quarter said “data shows that there were four new cases of HIV reported.”
AHS tests negative
Hundreds of Assumption High School students are breathing a sigh of relief this week as their recent TB tests produced negative results. Assumption High School administrators had feared a possible TB outbreak in their school following the discovery over the Christmas break that one of their teaching staff had tested positive. AHS vice-principal Richard David told the Journal that upon discovery, the school contacted the Ministry of Health to get their students tested.
Palau hosts
fish talks
Pacific islands heads of state will meet in Palau at the end of February to map a new strategy that aims to develop an “OPEC-style” organization to control the tuna industry that generates $4 billion annually. The industry is under threat from over-fishing. “Palau President Johnson Toribiong’s goal to host this summit is to further discuss the establishment of an OPEC-type body,” said summit organizer Nannette D. Malsol, an official with Palau’s Bureau of Marine Resources, in a reference to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. “This is the gold that we have control of and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) must strive to get more value from our tuna resources.”
Vets desex
219 pets
In just four days of animal clinics, two Remote Area Medical team volunteer veterinarians spayed or neutered 219 ‘companion animals’ and did 60 de-flea, de-worm, and health check treatments. “We had so much support from the community in helping make the clinic a success,” organizer Karen Galvan said Monday. “It’s been really great.”
Majuro in
thirsty mode
Fresh water supplies continue to dwindle in Majuro. Majuro Water and Sewer Company reports that the airport reservoir dropped to 11.9 million gallons as of Tuesday this week, a drop of 2.5 million gallons since a week ago.


	An open ocean voyage relying only on stars and waves for direction is Waan Aelon in Majel’s next big event, scheduled for next month from Majuro to Aur. Master navigator Thomas Bokin (left) is training a group of younger sailors in the art of traditional navigation. With him is trainer Tiem Clement, Tijjen Jillong and Alson Kelen. Photo: Joe Genz.

Home at last?

By GIFF JOHNSON
As the 25th anniversary of Rongelap islanders’ evacuation nears in May, the Rongelap Atoll Local Government is reinvigorating plans for resettling the nuclear test-affected island, aiming to build 40 more homes over the next two years. US Congressional officials recently expressed concern about the slow pace of resettlement activity, and are pushing RALGov to resettle Rongelap by late 2011 and “close down” the community at Mejatto Island in Kwajalein — the islanders’ “temporary” home since 1985. RALGov Mayor James Matayoshi told the Journal that Rongelap Islanders living on Mejatto have always wanted to return to their home islands, but questions about radiation safety continue to linger, as do logistical issues that may take more than 18 months to resolve. What RALGov leaders and the US Congressional officials eager for a resettlement are likely to find is that building infrastructure needed to support a resettlement is the easy part: the complex human issues affecting a possible future resettlement are the challenge as the opportunity nears. “People are in high spirits about the possibility of resettling,” Matayoshi told the Journal. “But the practicalities are the challenge now.” He adds that an 18-month deadline for resettlement — according to US Congressional desires — is unlikely to meet practicalities of resettling people on Rongelap. “RALGov is not denying the ambitious schedule of resettlement in 2011,” Matayoshi said. But it will depend on how things progress over the next year and a half as to whether people will be ready and able to resettle. Rongelap people self-evacuated their atoll in 1985, moving to Mejatto Island in Kwajalein. Twenty-five years ago, there was nothing on Mejatto but a few trees. Today, it is home to a community of nearly 400 people from Rongelap, with a school, dispensary, and communications equipment. Matayoshi says a successful resettlement will need to satisfy at least three needs:
• Infrastructure: The local government is now soliciting bids to build 40 new homes on Rongelap to complement nine already constructed. In addition, a segment of the population that has land rights on Eneaetok Island wants to move back to this unimproved island to the north of Rongelap Island. To meet this need will require houses in addition to the 40 planned and budgeted for. A new school and dispensary need to be completed. Construction is a challenge in a remote setting, said Matayoshi, who noted that their engineers together with the local EPA have


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issues about a supply of rocks and aggregate for construction that must be solved.
• Assurances about radiation exposure: The Department of Energy says Rongelap Island can be safely resettled because of mitigation activity including using potassium fertilizer to suppress the uptake of radioactive cesium by food crops and ensuring that people each imported foods. The reason Rongelap islanders left in 1985 was fear of radiation exposure, which subsequent independent studies confirmed. But there are more than 60 islands in the atoll, many used for food gathering, and the clean up work has focused only on Rongelap Island. For Matayoshi, the issue revolves around US commitments to Rongelap to provide safeguards and assurances, and people’s acceptance of these assurances.
• Additional funding: RALGov has asked the US Congress for an additional $1 million annually “to set the stage for accomplishing the work and mobilizing for the resettlement” and continuing needed radiation protection work. Additional resources are needed not only to complete essential infrastructure, but also for maintaining the facilities, sending groups of people back to participate in aspects of the resettlement, continuing radiation protection work and extending it to other islands, and other activities, he said.
Matayoshi said RALGov’s role is as “resettlement facilitator.”
“We are not forcing anyone to take our view,” Matayoshi said. “We’ll lay out what is possible, what the options are and the consequences if we continue to delay the resettlement process.”


	Book for Sale

Bartowe beats Avatar at box office

Yokwe Bartowe, a low-budget locally-produced feature film, out-paced the global record-setting Hollywood hit Avatar in attendance in its first week in Majuro. First weekend run numbers provided by K&K Theaters shows that 604 people paid to see Bartowe the first weekend (Friday-Sunday) that it showed compared to 239 viewers for Avatar, which opened in Majuro Friday. Avatar has set the world’s record as the highest grossing movie, with more than $2 billion in gross revenue worldwide, reported ABC News this week. Earlier this month, it beat The Titanic, which had held the record as the biggest revenue-grossing film ever for the past 12 years. While Avatar producers spent $300,000,000 to make their film, Bartowe producers Jack Niedenthal and Suzanne Chutaro indicated the cost of their film was $1,128.05. Bartowe continued to draw crowds this past weekend, but not as high as its first weekend in Majuro. K&K reported that 220 people paid to see Bartowe last weekend. Both films are continuing at K&K through next week. Bartowe is expected to be out on DVD in about a month.

This book explodes the "myth of the four atolls" maintained by the US government since the Bravo hydrogen bomb test in 1954; relies heavily on previously secret US studies to show how US officials consistently underestimated or underreported fallout exposures; and points out, among other findings, that more than 40 years after the US nuclear testing program ended, the US government has still not released complete fallout data on 50 of the 67 tests conducted at Bikini and Enewetak.

Send US money check/money order to the address below.

Canoe ready for ocean voyage
Waan Aelon in Majol (WAM) is preparing its sails to embark on an inter-atoll voyage that will help revive and preserve the heart of the Marshall Islands — traditional navigation. According to WAM’s Program Administrator, Jessica Brandt, through the US Ambassador’s funds for cultural preservation, WAM will be working with University of Hawaii (UH) and local master navigators to commence traditional sailing from Majuro to Aur. “The purpose is to document the trip that will be put onto an instructional DVD and then distributed to schools,” said Brandt.

Journal 2/13/1971

Journal 2/15/1985

P1 Five young men from Kili were left helplessly adrift in a small outboard motor boat when their engine failed on Friday January 29. The men — Netab Sibaj, Sharry Joaj, Lee Ijjo, Etwin Mank and Ralph Waltz (a former Peace Corps Volunteer now residing on Kili) — left that morning for a fishing trip. Sibaj and Joaj left the boat in a futile attempt to swim to Kili and are feared drowned. The MV Militobi, at Jaluit at the time, received a message late that afternoon to hasten to the Kili area and search for five missing fishermen. After sailing all night around the area, crew members spotted the small craft at daybreak on Saturday with only the three survivors on board.
P8 The first of five groups of Sierra Club Tours will be arriving Majuro Monday to begin a tour that will

P1 (accompanied by photo of fisherman tossing a throw net) Governor John Mangefel of Yap dreams about it. And the state government of Kosrae did something about it: more time for fishing, officially cutting down the number of hours required to work for government employees. Then you would have more time to get out the net, walk on over to the glistening, shimmery low-tide water on the reef, and do what you would really rather be doing. Think about this as you sit in your hard seat in front of your gray desk shuffling those meaningless little pieces

of paper back and forth. Shhh! Quiet! Here comes another school.
P6 Bad weather forced President Reagan’s inauguration indoors and prevented all but President Kabua from attending the ceremonies, Chief Secretary Oscar deBrum said. The following day, the delegation began meetings with State Department and Pentagon officials on the Compact of Free Association, economic development issues and other matters, he said. The Chief Secretary presented a copy of RepMar’s first Five Year National Development Plan to US Ambassador Fred Zeder. New planes for Air Marshall Islands were also a key topic of discussion. “We talked about Dornier planes from W. Germany and some Beechcraft planes made in the US,” he said. “The American officials indicated a willingness to assist with the financial arrangements through private, US companies.” In the meantime, AMI is leasing an “Islander” aircraft from Fiji. Transportation Minister Kessai Note and AMI General Manager Tim Smith will continue directly on to W. Germany after their Fiji trip for more talks with German officials on the Dornier planes which, the Chief Secretary said, “seem to be most desirable for our purposes.”

because they “involved sources and methods of intelligane,” will resume subject to the call of the chair, committee chairman Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii said. No information was released on testimony given at the hearings Monday and Tuesday, but Tuesday’s main witness was Ambassador F. Haydn Williams, formerly the President’s Personal Representative for Micronesian Status.
P9 A group of senior citizens from Palau arrived on Saipan Monday night after enjoying their first airplane flight and in many instances their first time away from isolated Choll Hamlet in Ngarrard Municipality. The group of 18 women and their two leaders will enjoy a week of tours and sightseeing about the island while staying in the homes of family and friends.
eventually take visitors to all six districts of the Trust Territory. Asked why the Club had chosen Micronesia for a tour, coordinator Roger Smith replied: “The Sierra Club put out a notice to Club members to determine how many would be interested in a tour of Micronesia. The response was so strong that the Club made Micronesia its choice.” In all five groups, about 20 persons will be making the tour.
P10 The former Mira deBrum, daughter of Marshalls District Administrator Oscar deBrum, and Mr. Ben Sablan of Saipan were married at Assumption Catholic Church on January 30. A reception was held at the residence of the DistAd that evening.
P9 Marshalls District fourth Civic Action Team arrived Majuro this week, effecting routine replacement of the team that has been working in the Marshalls for the last six months. The new team will be working on road construction on Ailinglaplap at the request of the Nitijela. Team three has just completed a road from the high school area to the main village area on Jaluit, Jaluit. They also constructed a ramp for the LCU and the seaplanes.

Journal 2/12/1993

P1 Majuro school children started off National Education Week by gathering along the main road from the capital building to NTA and holding hands. This symbolic gesture exemplifies this year’s theme, “Education: Link to the Future.”
P1 President Amata Kabua today presented the dual language book to Nitijela which he drafted as a sort of codification of Marshallese custom to be considered. The President explained that he had a rather difficult time compiling the book and had sought the assistance of several older informants, both from the Ralik and Ratak chains, to assist in formulating the publication.
P4 How’s this for a surprise announcement: Karen and Paul Kingsbury have left Majuro, apparently for good. From what we understand, Peggy, who had been working at the College of the Marshall Islands, obtained a teaching position on Maui. Paul has been around town for years and years, doodling up the place with art, blowing clarinet, and being generally mysterious.
P16 One of the most often asked questions since its inception is, “When will the new capital building be finished?” The end is in sight. After serious problems and considerable delay, the scheduled date of completion is June 30. Yes, of this year. The project was begun in December of 1989 when the design was completed. May 1990 saw the pouring of the foundation. In December of 1990 a crack was discovered in the west wing and the foundation was sinking. After 14 months of remedial work, construction began again in February 1992.