Friday, February 13, 2009
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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 |
| PII wins $25m Chuuk contract In January, the Federated States of Micronesia’s national government awarded a $25 million contract to the Majuro-based construction company Pacific International Inc. to begin the first phase of the three-phased project aimed at fixing Chuuk’s road and sewage system. According to PII operations manager Kenneth Kramer, phase one of the project involves the installation of a new sewage system under a four and a half mile stretch of road in downtown Weno. RMI tax income sees big decline A bleak report on RMI tax collection was issued this week by the national government. It shows that in the first four months of fiscal year 2009 (October 2008-January 2009), only $5.5 million was collected. This rate of collection is 30 percent down from FY2008, the government report said. If the rate of tax collection in the first four months continues, the Ministry of Finance would collect only $16.8 million in tax this fiscal year compared to $23.8 million last year. Islands angry at DOI The six US-affiliated Pacific islands issued a statement Friday asking the US Department of Interior to recall a negative report on the region that they said “failed to honor” appropriate standards and protocols for reviewing health care in the islands. The Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) — which represents the RMI, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Guam, Northern Marianas and American Samoa — issued a strongly worded resolution critical of a September 2008 Department of Interior Inspector General’s report titled “Insular Area Health Care: At the Crossroads of a Total Breakdown. Japan helps Ailuk and Utrik Japan Charge Dr. Kazuyuki Ohdaira signed grant contracts last week with Ailuk and Utrik mayors to provide Grassroot grants to those outer island communities. Ohdaira and Ailuk Mayor Rufina Jack signed an agree-ment January 28 for $87,000, which will be used to purchase a boat to provide inter-atoll transportation for Ailuk. On Friday, Ohdaira signed an agreement with Utrik Mayor John Kaiko for $85,995 to build a community center on Utrik. |
A very long, hard road to restore the academic reputation of the College of the Marshall Islands succeeded Wednesday when it received the news that full accreditation has been restored by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. A letter confirming the development arrived Wednesday via DHL, and WASC posted the news to its Web site. Under the heading “Removed from Warning and Reaffirmed Accreditation,” WASC listed seven colleges including CMI. Since the college’s former business manager was charged in 2002 with embezzling more than $600,000, CMI has been under sanction by WASC. By 2005 the sanctions moved to “show cause” — the harshest sanction before a college loses accreditation. But a revamping of the CMI board of regents by government in 2005 in response to WASC requirements, and the board’s subsequent hiring of current President Wilson Hess put the college on its road to recovery.
Since 2005, “led by a reconsti-tuted and revitalized board and with strong support from the government, the College has focused on implementing best practices designed to improve institutional effectiveness,” Hess said.
“In the Fall 2008 semester just reviewed (by WASC), CMI had 64 percent of its
Sharing a birthday, Friday, February 13, 1970 is the first issue of the newspaper and Tijen "Badine" Jortak-Labin. And that is not all they shared. They both suffered from birth difficulties.Tijen was born under-weight and the newspaper was under-read.
But CMI’s board, adminis-trators, faculty, staff and students cannot bask in their freshly minted accreditation for long. In less than a month, the biggest-ever team from WASC — a group of nine educators — will descend
“This is not a time to relax, but rather time to continue our efforts to bring quality higher educational opportunities to the people of the RMI,” Hess said. While CMI fared well from the WASC Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges’ meeting in early January, other Pacific island colleges did not. Northern Marianas College was continued on “show cause.” American Samoa Community College was placed on “probation,” while the College of Micronesia/FSM had its follow up report rejected by WASC.
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The bus stop boys
We spotted artists Lakunio Bungitak, Jr., Ed Heine and Bolear Bolear busy improving the look of the bus stop in front of Alele Museum this week. Local artist Nika Wase is supervising the bus stop painting project that is supported with funding from AusAID, the Australian government’s grant program. The team started in Rita and is working its way to the other end of Majuro.
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The Military Use and Operating Rights Agreement was signed "under duress" by negotiators for the previous government, Kabua said.
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Kabua also hinted at the possibility of alternative use of Kwajalein if suitable arrangements cannot be negotiated by the time the current LUA/lease expires in 2016. To emphasize the importance of negotiating new terms for use of Kwajalein by the US military, Kabua asked rhetorically: “If not us — who? If not now — when?”
"We call it the Micronitor"
This week's paper marks the 40th anniversary of publication. Page one of Micronitor's first paper is reproduced at left and all these feature excerpts here are from that first issue.
P1 The United Nations Visiting Mission arrived in Majuro yesterday for the start of a tour, which will cover all of Micronesia. While here the Mission will begin to appraise the feelings and trends of the people in preparation for a report to be filed with the UN. A traditional welcoming line and “yokwe” greeted the Mission members as they debarked the Air Micronesia flight from Hawaii. Soon after arrival the Mission had a briefing in the Nitijela Hall with High Commissioner Johnston. The Mission’s trip is distinctive because a visit is planned to Mili on Monday. Mili was in the news last summer because of a controversial letter to the UN.
P1 With Air Micronesia’s 727 flight disembarking members of the UN Mission and their fellow passengers, a Fiji Airways chartered flight touched down on the Majuro airstrip (in Delap) causing, as one spectator stated, “a temporary congestion on the main concourse.” Naval cadets pass through Majuro enroute to Japan where they are assigned to Gilbertese ships. Thursday’s flight from the Gilberts is only one of many such flights destined to arrive in Majuro.
P1 No agreements were reached during negotiations between Land Management officials and residents of Enenlip and Kokojbar islands (Long Island). This week at Nitijela Hall the two groups were discussing possible arrangements for lease or sale of land for the future site of Majuro’s new airport-water catchment system slated to be built at Long Island. If negotiations are completed soon, construction should begin by late summer, according to Mike Allen, Land Management officer. It will then take approximately 15 months to complete the first phase of the project, which means landing the first plane. $2,671,000 has been allocated for use in FY1970.
P5 Letter: A few years ago we had a local newspaper called the Marshall Islands Journal. It was established by a missionary pair, Rev. and Mrs. Donald Daughtry. When they left the islands, they turned the job to Mr. Billy Sawej who carried on the work for a few years but finally had to drop it due to some difficulties. The local people felt they had lost something worthwhile and I had the same feeling. Since then I have been wishing someone would come and start another newspaper. But last week I learned that you had a new newspaper project ready to begin. Congratulations, Mr. Editor! Many good things will now be made known to our local people through this paper. Now the communities will come to understand better what is going on in the island and the rest of the world week by week. May God bless your service as you serve your fellow man. —Rev. Pijja Matauto, Pastor, Uliga Protestant Church.
P5 Between the school and the bar, where the school gets undone. There are two institutions presently competing with one another in the District Center: The School and The Bar. We know that competition isn’t always bad, but in this case the results are turning out to be disastrous for some students. The whole future of a student can be brought to waver and eventually fall before the allure of a bar. The fanciful dream world of drunkenness is not hard to find. Under the mistaken belief that drinking and getting drunk are heroic, many students begin a process at night that destroys what was accomplished during the day. In Majuro there are three obvious reasons why this happens: 1) no police enforcement of the minimum age for drinking, 2) bars and clubs themselves do not require proof of age before serving liquor, and 3) there is no attractive alternative available to the students at night. The solution to this problem is just as obvious.
P6 Ad MIECO: 13 room hotel, air conditioned bar, barbershop, commissary, bakery, shipping, cinema.
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P2 (Ad) The Marshall Islands Air Taxi Service Marshallese owned and financed has received its charter to fly a seaplane throughout the Marshall Islands. It is the purpose of this island-
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"How will I remember which day for which movie?" the theater owner asked. The answer was simple: "Look it up in the Micronitor."
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P3 Robert Reimers Enterprises new supermarket will be in full operation by the end of March, according to manager Powell Mikkelsen. “We would be able to give a definite date for the opening but some of our supplies were over-shipped to another depot,” Mikkelsen explained. “Some important items, such as air conditioners, Freon for refrigeration and electric starters for refrigerators are somewhere in the Trust Territory. When we get these parts there will be no hold up.”
P3 Mr. Mark Juda, community group advisor, was honored on February 2 in a special ceremony in the District Administrator’s office. Mr. Juda, of Jaluit and Majuro, was presented with a check for $150 by District Administrator Robert D. Law, Jr. as an incentive award. A commendation letter stated that from 1966 to 1969, Mr. Juda “made contributions in the field of community development above and beyond the requirements of his job,
P8 The grant in aid program is a cooperative effort of the administration, the Marshallese communities, or other groups. It is structured to help people help themselves to a better life. The Community Development Department was given the responsibility to help the people attain this goal. It is a program by which a community or group can receive financial assistance in the building of schools, dispensaries and other public facilities. The community prepares a plan, supplies the labor, and gives a minimum of 10 percent of the total cash cost. The government in turn supplies a maximum of 90 percent of the cash cost.
P10 Saturday morning was almost another typical morning at the Mieco Restaurant. Hotel occupants were sitting quietly sipping their coffee, watching the long-awaited Asmari maneuver herself alongside the dock. But about 8:30 according to Mrs. Bing, acting restaurant manager, an ill-repaired electric stove in the kitchen shorted out, igniting a grease fire. Several attempts were made by the cooks to douse the flames but to no avail. At 8:45 the fire department arrived and dragged a huge fire extinguisher upstairs to the kitchen; it lasted 15 seconds before running out. The fire truck was then brought alongside the building and hoses hoisted up to the window. The problem now was producing enough water pressure to put out the fire. That took several costly minutes, Mrs. Bing said, because by this time, the fire was beginning to do serious smoke damage. According to the management, the 40-minute blaze destroyed one stove. More damage would have occurred, they said, if the ceilings and walls had been made of wood instead of concrete because of the time involved in extinguishing the fire.
P10 This week’s movies. Mieco: Friday, Fort Utah; Saturday, For Singles Only; Sunday, Devil Ship Pirates; Monday, Revolt of the Barbarians; Tuesday, Bounty Killer; Wednesday/Thursday, Hostile Gun. Milne’s: Friday, China Gate and River Lady; Saturday, Purple Mask and Rangers of Fortune; Sunday, Objective Burma; Monday, Naked Brigade; Tuesday, Projected Man; Wednesday Magnificent Matador; Thursday, Thunder Bay.
P4 In 1969, Micronesia was visited by a total of 20,600 visitors, a 58 percent increase over 1968’s 13,000. Estimates say these tourists brought in to the economy about $906,500, making tourism the second largest money earner. The first is still copra.
P4 While disguised
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In 1969, Micronesia was visited by a total of 20,600 visitors, a 58 percent increase over 1968’s 13,000. Estimates say these tourists brought in to the economy about $906,500, making tourism the second largest money earner. The first is still copra.
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