Friday, February 6, 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 |
| Tony's blast Problems within the government ruling party were aired publicly by Foreign Minister Tony deBrum Wednesday during an appeal to the opposition to work with the government. “We can’t pretend everything is normal,” deBrum told the Nitijela and the nation. “It is not normal.” In a jibe apparently aimed at unspecified Cabinet advisors, deBrum said bluntly that the government “should not rely on the advice of one or two men.” He said the government has many talented workers, but that in preparation of Cabinet policy papers, Cabinet is not getting the advice of its ministries. Copra 2nd best year Copra makers nearly set a record with production in 2008, making it the second best year in the history of copra since records began being kept in 1951. According to statistics provided by the Tobolar Copra Processing Authority this week, 7,641.25 tons of copra was produced from January to December 2008. Only 1995 produced more, with 7,728 tons processed by Tobolar. Fu Yang flees RMI waters A Taiwan longline fishing vessel fled Marshall Islands waters last weekend following a high-speed pursuit by the FSM government’s patrol vessel “Independence.” Despite the Taiwan vessel evading capture, Marshall Islands Sea Patrol Chief Thomas Heine told the Journal Monday that the vessel was identified and efforts are already underway to put it on a regional “blacklist” so that it will be banned from fishing in the Pacific. Late last week Sea Patrol identified two vessels — one Taiwanese, one Japanese — believed to be fishing illegally in the northwestern sector of the Marshall Islands 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Because the Lomor was unavailable after developing engine problems, the RMI government invoked the Niue Treaty for the first time, authorizing the Federated States of Micronesia’s national police to act on behalf of the RMI. MALGov ready to clear its debts Majuro Atoll Local Government and Ministry of Finance officials signed an agreement last week for MALGov to pay off close to $1 million it owes the RMI for employee income tax. This agreement replaces a 2005 payment plan agreement that MALGov did not follow. |
Atidrik Lovell, from Laura, and daughter Rolania Malolo do a brisk trade in Marshallese baskets and other ‘amimono’ (handicrafts) at the Hilo farmer’s market. “People think our baskets are really unique,” 17-year-old Rolania, who is in the 11th grade at Waiakea High School, told the Journal.
It’s time for Marshallese to get seriously involved in commercial fishing — and the Marshall Islands Service Corporation is ready to lead the way. The local company has hired former Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority Director Danny Wase as a consultant to help locate joint venture partners in a soon-to-be-launched purse seine fishing operation. “It’s time for us as resource owners to participate in the fishing industry,” Wase told the Journal Tuesday. “License fees (for foreign vessels) bring peanuts compared to what the fishing countries make.” “This is an important project,” said MISC President and CEO Patrick Chen. “We need to get into fishing to bring money into the RMI.” Wase said he and Chen recently spent time meeting with fishing companies in Taiwan, Japan and S. Korea. “There is a
Fishing company owners in Taiwan “are showing a lot if interest,” he said, but added: “We’re looking at all options.” The preferred option for MISC is to buy a new purse seiner, Wase said. These cost in the range of $15 million. He said the plan is to get a JV partner to kick in half of the purchase cost. Wase believes that there is a significant difference between RMI government-funded fishing operations in the 1980s — which failed — and MISC’s current plan. “The previous fishing ventures, management was overseas so we really didn’t know what was happening,” he said. “With this, we’ll control it locally, so we’ll know the costs and the amount of sale proceeds.” Wase said it will take 12-to-18 months to build a new vessel once investment partners are secured.
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A drunk Majuro driver led police on a high-speed chase that ended with a Hollywood-style crash in Delap – unlike Hollywood, however, the three occupants of the vehicle were hospitalized. The driver failed to negotiate the curve by Payless, smashing into the fence surrounding the MWSC sewer pump station and crashing into a blue-trailer, knocking it off its foundation.
A panel of United States appeal judges Friday dismissed a claim that sought to enforce a more than one billion dollar nuclear test compensation settlement for Bikini and Enewetak islanders.
But Bikini’s Washington, DC-based attorney said the ruling does not exonerate the US government for removing the islanders from their homeland and leaving the atoll uninhabitable after 23 nuclear weapons tests.
A three-member panel of judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday (Majuro date) upheld a lower court’s ruling dismissing claims filed in 2006 by the people of Bikini and Enewetak, sites of 67 American nuclear tests from 1946 to 1958.
The two atolls were awarded more than $1 billion for hardship, loss of use and clean up costs by the Nuclear Claims Tribunal, created by the 1986 Compact of Free Association nuclear test settlement agreement with the US government. But the Tribunal lacks funds to pay the award and the two communities sought US court action to force the US government to pay the compensation. The appeals court said the 1986 settlement agreement between the US and Marshall Islands governments
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The two atolls were awarded more than $1 billion for hardship, loss of use and clean up costs by the Nuclear Claims Tribunal, created by the 1986 Compact of Free Association nuclear test settlement agreement with the US government.
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Be aware of God today!
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P1 Drugs and supplies are at what is perhaps an all time low at Majuro's Armer Ishoda Memorial Hospital. According to one hospital spokesman, it is getting worse
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P5 Ad Ishiguro’s Hotel Majuro. Single $10, double $24. Air conditioning — $1 extra. Restaurant, coffee shoppe, special personal tours. Cable MOLKSCO, phone 324.
P10 Ad Do you want to get into hot water? Then make your reservation at the Eastern Gateway…Majuro’s finest hotel, Andrew Bilimon, Mgr.
P10 Ad Effective February 25, the Majuro Branch of the Bank of America will change its hours to the following: Monday through Thursday, open 10am until 12:30pm; closed 12:30 until 1:30pm; open 1:30 until 3pm. Friday, open 12 noon until 5pm.
P2 11,534,134 pounds of copra were produced in fiscal year 1967. Leading atolls were Ailinglaplap, Arno, Majuro, Ebon and Namu in that order.
P4 The community of Jabor, Jaluit is restarting their fish smoking business. Six years ago the community development office in Majuro helped the people of Jabor set up a smoke house and fish trap. The business ran a number of shipments to Majuro, then stopped because of credit difficulties. The smoke house has now been renovated and the people plan starting a regular industry. The first shipment of 200 pounds is scheduled to arrive on the Ralik-Ratak, and is already sold to the high school.
P5 The CRC (the club with a heart) will have a Valentine party on Saturday, February 17. All members (and their sweethearts) are invited.
P18 One of the Nitijela Senators from Jaluit, Senator Evelyn Konou, is upset about what she calls very misleading statements made by members of the Ralik Ratak Democratic Party during the most recent election race, and she wants to know what is to be done about it. She complained that her people were misled by political lies generated by the RRDC miscreants. Jaluit Senator Alik Alik said that it is the RRDP, not the government party, which should be complaining about threats of being moved off their land for being involved in political activity. Responding to comments from Senator Konou, Alik said: “Threats were made to my family here in Majuro. I was told to move out of my house because I was a member of the RRDP. It is wrong to evict people for exercising their rights.”
P6 The Nuclear Claims Tribunal compensated its first 300 people during 1991 for total awards of $10.9 million, according to the Tribunal annual report to Nitijela.