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FRIDAY, January 15, 2010
This Week's
Inside Stories
MWSC cuts
water days
With fresh water supplies dwindling rapidly, Majuro Water and Sewer Company has cut city water hours from three to two days per week. As of Tuesday, MWSC reported the airport reservoir level has dipped below 20 million gallons for the first time in more than a month. In early December, the reservoir water level peaked at about 32 million gallons, but with little rain falling in Majuro is now down to 19.7 million gallons.
Jerry wins CMI court bid battle
A court dispute over a $2 million CMI construction project was resolved Monday when the college agreed to rebid the project. Pacific International Inc. withdrew its lawsuit Monday in exchange for CMI agreeing to rebid the project in February, acknowledging that the college violated the RMI government’s procurement law and agreeing to follow procurement requirements including a public opening of the bids submitted.
Key point: robberies
on the rise
Criminal case filings by the RMI government hit a two-decade low in 2009, according to High Court statistics, but National Police officials believe that crime — particularly robberies — is on the rise.
Only 17 cases were registered in the High Court last year, two of which were appeals from the District Court, meaning the actual number of High Court cases filed by the Attorney General’s office last year was only 15 — this is a 70 percent drop on the annual average for the previous seven years.
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US Embassy concern over MIR deal
In an apparent reference to the intended sale of the Marshall Islands Resort as part of a “permanent residence” scheme, the US Embassy has expressed its concern about the impact this could have on Compact provisions providing visa-free access of Marshall Islanders to the US. RMI officials said the US Embassy late last month sent a diplomatic note raising concerns about any “permanent residence” scheme attached to the sale of the Marshall Islands Resort. The US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Eric Watnik told the Journal that diplomatic notes are confidential. But he did say that “our concern is for the safety and security of Americans and the implications for the Compact of Free Association if the Marshall Islands gave the impression that passports are being sold.” He noted that the RMI government had sold passports in the past. The US government “would have security issues with this happening in the future,” he said. The goal of the Compact’s visa-free immigration provision is to “ensure that Marshall Islanders are getting the benefit,” he said. “We will discuss this with the RMI government as appropriate.” Officials involved with the Honolulu company RC International that is proposing to buy the hotel said if the deal goes through, the hotel will be closed, and the units sold as condominiums together with “permanent residence” status. “Permanent residence” is not an immigration status currently allowed by the RMI government.
The
latest
JICA
volunteers
in Majuro
are Ryo Tabata,
Masato Sato
(back), Kanae Furugohri
and Kazuko Kanda (front).
Photo: Douglas Henry
How does Wagdy deal affect LUA?
Arno Senator Gerald Zackios arrived at Nitijela on Wednesday with his gun locked and loaded with questions that sparked a flurry of responses from fellow senators including President Jurelang Zedkaia.
But while Cabinet ministers and the President jumped in to respond to his questions about a new Auditor General and problems in Education, his question about Kwajalein fell into a vacuum of silence. His question: Where do Kwajalein Land Use Agreement (LUA) talks stand in light of a letter to then-President Litokwa Tomeing from Hawaii-based businessman Wagdy Guirguis that he holds a lease for Kwajalein from 2016 — when the current LUA authorizing US government use of Kwajalein ends. To get the answer, the Journal interviewed Kwajalein Iroij and former President Imata Kabua (pictured) Wednesday afternoon on the matter, and he confirmed that he and a number of Kwajalein alab and senior dri jerbal have signed a lease for Kwajalein with Guirguis “pursuant to the Marshall Islands Constitution.” Kabua made it clear that people of Kwajalein want and need more than they are getting in the agreement in Compact II. Kabua said he and Guirguis are in a “fifty-fifty partnership” in Marshall Islands Technology (MIT) Inc., which in an
Fisheries staff
arrive on Majuro
The new regional fisheries headquarters is getting into motion, with the arrival of two of the three interim-staff. Maurice Brownjohn from Papua New Guinea and Anton Jimwereiy from Nauru arrived in Majuro last week and are getting the new office established as the finishing touches are being put on the new Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Secretariat.
unrelated action has a High Court suit pending against the Rongelap Atoll Local Government that will be the subject of a summary judgment motion hearing on February 5. The Kwajalein lease with Guirguis is to start October 1, 2016, when the current LUA expires. Kabua acknowledged that not all alab and senior dri jerbal have signed this lease, and a deal cannot be had without all approving it. But Kabua said he wants the US at Kwajalein indefinitely, if the US will approve his proposed $3 billion plan. Under this proposal, $3 billion would be placed in trust, and interest payments made to the landowners according to the following breakdown:45 percent to landowners according to acreage they control; 40 percent per capita; five percent each to education, health and to the development bank for low interest loans. Kabua made the point that the latter 15 percent would benefit all the people living on Kwajalein Atoll, not just landowners. Kabua made the point that the US government knows the agreement extending its use of Kwajalein to 2066 and beyond violates the Marshall Islands Constitution. “My proposal to the US is for indefinite use of Kwajalein,” he said.
Milne directs 'Cat' work
This MEC crew is rebuilding the Caterpillar engine at the old power plant in Majuro. From left, Robin Milne, Junior Langinbelik, Carlton Matthew, Toani Burabura, and Jeff Jamos. Photo: Douglas Henry

Journal 1/18/1971

Journal 1/18/1985
P1 Some speculation in Majuro has evolved from the 600 mysterious olive drab crates marked “US ARMY” that have been sitting quietly in the dock storage area for the last eight weeks. Some residents were seen shaking their heads knowledgeably and asserting that indeed there is something secret and harmful shrouded dark inside the wooden crates. Fortunately the rumors can be put aside for it turns out that the crates contain nothing more than the ultimate weapon for controlling and directing seepage — a rubber-like membrane to be placed to the sides of the new airfield runway to help catch water.
P3 Tibrikrik Movie Schedule: Saturday, The Poppy is also a Flower and Once Before I Die; Sunday, Murderer’s Row; Monday, The Deerslayer; Tuesday, Murderer’s Row and Vengeance of Pancho Villa; Wednesday, Three Swords of
P1 High-powered court room action began this past week in the case of Iroij Kabua Kabua vs. the Kwajalein Atoll Corporation in seeking to have distribution of considerable land payment money prevented until a question is resolved regarding the title of iroijlaplap on certain Kwajalein lands. In answers to questions from his lawyer Ben Abrams, Kabua said that his title was threatened and being disregarded as long as the land payment money is distributed in the present manner. In response to questions from opposing KAC attorney George Allen, Kabua said it was
difficult to name all the particular wetos involved in the dispute but that the lands are the ones for which the younger members of the family are now receiving compensation. Kabua explained that a problem of credit with a Japanese firm in 1920 originally resulted in an agreement whereby certain family lands were affected. Under the agreement, Jeimata Kabua retained iroij rights on certain land but the proceeds from the land went directly to the Japanese company. Kabua maintained that the real iroij power remained with Lailon, his grandfather, that the younger brother, Jeimata, and certain sisters were given permission to live on the Kwajalein lands. Kabua said that after the death of Jeimata the iroijlaplap title returned to Lailon’s line, which at present meant Kabua Kabua himself, since he is the eldest living survivor of that line.
P1 A public hearing was held in Maui on December 13 to discuss the proposed move of the Bikini people to the Waihee area of Maui. According to the Maui News, residents of Waihee “seemed unanimously opposed” to the idea, “although they expressed sympathy with the plight of the islanders who were made nomads by the US nuclear testing on Bikini in 1946.”
P4 The engines to power a new desalination plant on Ebeye have recently arrived on island. The plant, which when fully operational will convert up to 300,000 gallons of salt water into fresh water daily, is based on a model built by an Israeli firm.
P7 Department of Public Safety 1984 Yearly Accident Report: Total accidents 129, Fatalities 5, citations 573.
P10 Airline service to the outer islands, which ground to a halt over three weeks ago, is likely to stay that way for at least two more weeks, according to airline manager Tim Smith. Negotiations are going on to resume service either by purchase of a new airplane (a Dornier from Germany is preferred but funding has to be worked out) or to lease another plane. Our Nomad planes are basically worn out and Smith plans to use them as a back up only to be used in emergency situations.
Zorro.
P6 On January 15, Calvary Bible College concluded its first semester. According to the school’s administration, CBI will not begin the second semester as originally scheduled. Principal David Duncan gave the following reason for the school’s closure: “There is an acute shortage of teachers and staff personnel, which necessitates this precipitate action. When the situation is relieved by appointment of requisite personnel the school will resume normal operations.”

Journal 1/15/1993
P1 Prosecution of criminal cases in Majuro dropped by more than 30 percent in 1992 compared to 1991, according to High Court records. A total of 52 cases were prosecuted last year, compared to 75 for the previous years. This is the first decline in criminal prosecutions in five years.
P1 What couldn’t happen here just did: the first confirmed case of AIDS in a Marshall Islanders was reported this week in Majuro, prompting high level meetings among Ministry of Health and Cabinet officials to come to grips with the health threat this poses. The individual is reported to be an 18-year-old youth, who lived in Majuro and in Honolulu periodically during the last several years.
P4 We discovered a front-page newspaper article this
week about the Marshalls saying, “Marshalls fighting obscurity.” The article, which quoted several people in Guam (Guam is an island located north of Yap) was published in a local paper there. Mostly the article quoted from a California-
based publication called Micronesia Handbook, and told about how Continental Air Micronesia flies out here. Surprisingly, we found out in a call to the Air Mike office in Majuro that the carrier also flies to Guam. We asked around town to see if anyone knew anything about Guam, but all we got were shrugs and questioning looks. One older man told us it was an island that was owned by the Japanese who conquered the place in the early 1940s. Another elderly gentleman said Guam was a stop over for Pan American Clipper flights, and was as well known as Wake Island. We then investigated Wake Island and found out that its real name is Enenkio and is a part of the Marshall Islands, but that it too was occupied by the Japanese in the early ‘40s.
P10 Perfect (Straight A) Honor Roll Students, first semester, Jaluit High School: 9th — Mercyba Balos, Bali Leviticus and Rosemary Louis; 10th — Brenda Joseph, Judy Lani and Almenson Naisher; 12th — Agnes Smith.