Friday, January 23, 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 |
| Wrong part stymies AMI Air Marshall Islands Dash-8 plane did not go into service Monday as announced when the wrong part arrived last weekend. The Dash was waiting for the glass outer covering for the right wing tip. Unfortunately, the US parts supplier sent the part for the left wing tip, leaving AMI with its only plane still grounded. Meanwhile, the Dornier-228 that AMI has leased from an Australia firm left Australia Monday and is to go into service shortly after arrival. FEMA checks islands Officials from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are in the Marshall Islands this week assessing damage from high waves that hit low-lying islands in December to determine if it meets US requirements for providing disaster aid. Two FEMA inspectors left Sunday evening with Marshall Islands Disaster Office officials on a 14-day assessment trip to six remote atolls aboard the government’s patrol vessel Lomor. The team on the Lomor will be visiting Ailinglaplap, Namu, Ujae, Lae, Lib and Wotho. Bob stars in first WUTMI festival Tired of the same events year after year? Well, that is about to change. This year is kicking off with the first ever Bob Festival. This is not a festival for a guy named ‘Bob.’ We’re talking Bõb, the pandanus fruit or screw pine, which rhymes with up and abrupt. RRE compound is where the festival can be witnessed. The Bõb Festival will kick-off on February 7 at 9am with a parade starting from the old weather station. Co-chairpersons Carmen Bigler of WUTMI and Ramsey Reimers, RRE CEO, have been working with a team of representatives from Ministries of R&D, Health, Internal Affairs, MALGov, MIVA, and PREL. Uliga fish market on track A $3 million project for Majuro could get underway later this year if it gets the okay from the Japanese government’s Cabinet, according to the RMI’s fisheries’ chief. “The fish market for the Uliga Dock area is on track,” Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority Director Glen Joseph told the Journal Friday. Jack, Maria, Saeko, David reappointed to MISSA The Cabinet has reappointed three members of the Marshall Islands Social Security Administration board of directors who played a key role in fixing the retirement fund nine years ago. Reappointed by the Cabinet are board Chairman Jack Niedenthal, and members Maria Fowler and Saeko Shoniber — all of whom have been on the board since 2000. Also reappointed was the more recently named member David Paul. New members appointed this week by Cabinet are Finance Assistant Secretary Jemi Nashon, Customary Law Commission official Luckner Abner and Ebeye representative Fredly Mawilong. |
The Ebon Atoll Local Government is moving to sue the RMI national government in a dispute over solar installation for homes on the southern atoll. Ebon Senator John Silk believes that Ebon residents are being penalized because the national government is “playing politics” with solar equipment that was supposed to be delivered and installed on Ebon. But national government officials say that the Cabinet changed the priority list for outer island installation, and the Ministry of Resources and Development and the Marshalls Energy Company are simply carrying out that decision. Officials also indicated that since solar equipment started being installed in the outer
But Silk said the RMI is in breach of contract with Ebon because it offered to install another 90 units to complete an earlier partially completed installation project if Ebon paid the $100 installation fee per unit, Ebon Atoll Local Government made the $9,000 payment in June last year, and MEC accepted the money. “We have the statutory authority to sue, and we have a valid cause of action,” Silk said in remarks prepared for the Nitijela but not delivered after the session went into a short recess last week.
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Health conditions in the RMI and other US-affiliated islands will never improve without a well-trained workforce in place — and one important program of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) is taking steps to do just that. Speaking bluntly about the shortage of health professionals and the lack of accredited training opportunities for current health workers in US-affiliated Pacific islands, Dr. Gregory Dever said Monday in Majuro that partnerships between health departments and community colleges in the region are leading to the first two-year degree courses in public health and expanding efforts to prepare high school students for health careers. "On-the-job training has served okay over the years, but our health care colleagues need to provide tracks for workers other than on-the-job training by people who were themselves trained on the job,” Dever said. He made the point that although health workers attend numerous workshops and in-service trainings, these are not accredited and the workers do not receive pay increases for such upgrades. “Our health workforce is not doing a bad job, but they deserve more and our patients deserve more,” said Dever. It is time to move from the old on-the-job training model to a “new paradigm to serve our workforce and the patients,” said Dever, who is the Director of Clinical Services at Palau Hospital and was the director of the Pohnpei-based Pacific Medical Officers Training Program that trained more than 100 doctors working in the RMI, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. Dr. Mark Durand, who recently conducted a “human resources for health"
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He made the point that although health workers attend numerous workshops and in-service trainings, these are not accredited and the workers do not receive pay increases for such upgrades.
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Be wise – advertise.
P1 Majuro Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Kramer in criticism leveled at both the administration and Pacific Micronesia Line (PML) took exception this week to statements by the High Commissioner printed in
P3 The boat just took off by itself out the pass with nobody on board. Sounds hard to believe, but this is exactly what Godfrey John says happened to the boat he and three other guys from Majuro were using for trapping turtles down by Calalan pass. According to Godfrey, he, Vincent Reimers and DUD policeman Pusko were in the water going after turtles while their friend Elmon was taking care of the boat. The three divers went down to work on their catch and when they came up they saw Elmon in the water waiting for them with no boat. Apparently a rough wave took Elmon by surprise and flung him overboard. That in itself would have been a manageable situation except for the fact that in being washed over Elmon accidently brushed against the motor’s throttle control and the boat took off. The boat then proceeded to cross the atoll, exit through the pass, and eventually wash up on the oceanside beach at Rong Rong Island. The engine was recovered and is in good shape, but the boat is a write-off. Fortunately for the young hardy turtle snatchers they were able to swim to shore and hail a taxi to town.
P3 A bash of sizeable proportions was thrown by Acme Importers of Majuro to celebrate the successful delivery of the company’s new LCU No. 59. The affair was held at the Reef bar with the LCU pulled up on the beach for all to inspect. According to Acme spokesman Jerry Kramer, Acme picked up the partially submerged boat for just over $8,000. He estimates that overhaul and labor invested in the boat since the company assumed ownership comes to approximately $30,000.
P1 District Administrator Dwight Heine, his wife Morgeana and Mrs. Amata Kabua left Majuro this week beginning a 20,000 mile round trip to the island of Nauru to observe that country’s independence day, January 31. Nauru lies 500 miles southwest of Majuro. (They flew Majuro-Guam, where Senator Kabua joined them from Saipan, Manila-Brisbane-Nauru-and-back).
P2 Official census figures for the district released recently show the Marshalls as the second most populous district with 18,578 people not counting Kili and Wotho. The district breakdown: DUD 4,081, Ebeye 3,540, Laura 743, Ailinglaplap 1,195, Arno 1,278, Jaluit 1,113, Ailuk 384, Aur 361, Ebon 836, Lae 131, Lib 142, Likiep 430, Maloelap 494, Mejit 320, Mili 582, Namorik 547, Namu 597, Rongelap 189, Ujae 191, Ujelang 251, Uterik 260 and Wotje 396.
P4 Apologies — Today’s issue of the Journal was late and incomplete because the Editor was ill and unable to work. The complete Journal with Marshallese sections will be distributed tomorrow.
P1 South Pacific Island Airways Manager Roland Jorkan said this week he received a telex from SPIA headquarters confirming the resumption of the airline’s Majuro service on February 7. SPIA has been grounded for more than seven months because the Federation Aviation Administration refused to waive noise control requirements.
P3 The 2,000 clams imported to the Marshalls from Palau under the auspices of the Marshalls Community Action Agency are surviving and growing rapidly, according to MCAA Marine Resources Specialist Nena Kilma.
P16 The great canoe race was on Saturday, but only two canoes showed up for the contest won by Alfred Ned and Alyesus deBrum when Milk Ukukot and Thoromman Thoromman’s canoe sank near the finish line. Youth Services expects to receive three Hawaiian-style eight-man canoes next month, and is planning races for March and May.
