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FRIDAY, July 17, 2009
This Week's
Inside Stories
H1N1 cases confirmed
The Marshall Islands has its first confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases, joining the growing ranks of Pacific islands affected by swine flu. President Litokwa Tomeing and the Ministry of Health announced Monday night that four Marshall Islanders have the A/H1N1 virus. President Tomeing downplayed the severity of swine flu, saying “it is not a serious infection.” He called on people to comply with Ministry of Health prevention measures “to prevent the further spread of this disease.”
No action on UES building
A verbal commitment to see the Majuro Bowling Alley location converted into a school for Uliga Elementary School students by August of this year has fallen victim to the status of “no progress.”
Navy award
Chief Petty Officer David Humphries, the Royal Australian Navy’s Technical Advisor at Sea Patrol was awarded his Technical Sailor’s Charge Badge by Australian Ambassador Sue Cox at Marshall Island Resort on Friday. According to Commander Mitch Edwards: “The badge recognises David’s achievement as a Senior Technical Sailor who is qualified to act as the Engineering Officer in certain ships of the Royal Australian Navy. Very few sailors achieve this distinction.”
Taking control of Pacific tuna
A first-of-its-kind regional symposium promoting awareness and discussions on commercial tuna fishing activities in the Pacific will be held on 23 July in Majuro. “The Future of our Fisheries” symposium will bring together government authorities and experts to provide important information on major changes that are taking place in the Pacific tuna fishing industry, said Glen Joseph, Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority.
Focus on health
A push to make Marshallese healthier will be the focus of a joint Ministry of Health (MOH) and World Health Organization (WHO) workshop at the International Conference Center next week. The week-long workshop, which is scheduled to begin on Monday July 20 is expected to bring together nearly 50 participants from various ministries and community groups involved in delivering physical education or activities.
Beautify the islands... Keep trash off the streets & beaches.
RMI reform
Manny's tips for Litokwa
By GIFF JOHNSON
FSM President Emanuel ‘Manny’ Mori has at least four recommendations for island governments, including the RMI, that are trying to solve financial problems and deal with huge government payrolls. Mori’s home state of Chuuk has been attempting to work its way out of a more than $40 million deficit over the past two years, and Kosrae is also trying reforms to deal with its lack of funding to meet payroll and services.In comments to the Journal, Mori listed his top suggestions based on experience in Chuuk and Kosrae:
• “We must live within our means,” he said. “We cannot run government deficits.”
• The islands need to encourage more people to stay in the subsistence system by fishing and farming to improve health and food security. This underlines why conservation of land and ocean resources is so important for the islands, Mori said.
• Key to addressing an over-staffed government is getting people to shift into private sector jobs. “My warning to Marshall Islands officials is do not reduce the public sector without growing the private sector,” he said. About 400 government workers in Chuuk and 100 in Kosrae were let go as part of reforms. Many simply left to Guam or the United States. This has caused many problems for the FSM social security and health
funds, as well as national and state tax revenue streams, because so much revenue was cut off overnight, he said.
• By teaming up as a region, US-affiliated islands can get more attention and action from Washington. Mori said he sees cooperation among the three freely associated states as well as Guam and the Northern Marianas, in dealing with Washington as key to engaging Washington. During this week’s summit, Mori said he will be asking the Presidents to go to Washington as a group later this year to meet top Obama administration officials. “We can go as a group and impress upon the new administration that we in the Pacific have unique needs and we’d like to engage (with Washington),” he said. “It will be most effective if we all go.”
Mori sees numerous possibilities with US relations since President Obama took over. “The attitude of US officials we’ve met so far has been very positive,” he said. “We still don’t know all the players, but the lower level staff are very positive about helping us.”
The US government is now getting on board on climate change — “a big change” for the US, he said. “The whole world welcomes Obama turning from no position to ‘we’re with you.’ I’m very positive the Obama administration will help our islands.”
Summit focus: Climate challenge
Worry about climate change and rising sea levels dominated the opening of the 11th Micronesian Chief Executives Summit on Tuesday in Majuro. “We will all be drowning in our own backyards if leaders of developed nations do not take swift action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Federated States of Micronesia President Emanuel Mori told the opening of the Summit. His concern was echoed by President Litokwa Tomeing, Palau President Johnson Toribiong and Northern Marianas Governor Benigno Fitial in their opening remarks. “The only way to survive this modern holocaust,” Mori said, is to come up with funding “for creative adaptation measures.” The only discordant view at Tuesday’s opening came from President Toribiong, who is attending his first summit as President since being inaugurated in January. He questioned the “Micronesia Challenge” — a major conservation program that has been adopted and is being pushed by the governments of RMI, FSM, Palau, Guam and Northern Marianas as well as many non-government groups in the islands. Noting that the Micronesia Challenge was introduced by previous Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr., Toribiong said while “I support the concept, we need to look at it if it needs improvements in structure.” He noted his concern that the program activity not be “misdirected.” But Mori gave a big thumbs up to the Micronesia Challenge, urging summit leaders to focus on two points: implementing the Micronesia Challenge and creating the Micronesia Center for a Sustainable Future. “How do we explain to the world (that we need action) if we don’t protect our oceans and lands (through the Micronesia Challenge),” he asked. Mori said the Center, which had been approved in concept by the leaders earlier, can serve as a central point for finding long-term funding sources to support a response to climate change problems in this region. President Tomeing strongly urged the leaders to forge a “Micronesia solidarity” to face challenges as a strong group. Fitial backed this, saying that all US-affiliated islands shared many of the same issues. While the Northern Marianas is a US commonwealth, “we’ve emphasized strong regional cooperation,” Fitial said Tuesday. He joined with the three presidents in underlining that climate change and sea level rise is central to any talk about the future. “I was at the Western Governors Conference last month in Utah,” he said. “The only issue on the agenda was climate change and the environment. This is a very serious issue. We cannot just address it with rhetoric. We have to provide solutions.” The Chief Executives Summit was to issue a communiqué Wednesday evening on the many topics considered during the two days of meetings.
Pan Pacific Food, Inc. loining plant in full operation
Pan Pacific Foods Inc. (PPF) is back in action providing hundreds of job for locals and reducing RMI’s unemployed rate as of last week.
Plant Manager Don Xu said the Delap loining plant went into full-scale operations last Wednesday, and he is encouraging more Marshallese to apply for jobs as the plant will continue to expand now that fish production is underway. Among the hundreds of PPF workers who were taking a break during lunch last week, Eugene Koniske, Elaisah Dartius, and Renny Keasa gave the Journal their view of their new work place. According to them, they like working at the factory because of the experiences, having the opportunity to know other people, financially to support families, and the provision of transportation and meals. “It’s better to have a job, than to have none,” says Keasa.

Journal 7/11/1970

Journal 7/8/1974
P1 An investigation of Trust Territory purchasing and sales activities that may include High Commissioner Edward E. Johnston and his deputy Peter T. Coleman, is being conducted by a US Senate panel headed by Senator Henry Jackson, the Daily
P1 Marshall Islands Import Export Company (MIECO) is considering changing its status from a corporation to a cooperative society, according to Atlan Anien, vice president of the MIECO board. Anien confirmed rumors that MIECO was on the brink of making the decision to redesign its present corporate structure in an effort to bring MIECO close to the people on the outer islands. “We hope to loan money from the Copra Stabilization Fund so we can set up facilities on
News learned. Jackson’s permanent subcommittee on investigations has begun a “preliminary investigation” of alleged irregularities in actions by the TT’s Okinawa office and headquarters and district staffers in Micronesia.
P1 A group of Japanese real estate and tourist firms have formed the Micronesia Association. The group will assist its 100 member companies in examining the possibility of investing in Micronesia. The relaxation of TT foreign investment regulations is the primary reason the Micronesia Association was formed.
P1 The 12 men and two canoes that journeyed on the open seas from Satawal in Yap to Saipan last month are on their way back to Satawal. They expect to make the 500 mile trip again at this time next year, to pay tribute to their ancestors who migrated to Saipan and to train future navigators among the young people of Satawal.
the outer islands,” Anien said.
P1 Mr. Bilimon Amram, a local businessman and member of MIECO’s board of directors, expressed disfavor at the idea of MIECO becoming a cooperative organization. “The main thing I see wrong in one company or large cooperative trying to cover the needs of the outer islands is that it will never work. The needs of the outer islands are taken care of now because there are many ships and many small companies,” he said.
P4 The original $300,000 Kili Trust Fund which has been administered by the Trust Territory government has lost nearly $100,000 of its original value, according to Ralph Waltz, a former Peace Corps Volunteer who presently lives on Kili. Waltz said last December Trust Territory Attorney General Donald R. Tindal and Marshalls District Administrator Robert D. Law explained to Waltz they wanted the people of Kili to sign an amendment to the original 1956 agreement which would enable the TT government to invest the trust money in common stocks and bonds and not just government bonds. “The Kilians refused to sign the amendment because they didn’t feel common stocks were safe and because the wording of the amendment reaffirmed the original 1956 agreement. The Kilians do not accept the 1956 agreement as valid,” said Waltz. He said the people on Kili have never officially been informed about the depreciation of their money and that no report was ever made available to them.

Journal 7/10/1992
P1 As of Friday, all satellite telephone circuits to Hawaii and the mainland US were converted to a digital system that will eliminate noise and interference common in the old analog circuits. NTA Acting Manager Tommy deBrum told the Journal that “the calls are cleaner. It’s like talking to somebody next door.”
P3 Excitement was in the air Friday as the Marshalls’ voyaging canoe was launched in a ceremony at the Weather Station. After speeches and christening of the 50-foot outrigger, led by Leroij Atma Zedkaiah, hundreds of people crowded to the shore to watch and cheer as the canoe was pushed into the lagoon for its first test. President Amata Kabua was on hand for the event. The “walap” is the fifth canoe in Alele Museum’s program of documenting and encouraging canoe building.
P11 The chicken population of Majuro will be increased dramatically in the next two weeks as the RMI Poultry Project of Laura takes delivery of 3,000 baby chicks
being flown in from Hawaii. The project currently has 2,500 egg-producing hens capable of laying 50,000 dozen eggs per year.
P15 Mayors of the Marshall Islands voted at the end of their conference last week to establish the first organization of mayors. Majuro Mayor Amatlain Kabua, the only woman among the 24 mayors, was elected president of the new association. Kili/Bikini Mayor Tomaki Juda is vice president, Million Karben of Mili is secretary and Amos Macquin of Namdrik is treasurer.