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FRIDAY, November 20, 2009
Gerard Bugngim, 19, was in a critical condition when he was transported on a stretcher to Majuro Hospital Tuesday night. Left: Metatus Tikell, 17, recovers in the hospital. Pictured below: The Women’s Athletic Club jumped into high gear Wednesday afternoon delivering gift bags full of toiletries for the Papua New Guinea survivors who were lost at sea for over two months and brought into Majuro for recovery Tuesday night. From left: 17-year-old survivor Gerard Nakot, Regina Niedenthal, 19-year-old survivor Alfred Sneil, Emma Gulibert, Rosania Bennett, Miriam Domnick and Roseann Muller.
Photos: Douglas Henry and Suzanne Chutaro.
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This Week's
Inside Stories
17 escape
from jail
A big jail break last week prompted the National Police to issue a call to the public, with mug shots attached, for help tracking down the 12 prisoners (see jump page). Soon after the 12 had broken out, another five are reported to have broken out at the weekend from Majuro jail. Police Commissioner George Lanwi told the Journal Wednesday that about five of the escapees were believed to still be at large, and the police are attempting to find them.
Search for new fund custodian
The RMI government is seeking bids for a “custodian” for its trust fund, which could result in the replacement of current custodian First Hawaiian Bank of Honolulu. A “request for proposals” (RFP) is being launched by the government to get bids from US banks and financial management firms for the custodian position.
Jaluit
runway closed
Jaluit’s airport has been closed indefinitely following a flat tire when the Dash-8 landed there last Friday. The flight had to wait for a boat to deliver a spare tire to the southern island before it could return to Majuro.
Teenage
births down
The number of teenagers having babies at Majuro Hospital in 2008 was the lowest in eight years, according to a new report on teen pregnancy. Both the actual number of births to teenage mothers — 155 — and the percentage of total births at Majuro Hospital — 15.1 percent — were a drop from the norm this decade. The Marshall Islands has had the highest rate of babies born to teenagers of any island in the Pacific during the decade.
Five survive a 2-month drift
By DOUGLAS HENRY and GIFF JOHNSON
Five Papua New Guinea islanders arrived in Majuro Tuesday night after surviving two months drifting on the ocean and were immediately taken to the emergency room at Majuro Hospital for treatment. Four of the five were carried off the fishing vessel “Ocean Encounter” on stretchers. “They were really weak,” said shipping agent Morton Enos. Three of the original eight drifters died before making it to Majuro. Clement Singazoa died shortly after being rescued Sunday by the US-flagged purse seiner, while Samuel Savor died just hours before the “Ocean Encounter” arrived in Majuro Tuesday. Seventeen year old Michael
The Women’s Athletic Club jumped into high gear Wednesday afternoon delivering gift bags full of toiletries for the Papua New Guinea survivors who were lost at sea for over two months and brought into Majuro for recovery Tuesday night. From left: 17-year-old survivor Gerard Nakot, Regina Niedenthal, 19-year-old survivor Alfred Sneil, Emma Gulibert, Rosania Bennett, Miriam Domnick and Roseann Muller.
Kolvir was lost at sea last Friday and is presumed dead. “He was trying to dry his clothes off the side of the boat during high winds Friday,” said Alex Kainank, a fisherman from PNG aboard the “Ocean Encounter” who spoke at length to the survivors. “When his clothes blew off the boat, he dived into the water to get them. But he had no strength to swim back and the men on the boat were too weak to help him.” The remains of the two men who died on the fishing vessel have been transferred to the Majuro Hospital morgue, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now engaged in making arrangements with government officials in PNG for the return home of the bodies, as well as the five survivors when they are well enough to travel, according to Enos.
IMF on Marshall Islands money
The Marshall Islands urgently needs to reverse years of deficit spending to head off a major financial crash when Compact grant funding ends in 14 years. The RMI needs to be putting $9 million a year more into its trust fund to prevent an “economic crisis” when the Compact ends, said Stephan Danninger, Deputy Division Chief for the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, on Wednesday. This is the message that the International Monetary Fund, after meeting with government and business leaders, presented to President Jurelang Zedkaia (pictured) and his Cabinet Friday, and to other officials on Wednesday this week. The IMF team, that conducts regular economic assessments for its member countries, recommended that the government find ways to save $2 million this fiscal year, $4 million next year and so on until it meets the $9 million annual target — and invest this money every year into the trust fund through 2023. The Marshall Islands is facing a $16 million shortfall every year once Compact grant funding ends in 2023, said Danninger. If the RMI starts immediately adding extra money to the trust fund it can solve the problem. He said some have responded that “only bad options are available (for reducing spending to save this level of money). But the options are worse if you wait.” The timing of the IMF report coincides with the Comprehensive Adjustment Program report to Cabinet on
Thursday this week that is recommending numerous cut backs by government to save money. This report will be followed shortly by a plan to overhaul taxes in the RMI to improve revenue collection. Danninger said these two locally produced reports are “great.” “The economy is running on a one cylinder engine (Compact grants) and the cylinder is getting weaker each year,” he said. “The economy needs a second cylinder.” Key points made by Danninger include:
• The government owned Marshall Islands Resort should be sold
• Air Marshall Islands needs to be sold or downsized to a bare minimum
• Tobolar Copra Processing Authority needs to have its manager put out for public bid
• Marshall Islands Development Bank needs to be regulated and should come under the Banking Commission like other banks on island
• The government needs to stop the drain on government resources by eliminating or reducing subsidies (for the past five years, subsidies to MEC, AMI, Tobolar and others have cost government $27 million).
Alvin wants to do business
“The political strength of the country is based on its economic strength,” Speaker Alvin Jacklick told the Journal earlier this month. “Without private sector strength, the government will generate very minimal revenue.” In comments about his intension to engage with the private sector, Jacklick said business people have the knowledge about developing the economy, not the government.
Ri-kalbuij ro im rejako ilo jikin kalbuij eo elap ad ilo Majol in im jabdewot eo im ewor an jela ak melele kin ri-kalbuij rein ba kake ijin, jouj im call e National Police ilo 625-3233 ak 625-8666 ak ilo 911 ak call e lok Local Police ilo 625-8999. Am Karejar ilo wewein in enaj juon jiban eo im enaj komman bwe jukjuk in bed ko ad woj en aenemon im jokane.

Journal 11/21/1971

Journal 11/23/1984
P1 Lagoon Aviation Air Taxi Service completed and passed a courtesy Federal Aviation Administration inspection this week. According to Hawaii-based FAA Flights Standards Inspector Don Frost, Lagoon’s plane appeared to be in excellent shape.
P1 The crux of the development problem for Micronesia according to Congress of Micronesia Representative Sasauo Haruo is that the Trust Territory government is emphasizing tourism while the growing concern among Micronesians themselves is for emphasis on agriculture and fisheries. “There appears to be a policy of complete dependence on tourism being advanced by the government, while we on our present investigations have uncovered a very big need for development in fisheries and agriculture,” he said.
P1 The flags of the Marshall Islands were ordered flown at half-mast this past week to honor the passing of its senior statesman — Dwight Heine. In the period roughly since the end of World War II there is perhaps no peer of his who ranges as far, initiated as much, or was responsible for the emergence of the present Marshall Islands reputation as was Dwight Heine. He was a father, a mentor, a fighter, a conciliator. He had a magical way of explaining things Marshallese to the uninitiated. He charmed because he was charming, and he frightened because he was frightening. He was good company, and more
often than not, was caught wearing a smile. He was also the greatest source of anecdote the islands have yet produced. His legacy is thoroughly enriching. His mark on the islands is indelible and large. Yokwe Dwight!
P1 Crack down on drunk driving, train the policemen here in basic law enforcement procedures and create a Marshallese Chief of Police — these are the main goals which new RepMar Chief of Police Robert Canfield has set. He also said he will be working with Bill Graham in Education to set up safety patrols by school.
P10 A minor back injury of sorts was suffered this date by new hospital project manager T. Nagel. The project man is reported doing well and no complications are expected due to what was originally reported as a small fall off a hotel construction site. The Journal, however, suspecting the hotel fall story was a cover up, discovered a pair of broken glasses, identified as being owned by the injured, shattered in the tread of a motorcycle down at Laura beach. Why Nagel is trying to hide the fact that he was on a motorcycle at age 42 is understood.
P13 The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into a complaint by a large US brokerage firm which received a worthless check for nearly $500,000 drawn on an offshore bank located in the Marshalls. At least two employees of Merrill Lynch have been fired for not performing their jobs up to standards, according to the November 7 edition of the Washington Post, and the FBI claims it has suspects in the fraud and should be filing charges in the future.
P14 Do you know what the definition of a fisherman is? A jerk on one end of the line waiting for a jerk on the other.
P14 Last weekend Julius Capelle hauled in a 600 pound black marlin. It took nearly four hours for Capelle and his crew to land the huge fish.
P3 Dr. Richard T. Porter of Samoa has reported for duty at Armer Ishoda Memorial Hospital. Dr. Porter, a Samoan, is the first Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat specialist to work in the Marshalls. According to District Director of Public Health John Iaman, Dr. Porter will be going to Ebeye December 11 to work on some special cases there and will then be available for some work on the outer islands.
P7 It seems like money is the thing nowadays and almost everybody needs to have a job to earn money in order to keep up with our rapidly changing society. It was not too long ago that we never paid taxes or rent for our houses and now we are. The question is how do we get more money into Micronesia? My suggestion is that we declare war on the United States, and after losing the war we can apply for foreign aid. This, I think, is probably the best and fastest way of getting more money into Micronesia! —J. Riklon, Riverside, CA.

Journal 11/20/1992
P1 A ship carrying about 6,000 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil left Hawaii Tuesday for the Marshall Islands. The shipment is the first of two planned that will deliver about 15,000 cubic yards of the soil to Kwajalein, where it is to be used as landfill material to construct the Gugeegue to South Loi causeway. The “Pacific Trader” left following a flurry of protests, about a dozen arrests of Greenpeace and others attempting to stop the shipment, and extensive coverage in the Hawaii press. Unocal spokesman Barry Lane said the soil had been contaminated by oil, grease and gasoline that leaked out of underground storage tanks. He emphasized, however, that the plan to ship the soil to the Marshall Islands does not violate any state or federal environmental protection laws. The Kwajalein Atoll Development Authority negotiated the landfill deal with LA-based Unocal, and has received RMI EPA approval.
P6 Typhoon Gay bashed the northern Marshall Islands this week, ripping off roofs and thrashing coconut trees with sustained 90-knot winds. Early reports from the outer islands Wednesday morning indicated Mejit and Ailuk had so far felt the brunt of the storm. Majuro weather station chief Paul Peter said he had a call from Mejit and residents are reporting that only four houses on the small island are still standing.
P23 Jaluit High School 12th grade honor roll: Agnes Smith, Mojilong Abon, Dick Komen, Florinda Paul, Marton Baso, Lisa Enne and Janet Nemra.