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FRIDAY, November 27, 2009
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This Week's
Inside Stories
AMI asks BOMI for bail out
Broke, in debt, and with two of three available planes grounded, Air Marshall Islands is seeking a large loan from Bank of Marshall Islands to help it pay off vendors in Taiwan and the United States to get two planes back into service. AMI General Manager Bill Capelle said a loan from the bank is essential for the airline to get its Dornier back from major overhaul in Taiwan and to get an engine returned from California for its leased Dornier. The government airline is asking BOMI for a $750,000 loan a few months after receiving a $500,000 loan from the bank. In addition, the Marshall Islands Social Security Administration hit AMI with a lawsuit earlier this month seeking $800,000. Capelle told the Journal that the latest word from Air Asia in Taiwan is that AMI's Dornier will likely not be ready until early 2010. The plane is going through a major overhaul, which is expected to cost AMI about $1 million when done, he said.
NTA is
making history
The laying of a new submarine fiber optic cable from the Marshall Islands to Guam starts next month, and by next April will give the RMI 21st century communication technology.
“Everything we do from here on is history in the making,” said National Telecommunications Authority General Manager Tony Muller, who late last month signed an agreement with Tata Communications of India to access its facilities in Guam for placement and maintenance of the cable and associated equipment.
Imata gets more time for case
Former President Imata Kabua’s lawsuit against the RMI government has been delayed to allow his attorney David Lowe extra time to file an amended complaint. In an agreement between Lowe and RMI Attorney General Frederick Canavor, Jr., Kabua now has until December 15 to file an amended complaint. The RMI has until January 29, 2010 to file a response whether or not Lowe files an amended complaint.
His suit, filed in October, is seeking a preliminary injunction against the RMI government to stop it from taking Kabua’s lands at Kwajalein until a valid lease is in place and the RMI government has complied with the Constitution.
Praise for
Irene, hospital
There is one thing that both Kwajalein Senator Tony deBrum and US Ambassador Martha Campbell agree on: Ebeye Hospital appears to be in great shape. “I was really impressed with Ebeye Hospital,” Campbell told the Journal. “It is clean and orderly.” DeBrum praised Health Assistant Secretary Irene Paul for excellent work, and commented positively on the hospital’s well-run operation.
Photo: Giff Johnson
Marine cops (right to left): RMI’s Austin Jurelang, PNG’s Samson Sandrel, Palau’s Victor Remengesau, FFA’s Martin Campbell and Australian Navy’s Mitch Edwards.
Cops keep Bigeye
on fish boats
By GIFF JOHNSON
Hunkered down at Sea Patrol, a fisheries monitoring crew from around the Pacific has been watching 900 fishing vessels and directing boardings of boats suspected of illegal fishing activity. Through Wednesday, island police from RMI, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Papua New Guinea had boarded 30 vessels but none of these boardings had led to busts, according to officials at the Majuro command center for “Operation Bigeye,” an annual multinational effort to enforce fishing rules in the region. “From the Forum Fisheries Agency’s viewpoint, the results so far are good,” said Martin Campbell, who heads a new fisheries surveillance center at FFA headquarters in Honiara, Solomon Islands and has been here for Operation Bigeye. “It means the deterrent factor and the ramping up of major operations (like Bigeye) are clearly working. The message is getting out: it’s
not worth it to fish illegally.” Bigeye is using a combination of air support from the US Coast Guard, vessel monitoring system (VMS) reporting from each fishing boat, a fleet of patrol boats from each of the five cooperating island nations, and Google Earth computer software to track about 75 percent of the 1,200 licensed vessels currently in the Pacific. Australian navy advisor to RMI Cdr. Mitch Edwards said this annual surveillance is a huge effort bringing together the resources of the islands with Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The US Coast Guard has been providing aerial surveillance with a C130 aircraft. Normally, both the NZ and Australian air forces also provide aircraft, but did not have planes available for this period, Edwards said. Australia is also providing significant amounts of funding to keep about eight patrol boats out on surveillance. “We look at the information from the VMS and produce a picture across the operations area (from Marshall Islands to Papua New Guinea),” Edwards said. “We identify potential vessels that may not be compliant with licenses, or their location in a particular exclusive economic zone (EEZ).” Vessels are marked with colors indicating their status, from green for good to red for potential problems. Country fisheries headquarters are advised by the Bigeye headquarters in Majuro of possible offenders, and more information is requested from the individual country as to the registration and licensing of the vessel in question. “If the boat is licensed, then it’s okay,” Edwards said. “If it’s not, then we target it for further investigation by a patrol boat or aircraft that’s in the vicinity.” It’s a daunting job even with this level of coordination, as they are attempting to cover an area of about two million square miles of ocean.
Ading: RMI's future at stake
By GIFF JOHNSON
“Difficult, but can be done.” That sums up Minister of Finance Jack Ading’s (pictured) response to the Comprehensive Adjustment Program (CAP) Advisory Committee’s report to President Zedkaia and Cabinet on Monday this week that recommends ways the RMI government can cut spending by $4 to $10 million a year. “If we don’t start now and put more money into the trust fund, who suffers?” Ading asked. “Our children and grandchildren. We have to think about future generations.” The CAP report, commissioned by Cabinet, identified 13 areas where spending can be reduced by government. These areas range from the $34 million price tag of the public service, and housing and electricity allowances for VIPs to vehicle purchases and subsidies to government agencies. “The report is great,” Ading said. “The next step is for Cabinet to consider seriously if it is ready to implement the recommendations.” He acknowledged the challenge of implementing some of the recommended cutbacks. “Some of the recommendations are not easy,” he said. These include “entitlements” such as Nitijela sitting fees that provide $5,000 annually to each member of Nitijela. The recommendations to cut housing and power allowances for high-ranking government officials “may be easier and can be implemented as soon as possible,” Ading said. Prominent in the report are a series of options regarding the government’s large salary bill. It suggests eliminating up to 70 vacant positions, a limited reduction in force from 50 up to 400 workers, reducing the number of hours worked, and reducing the pay scale of government workers from one-to-five percent. He acknowledged the difficulty of these public service pay cut recommendations, but added “if it’s got to be done, it’s got to be done.
“I’m willing to sacrifice my benefits for the benefit of the Marshall Islands.”
Now that the Cabinet has been briefed, it needs to meet to consider the recommendations and next steps, Ading said.
Jack Tarantino Niedenthal’s second movie offering, ‘Yokwe Bartowe,’ is ready to hit the edit room so stay tuned Majuro for your next viewing pleasure. Above, Jack captures the final battle between Lijimu (Netha Gideon) and the evil Madam Kwolej (Nica Wase).
An outer island environment lets people relax, pick up an ukulele or two, and enjoy life just a little more. Over at Arno earlier this month strumming a few tunes were, from left: Carmen Willis, Neal Skinner and Alice Reimers. Photo: Karen Earnshaw.

Journal 11/28/1970

Journal 11/30/1984
P1 Efforts by the Trust Territory government to improve living conditions on Kili Island, the present home of the displaced Bikini people, are beginning to materialize. Early next week, the first shipment of materials, part of $95,000 allocated by the government earlier this year to improve homes and other facilities of the Bikini exiles, will depart Majuro for Kili, according to Community Development Advisor Jack A. Tobin.
P3 A special session of the Marshall Islands Nitijela is scheduled to convene Monday for the purpose of reviewing and making recommendations for the forthcoming budget. This special session will represent the first time district legislatures have been called upon to review and set their own directions.
P1 The long-anticipated opening of the new Gibson’s shopping center in Delap is scheduled to occur tomorrow at 9:30am. It signals the beginning of a new phase of development in the Marshall Islands, a switch over from the long established practice of “selling” to the highly more sophisticated game of “merchandising.”The effect of the new entry into the Marshalls business scene has already been felt across the board, from the biggy Robert Reimers Enterprises which went out and hired itself a professional design firm to renovate its former benchmark supermarket, to Momotaro’s which blazons weekend
specials on signs facing the main road.
P1 MIHS Honor Roll, Freshmen: Magdalena Allen, Anita Almet, Patrick Amos, Diane Bonju, Ponciana Braind, Esther Chong Gum, Rotha Elaisha, Jennifer Fowler, Wanda Graham, Carolina Henry, Kathleen Jonathan, Mariana Katlong, Joselynn Lenja, Binni Malolo and Lilly Zackios.
P7 The bad guys make out better than the good guys if a recent request of the Public Defender’s office is accepted and scoff-laws are rewarded for their non-compliance with the law. Chief Public Defender Phil Okney wants to have 37 traffic cases, 12 criminal caes and four juvenile cases dismissed because they are too old. High Court Chief Justice John Lanham held a hearing on this request. During the hearing it was disclosed that 1,079 cases have not been acted on in the period 1979 through 1983. Both the Assistant AG Greg Danz and the Public Defender requested that the old cases be dismissed, but Judge Lanham was reluctant to agree because he feels it is not fair to the law-abiding citizens who accepted their citations and paid their fines. He said the good citizens now had records but the no shows would get off scot-free. It was finally agreed to dismiss all cases prior to certification of the RepMar court system so all cases prior to March 3, 1982 are dismissed.
P8 A big shipment of marijuana was sent from Koror, Palau to a box number in Majuro. Customs officials confiscated the illegal weed. There were 157 joints in the package that will be held as evidence if anyone is arrested.
P12 The third Marshall Islands Fashion Show was held at the Lanai last Friday. The show was sponsored and presented by Pat Muno and the 7 Degrees North Boutique. Pat showed how accessories can change the look of one or two basic dress combinations.
P6 The Majuro Chamber of Commerce and other groups have often mentioned the need for a clean up campaign here but nothing has ever been done about it. There are few places on this island where you cannot see abandoned vehicles, construction equipment, and scores of rusting tin cans and aluminum cans and bottles that will never rust. Robert Louis Stevenson called Majuro “the pearl of the Pacific.” With enough effort it could still be worthy of that title. Until then, we should all wonder what Stevenson would call Majuro today.
P12 Population of Majuro (DUD area) 7,165; Ebeye 4,264.

Journal 11/22/1992
P1 A total of $101 million has been paid to Marshall Islanders directly or though health-related programs during the first six years of the Compact of Free Association, said the manager of the Marshall’s nuclear trust fund Dan Roland. “The amount of money that’s been paid out is staggering,” he said.
P10 The new National Board of Education held its inaugural meeting last Friday in Majuro. The board, established by a Nitijela law last year, is chaired by Secretary Hilda Heine-Jetnil. Other members on the board are Rev. Enja Enos representing private schools, Secretary of Health Donald Capelle, parent representative Orlando deBrum, CMI President Sr. Dorothy Nook, and public school representative Hiram Malolo.
P15 The music group Kitwon Lometo (“Sea Breeze”) is aptly named for their debut album, released earlier this month, brings us 10 original compositions that, like the ocean wind, are easy on the mind. Recorded and produced
in Majuro, Awa Zero is the group’s first venture into the increasingly competitive music scene. Nica Wase, Ann Sawej and Lynda Momotaro are Kitwon Lometo and their fine vocals are backed up by a solid band of Juri, Mac and Duffy, with Paul and Nikki providing backup vocals.
P20 An American company is proposing to build a hazardous waste plant on Likiep Atoll that is similar to plans that were rejected in California and Hawaii, according to a report issued by the environmental group Greenpeace last week. The report said Consolidated Environmental Inc., of Hawaii, is the broker for both the petroleum contaminated soil that is now heading for Kwajalein to be used as landfill for the Ebeye-Gugeegue causeway and for a planned $11 million waste treatment facility on Likiep. The company calls the Likiep facility a “resource recovery system” that would turn waste products into “carbon black” for paving roads, and says it has an agreement with the Kwajalein Atoll Development Authority to provide this carbon black for the causeway project.