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FRIDAY, November 6, 2009
Bikini's last hope
One down…
One to go?
The RMI Environmental Protection Authority Wednesday decided that the dangerously listing Angelina was posing an immediate threat to the lagoon.
The Ka We Wa, below, sank at 6am Friday morning, with the bow touching bottom, leaving the stern sticking out of the water for about five hours.
Photos: Karen Earnshaw
This Week's
Inside Stories
Key
Copenhagen talks
President Jurelang Zedkaia will head a delegation to the global meeting on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark in mid-December. Foreign Minister John Silk, who will accompany Zedkaia, said the President has also been invited by the German government to spend two days in Berlin to address climate change policy issues immediately prior to the climate change conference in Copenhagen.
Ka We Wa's
big oil slick
The reason Enewetak/Ujelang Local Government’s motor vessel Ka We Wa sank last Friday is still unknown but it’s sinking prompted a flurry of activity as clean up crews led by the Environmental Protection Authority raced against time to contain an environmentally hazardous situation. Up to 100 gallons of fuel spilled into Majuro’s lagoon and the vessel was continuing to leak fuel as the Journal went to press Wednesday, nearly a week after it sank.
DOI funds study to fix power 'leakage'
MEC lost about $3 million last year through problems in its distribution system and in the two power plants, according to MEC officials. A US Department of Interior-funded assessment of these losses in early December aims to help MEC cut its losses, said General Manager David Paul. DOI is providing $300,000 for a Pacific Power Association program for 10 US-affiliated island utility companies to assess power losses, with Majuro being the kickoff for the study, according to PPA Director Tony Neil.
Banks sending group to RMI
A combined International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank and World Bank team will visit Majuro next week, according to Acting Secretary of Finance Junior Patrick.
The Bikinians filed an appeal with the US Supreme Court last week, asking America’s highest court to reverse the dismissal of its more than $563 million claim for compensation. But even Bikini attorney Jonathan Weisgall (pictured) is pessimistic about the chances of a hearing in the Supreme Court. “Don’t hold out too much hope,” Weisgall warned Bikini leaders in an email over the weekend.
“The Supreme Court only takes about one percent of the appeals it gets.” Weisgall has brought a team of lawyers on board to prepare the appeal and, if the Supreme Court accepts it, argue the case. The US government response is due on November 27, but the US Justice Department is expected to ask for at least one extension, Weisgall said. “Between 1946 and 1958, the United States’ nuclear testing program irradiated and partially vaporized the Bikini Atoll while the atoll was under US trusteeship and its people were US dependents,” the suit said. “In 1986, Congress created a Nuclear Claims Tribunal to adjudicate the Bikinians’ Fifth Amendment Just Compensation Claus claims against the US for the taking of their land, and correspondingly withdrew Tucker Act jurisdiction to adjudicate those claims. After the people of Bikini exhausted the Tribunal process, the Tribunal proved incapable of paying even one percent of the compensation owed.” One of two key questions presented to the Supreme Court by the Bikinians is “whether Congress can legislative or contract itself out of its constitutional obligation to pay citizens and territorial dependents just compensation under the Fifth Amendment,” the suit said. A related question concerns the legality of taking away the application of the Tucker Act for “just compensation” in favor of the Nuclear Claims Tribunal administrative process “after that administrative process failed to provide just compensation and became non-functional.” The Tribunal awarded Bikini $563,315,500 in March 2001, but paid only $2,279,179.40 — less than one percent of the award — for lack of funds. The US tested 23 nuclear weapons at Bikini.
By GIFF JOHNSON
Marshall Islands High School is facing the biggest test of its nearly 50-year existence from Monday to Wednesday next week. That’s when a visiting team from the US Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) will spend three days evaluating MIHS’ bid to become the first public high school in the Marshall Islands to be US accredited. The WASC visit is the culmination of more than three years of work that started when Sr. Dorothy Nook was principal at the school. “The Ministry of Education, parents, teachers, students and the administration have done a lot of work to get things up to standard,” said MIHS Principal Gary Ueno Tuesday. “This has been a learning experience for everyone.” Ueno said the move for US accreditation was an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Sr. Dorothy and “I just carried it on when I became principal.” The WASC team will arrive at the weekend and begin its assessment of MIHS from Monday through Wednesday, and is expected to deliver an exit report on its findings Wednesday afternoon. The visit follows completion by MIHS of a “self-study” that describes the school and how it is meeting or plans to meet the range of academic and learning standards required of an accredited school. The WASC team will compare what they see with the self-study. There are currently only four elementary and high schools in the freely associated states that are WASC-accredited, and only one public school: Assumption Schools and Majuro Cooperative School in the RMI, Xavier High School in Chuuk, and Palau
“The good thing about the accreditation process,” said Ueno, “is it gets you to be consistent to meet the standards and to get the learning process in order.”
High School, the lone public school. Ueno (pictured) said working to meet US accreditation standards has required a lot of changes at the government’s main high school in the RMI. It was founded in 1963. “The good thing about the accreditation process,” said Ueno, “is it gets you to be consistent to meet the standards and to get the learning process in order.”
“This is a very big step for MIHS,” said Assistant Secretary of Education Allison Nashion, who said the goal has been to bring both MIHS and the Ministry into line with accreditation requirements. He noted that Palau High School’s recent achievement of accredited status “gives energy to those involved in the process here.”
Jurelang: Let
us put Marshall Islands first
Immunize our kids
Jackie Kijrik took advantage of the Rita outreach visit by this team of Public Health nurses to get his grandson immunized. The team, which worked near Rita Christian Church, provided flu shots and other vaccines on Monday. Photo: Douglas Henry.
“I
believe and feel
our people are tired
of
waiting
to see results,”
Zedkaia said, “Let’s
put our personal needs aside
and put our country first.”
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By GIFF JOHNSON
Marshall Islands President Jurelang Zedkaia called for Nitijela members to put political divisions behind them and work for the benefit of the country during his inauguration ceremony Monday. “I believe and feel our people are tired of waiting to see results,” Zedkaia said after his swearing in by High Court Chief Justice Carl Ingram. “Let’s put our personal needs aside and put our country first.” The mood at Monday’s 90-minute inauguration, punctuated by choir singing and light-hearted jokes from Jacklick, was a sharp contrast to the harsh debate and finger-pointing in the lead up to the no confidence vote just two weeks ago. “I promise you from this day forth Nitijela (parliament) and Cabinet are married and we will work together,” said new Speaker Alvin Jacklick to underline the close relationship he intends to maintain with the executive branch.
BE AWARE OF GOD

Journal 11/2/1980
P1 Cleverly combining his own power of tradition with the bureaucratic power of the deBrum family, Amata Kabua led his slate of candidates to a smashing landslide victory in Tuesday’s Congress of Micronesia general election. Utterly demolished was Saipan/Headquarters Government opposition slate headed by Senatorial defeatee Carl Heine. Incumbent Congressman Ekpap Silk was the only anti-traditionalist candidate to survive the holocaust. An unusually interesting feature of the election was the smashing victory of Fem Lib over incumbent Congressman John Heine. Ms. Carmen Milne Bigler, the Fem Lib candidate, quickly wrapped up the election with an insurmountable three-to-one Majuro Island lead over her two male opponents. Ms. Bigler, a striking young Education employee in Majuro, ran a razzle-dazzle American-style campaign that was the
P6 A stash of marijuana was discovered in incoming mail by an alert customs agent at the Republic’s main post office this week. According to Revenue agent Misao Capelle, he was doing a routine inspection of a box of goods which arrived on island from a California address when he noticed that the woman who was picking up the package had a funny discoloring in her lower lip. The discoloring, apparently, is something that revenue and customs agents are trained to look for: it could possibly mean that the individual is a perpetrator of marijuana smoking. Misao says the marijuana is now down in the safe at the customs office and he and his group are refusing toturn it over
to the police. “We don’t want to give it to the police because the last time we gave it to them they said they burned it — but they maybe burned it or didn’t. They didn’t have anyone from the customs office witness the burning so now we are holding it ourselves.”
P10 Judges Bollong Joklur and Bwiliej Jibas record the times and keep score at the “anideb” games. Four teams competed in the action held at Rita October 24 (UN Day). Iroij Anjua Loeak’s team won, followed by RRE, the Dukes and Uliga Youth. Mike Senko displayed his falling away kick shot prior to the start of the games.
P11 This is beautiful Laura Beach, ladies and gentlemen, home of the famous disposable diaper (photo shows dozens of used diapers littering the sand). How can we do this to ourselves? Is Majuro becoming one large garbage dump? Have we no pride in our island?
Oct. 24 At 0400 hours, police reported that the AMI office front door was unlocked. After search proved no one inside, the door was secured.
Oct. 27 At 0400 a resident of Mosquito Town informed police that a red pickup full of boys was wild and throwing rocks at houses in Mosquito Town. No one was hurt but several houses were damaged from thrown rocks. At 2310 Ken was booked and locked up for disturbing the peace at the Polio Ward.
talk of the town. In her behalf, hordes of kids canvassed the district in a pre-election Fem Lib voter registration drive that paid big dividends. The voter registration was overwhelmingly female. So were the votes. In her bid to become the first Congresswoman in Micronesian history, Ms. Bigler was strongly endorsed by the Kabua-deBrum coalition. Her highly publicized slogan “Marshalls Mokta” (Marshalls First) eventually became the battle cry of all machine candidates throughout the islands.
The next session of the Congress of Micronesia will be completely different from the one that the High Commissioner’s office has traditionally influenced. This is particularly important to Marshallese Senator Amata Kabua, who will be, perhaps, the only Micronesian leader to return to Saipan with an unmistakably clear mandate from the electorate of his district. As the cry “Marshalls Mokta” moves to Saipan, the eyes of the six districts will dead-center on the heavy Marshallese delegation. It’s going to be a long hot winter!

Journal 11/6/1992
P1 “Water men get serious” If you are not paying your water bill you may have to try living without water. Majuro Water and Sewer Company has begun “a serious disconnect program aimed at people who are 90-
days or more behind in paying their water bills, MWSC manager Bernie Cotter said.
P5 AHS 12th grade honor roll, first honors: Claudia Muller, Iona Bing, Tamar Myazoe; second honors: Damian Milne, Christy Ann deBrum, Kadede Loran.
P6 A major rearrangement of permanent secretaries has been effected by the Public Service Commission. Three incumbent secretaries have moved, a new secretary has been named and one is still being looked for. Health Secretary Hemos Jack has been transferred to the government’s new legal aid office, Donald Capelle has been moved from R&D to replace Jack at Health and Rien Morris, former Secretary of Public Works, has been named to replace Capelle at R&D. Promoted to Secretary of PW is Herbert Shoniber, who has worked for m any years in PSC. Meanwhile, PSC continues to recruit for a new secretary of finance to replace Vincent Muller, who recently took over as commissioner of banking.
Junior basketball league champions Majuro Heat received their trophy at the CMI court Friday from Hackney Wase, director of sports and recreation. Receiving the trophies were Billy Peter, Yoshi Boas and Freddy Chong Gum. In the number two position were Bad Boys, represented by Jason Langidrik who received the trophy from Jeimata Nokko Kabua.