P1 Theft denied: Commercial Bank closes to wait for cash transfer
The Marshall Islands First Commercial Bank has temporarily closed its doors due to a run on the bank caused by rumors of theft of the bank’s funds, Jeffery Yieh told the Journal August 17. “The bank just stopped opening to the public but has not been closed down, he said. “We are waiting transfer of our funds from Honolulu within a day or two.” Yieh denied rumors that bank President Clarence Tan had taken any money, but Yieh did disclose that the bank’s board of directors meeting in Taipei had signed agreement with Tan in which Tan gave up all his rights and shares in the bank. Yieh said that when the rumor spread that one official (Tan) had split with $400,000 cash, people panicked and started withdrawing their money.
P1 Alele folk-arts festival starts Friday
Starting Friday, the Alele Museum will be having a folk-arts festival. The festival will feature traditional dancing and folk singing groups.
Journal 8/16/1991
P1 Chinese Foreign Vice-Minister visits Majuro
The highest-ranking official to date to visit the Marshall Islands from the People’s Republic of China was in Majuro last week and spoke before the Nitijela. Foreign Vice Minister Liu Huaqiu told the gathered Nitijela that he expects his country will support the Marshall Islands application for United Nations membership. In related news, the formal application for RMI membership in the United Nations was received July 29 at UN headquarters in New York. The presentation of the application was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Kijiner.
P1 Fishing base exports begin surge
The largest-to-date shipment of airfreighted tuna, which was carried from Majuro on last Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Air Marshall Islands flight to Honolulu, has been confirmed. Operations manager Daniel Banning said approximately 30,000 pounds of fish were exported, some of which was intended to be sold on the Hawaii market and some of which was to be further transported to Japan.
P8 Nitijela approves changes to citizenship bill
The Nitijela August 9 passed by a margin of 23-4 amendments to Public Law 217 relative to requirements for the qualification of non-citizens to attain citizenship here. Under the newly amended requirements, non-citizens will be required to pay a fee of $100,000. Additionally, the required amount for investment in the Republic was reduced from $2 million to $1 million.
Journal 8/19/2011
P4 ‘Gift’ takes first place
A Marshall Islands film premiered at the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival in Vancouver, Washington, Friday and on Sunday was voted the festival’s “Best International Feature Film.” The film, Laninbwil’s Gift, is a 99-minute story of how a “mejenkwar” (demon) possesses a pregnant woman to terrorize her archenemy Lijimu in a classic battle of good versus evil. It is the third in a series of films produced since 2009 by Jack Niedenthal and Suzanne Chutaro.