Dive site earns big bucks

Journal 12/11/1981

P1 Bank opens Monday The Marshall Islands First Commecial Bank, Ltd. will open its door Monday December 13, according to Clarence Tan, president. The 11:30am ceremony will be at the bank’s offices below the Hotel Majuro. The whole areas has been drastically cleaned up in the past few weeks.

P3 Enna G brings 79 MV Enna G, the Nauru passenger ship, arrived in Majuro December 8 with 79 passengers on it, mostly American and Canadian retirees. From Majuro, the ship will head to Ponape and other parts of Micronesia before returning to California.

P6 Contracts signed for 748 aircraft Calling it a bold move, President Amata Kabua and Kessai Note December 9 signed papers to purchase a BAC 748 aircraft for Air Marshall Islands. The $10+ million deal includes a new aircraft, spare parts, hanger equipment, training, ferrying and expenses of operating British Aerospace’s demonstrator. The demo plane will arrive in late June 1982 and be used for six months while the new plane is being built.

Journal 12/10/1993

P3 Kabua case dismissed In a landmark judgment, Judge Samuel King ruled in favor of Imata Kabua, dismissing Kabua Kabua’s claim to the iroijlaplap title and the millions of dollars that go with it. Last Wednesday, Judge King issued a 29-page ruling granting summary judgment in favor of defendants Imata, Michael, Amata and the other Kabua family defendants. The 10-year legal battle was ended not on the basis of testimony from Kabua himself or the recently signed and disputed “joint resolution” settlement but because of a 1991 Nitijela law. That law stated that there are four iroijlaplap (paramount chief) domains in the Ralik Chain, including one for the descendants of Iroijlaplap Jeimata and one for the descendants of Iroijlaplap Laelan. The law confirmed the position maintained by the defendants in the case. “Public Law 1991-110 is upheld as a valid declaration of customary law, and Plaintiff’s claims to the Iroijlaplap title over the northern lands in the Ralik Chain, which is currently exercise by Imata Kabua, must fail as a matter of law,” King said in his ruling.

P7 Nauru, RMI pen Gateway accord The Marshalls and Nauru signed a joint venture agreement over the weekend paving the way for completion of the long-stalled Eastern Gateway Hotel in Majuro.

P7 Enewetak nuke waste requires long-term US watching Nuclear waste stored in a dome at Enewetak Atoll will require long-term United States surveillance, according to a recent report from the Senate Committee on Government Affairs. The committee, chaired by Ohio Senator John Glenn, reported that: “Plutonium wastes from the clean up of Enewetak Atoll stored in a concrete dome will require long-term surveillance and possibly another disposal solution.

P9 Baha’is to manage public schools An agreement to operate and maintain five public elementary schools has been signed between MALGov and the Baha’i National Spiritual Assembly of the Marshall Islands. NSA is responsible through its education management team for operating and maintaining the Rita, Uliga, Delap, Rairok and Ajeltake public elementary schools for three years to begin in January.

P16 AMI bats 97% in on-time satisfaction It’s not true that if you’re from the Marshall Islands you’re always late — and Air Marshall Islands can prove it. “Our on-time performance for the DC-8 in November was 97.1 percent,” said Commercial Manager David Tejada.

Journal 12/3/2004

P3 Bikinians earn $100K from diver operation Every man, woman and child from Bikini — 3,470 to be exact — received $29 from the Bikini Atoll Dive program. The total payment, approximately $100,000, represents profits from the dive program that just wrapped up its ninth year of operations last week, according to Bikini liaison Jack Niedenthal.