Journal 6/8/1982
P1 President asks public to study Compact
President Amata Kabua and Foreign Secretary Tony deBrum returned from the United States June 4 and reported to leaders and the public assembled at the government building that the Compact of Free Association had been signed.
P1 Ataji Balos may resign from Cabinet
Ataji Balos, minister of Internal Security, has flown to Kwajalein to consult with his constituents regarding resignation from the Cabinet. Balos, interviewed at the Majuro airport enroute to Kwajalein, told the Journal the Kwajalein people are unalterably opposed to the Compact of Free Association signed in Honolulu by President Amata Kabua and US representative Fred Zeder. “When President Kabua signed that Compact, with its 50-year commitment for Kwajalein and its denial rights forever, he may have signed my letter of resignation,” said Balos. “I must consult first with my constituents, but I do not see how, in good conscience, I could remain a member of a government which has taken this step.”
P4 New Compact features
The Compact runs for a term of 15 years. The basic grants to the Marshall Islands average $43 million per year with more paid in the early years. The US will pay $100 million to settle all radiation claims for personal injury and property damage throughout the entire Marshall. Islands. One half will be paid on the effective date of the Compact and the balance paid over the next five years: Bikini $25 million, Enewetak $16 million, Rongelap $15 million, Utrik $10 million and RepMar $34 million, which includes $30 million to compensate all claims resulting from the nuclear testing program.
Journal 6/7/1991
P1 Malnutrition rampant
Two-thirds of all children in the Marshall Islands are malnourished or under-nourished, according to the results of Health Services’ first national nutrition survey. The malnutrition problem is affecting children on all the outer islands as well as in Ebeye and Majuro, said Dr. Emilie Flores, a UNICEF physician who assisted with the survey. The most severe malnutrition is among the one-to-two-year-old and six-year-old children.
P2 Action at Claims Tribunal
If you think the Nuclear Claims Tribunal’s main job is keeping its eye on wayward local councils you are not alone. A substantial amount of the Tribunal’s time and energy has been spent policing disputes over distribution of nuclear compensation money. Yet behind the scenes, the Tribunal has been working to launch what is really its most important duty: paying out compensation to Marshall Islands affected by nuclear testing. The good news is that it appears payments will move ahead. The Tribunal’s philosophy is that the full value of the damage will be awarded — not limited to the $45 million fund available — and if this means returning to the United States for additional compensation to meet the payments, so be it.
Journal 6/10/2011
P23 Class acts
Many of the scenes in the film Lañinbwil’s Gift were shot at Majuro Cooperative School, and many of the students appear as actors. School principal Kathy Stratte, who appears in the film briefly, said the film “has been a great opportunity for (the students) to develop interests and talents in areas that often aren’t available in a small place like Majuro. I was struck by the growth of the student actors and musicians from the first movie to the third and realized what a great, unique opportunity this has been for them to grow creatively and to develop confidence in their talents. I think too, they all feel good about being a part of something bigger than their class or even the school.”