Journal 6/20/1985
P1 Discrimination may bring windfall for Marshallese The Trust Territory government’s policy of paying Micronesians less than expatriates for doing the same work is an intentionally discriminatory policy and a breach of United States obligations under the Trusteeship, ruled a US District Court judge last week. A front page Pacific Daily News story reported that Judge Alfred Laureta called the TT wage scales “grossly discriminatory” and ordered a conference be held by July 18 to determine how much the TT and US governments must pay to Micronesians for years of discrimination. The case was filed in the late 1970s by Palauan TT employee Edward Temengil.
Journal 6/19/1998
P1 Wage cuts In response to its deteriorating financial situation, the Marshall Islands Cabinet ordered government salaries to be cut 12.5 percent as of July 1. Last week, a Cabinet memo instructed government offices that all foreign travel has been frozen for the rest of the fiscal year.
P1 Maloelap’s new pride The “Buojlap II” got its first test run in Majuro’s lagoon Saturday following a dockside celebration of its launching. The converted US Army passenger vessel will service Maloelap and other atolls, following its repair and refitting by Majuro Drydock and Slipway.
P2 By Marshallese, for Marshallese The Marshall Islands has its first homegrown primary education curriculum. If you think that is “ho-hum” news, consider that for the past 25 years, the curriculum used to teach Marshallese youngsters has been a patchwork of American, Australian and other curricula — mostly American influenced. “The new curriculum was completely written by Marshallese for the Marshall Islands,” said Ministry of Education official Mark Canney. “A lot of hard work went into this.”
P6 Kirt Pinho Lounge The newest addition to the Marshall Islands Club, the Kirt Pinho Lounge, should be ready for use by the end of next week. MIC management said the price for renting the lounge is really inexpensive. However, if you want to have Kirt entertain you, you have to talk to Kirt directly because he has a very busy schedule.
Journal 6/19/2009
P15 Independence Day for Latter Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints reached a significant milestone last week when the church’s first stake in the country was announced. The LDS stake is similar to a diocese in other Christian faiths and comprises a number of congregations within a certain geographical area. The Majuro, Marshall Islands Stake, as it will be known, was announced by Elder David S. Baxter at a stake conference attended by 1,170 members and held at the Long Island chapel. “This is a very significant milestone for the church in the Marshall Islands,” said President Nelson Bleak. “It shows that the church and its members are growing.”
P17 Unlucky Dragon For more than 30 years, I’ve mentioned the Japanese fishing vessel “Lucky Dragon” in quite a few articles I’ve written about the Bravo test. Several years ago, I met one of the 23 fishermen who was aboard the vessel when Bravo fallout contaminated them in 1954 when he visited Majuro as part of March 1 activities. But until my visit to Japan last month, I’d never had closer contact with the story of the vessel — or the vessel itself. I visited the museum that Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government built in the mid-1970s to memorialize Japan’s intersection with the Bravo test. The A-frame style building houses the actual 91-foot wooden fishing boat, ironically named the Fukuryu Maru No. 5 (Lucky Dragon). I was impressed by the connection the museum made with the Marshallese experience and US nuclear tests. There are many photographs of Marshall Islanders and their story is told along the walls of the museum with the hulking vessel as a backdrop. —Giff Johnson