Journal 1/21/1983
P1 Foreign Secretary deBrum: Marshalls’ quest for freedom threatened
The Untied States is holding the Marshallese people hostage in trying to impose a 30-year military regime on the Marshall Islands at the expense of that nation’s freedoms, Marshallese Foreign Secretary Tony deBrum said January 19. DeBrum said the US is calling for Marshallese sacrifice of rights in return for the termination of the UN Trusteeship of the islands. “Nowhere in our wildest fears was concern that the US, the champion of democracy, would be so callous and demanding regarding the termination of the trusteeship and that our own quest for freedom be threatened,” deBrum said at yesterday’s conclusion of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians Union.
Journal 1/24/1992
P1 Marshalls seeks US health support
The Marshall Islands has sent an urgent appeal to the United States for help to forestall an impending malnutrition crisis following widespread destruction of food crops in the wake of Typhoon Axel earlier this month. Dr. Neal Palafox, a US Public Health Service commander who is medical director of preventive services, told the Journal that the Marshall Islands was already confronted with a major malnutrition crisis before Typhoon Axel hit here January 7 and 8. “The combined loss of natural vitamin sources by the typhoon, and providing imported processed foods which are not Vitamin A enriched to supplement food supplies of communities threatens to exacerbate the Vitamin A deficiency problem,” he said.
P18 Nitijela to investigate adequacy of N-money
The Nitijela approved a resolution to establish a committee which will decide whether the money from the US is enough to compensate Marshallese for the damages caused by the US nuclear testing program. The resolution follows the statement of the chairman of the Nuclear Claims Tribunal that the $45 million it received will not be sufficient for all the health and land claims that are being filed. US officials later said they consider the money from the Compact to be full and final.
Journal 1/27/2012
P3 Doctor shortage cripples hospital
Majuro hospital is seriously short-staffed of doctors, with doctors working 12-hour shifts and being pulled from their regular duties to fill gaps in the outpatient clinic and emergency room. The problem of lack of physicians at the hospital dates to 2009 and is not improving.
P4 Assumption gets focused
A new management team and a new board of directors took over at Assumption schools at the beginning of the current school year with a big agenda: a lofty $54,000 debt to MISSA, buildings in desperate need of demolition or heavy renovation, the urgent need for new classroom space to meet the large demand at the lower elementary grades, and an upcoming WASC accreditation review. Six months into her term as Assumption Schools Principal, former Education Secretary Biram Stege said the school decided to focus on eliminating the debit and then moving onto major projects that need addressing.