Journal 5/1/1987
P1 Forced to sign 177 Marshall Islands negotiators told the United States that nuclear claims should be settled with individual Marshallese claimants but the US refused, using economic leverage and incentives in the Compact to get the Marshall Islands government to approve the Compact nuclear claims settlement with espousal, said Minister of Health Tony deBrum in a sworn statement submitted to the US Claims Court in Washington. DeBrum charged Washington with ignoring the wishes of the Marshallese negotiators and then putting economic pressure on the Marshalls to accept the $150 million settlement in the Compact. The former secretary and minister of foreign affairs was the Marshalls’ chief Compact negotiator through 1982. “At all times and repeatedly during the negotiations leading up to the Compact of Free Association…I, and others from my delegation, pointed out to the United States delegation that espousal by the government of the Marshall Islands was under our custom, law and Constitution, illegal and unconstitutional and that even if the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands was sovereign and therefore had the power to espouse the claims of its citizens, any attempt to assert that power in the context of the 177 agreement of the Compact of Free Association would be both illegal and unconstitutional and therefore of no force and effect in our courts or any other courts. That is why we in the Marshall Islands negotiating delegation insisted that any settlement of nuclear claims be approved by the individual claimants.”
P19 High school stars take on nationals High School/Youth Options basketball league all stars will go head to head with the Marshall Islands national team this Saturday afternoon as part of Constitution Day activities. The first all star game of its kind, it promises to be an exciting matchup with the young stars just finishing their playoffs and ready to challenge the more experienced national players who represented the Marshall Islands in Fiji competition last year. Hot outside shooter Walton Jack will have welcome company in hard driving Vincent Tafleimal, offensive rebounding specialist Randy Jack and smooth shooting Paul Capelle. Mafulu Sakaio, Tadashi Heine, Neal Gold and Tarson Tosan add muscle at forward. There’s plenty of talent in the guard spot with high scoring Daniel Andrew, talented ball handling brothers Paul and Rantly Kattil, playmakers Jim Naisher and Kevin Andrike and streak shooting Justin Edmond and Geoffrey Andrew. The all stars are coached by Rayner Peter, a member of the national team. All around standout Hackney Wase leads the nationals, joined by outside shooting ace Danny Wase. Danny, Ebin Peter and Tatachi Isaiah are talented backcourt players. Kejon Anuntak, Wallace Peter, Bermi Jack and Vincent Tani give the national team experience and muscle on the boards. Bakol Lauror can shoot from any spot, while Allison Nashion, Nenulej Keju and Danny Matthew provide solid shooting.
Journal 5/1/1998
P19 Micro Games fundraising in high gear “Very competitive” is how National Olympic Committee President Danny Wase describes our teams. Some athletes are girding themselves for the final test in Palau August 1-9, and some are still sweating over the elimination.
P19 Canoes get ready As of this week, there were 11 canoes entered in the second annual Outrigger Marshall Islands Cup. Race day May 9 will be a good day to find out who’s the best man and who has the best canoe.
Journal 5/1/2009
P11 Please don’t rob banks The Kaselehlie Press in FSM reported on the shenanigans three Chuuk guys participated in, a bank robbery if you will, carried out in broad daylight with all the necessary accoutrements, ie, a .22 rifle and a functioning shotgun. All three learned their trade of robbery in the United States and all, within the past year, graduated by act of deportation back to their beautiful island paradise. As employees at Bank of FSM Chuuk began arriving at 8am, March 26, the trio posted one guy as lookout while the other two, masked with bandanas, proceeded to fire shots into the ceiling and demanded money. Apparently some of the male members of the workforce of the bank didn’t read the script for the robbery and proceeded to interrupt its progress. The male workers grabbed the weapons from the perps and the perps absconded, running out to a vehicle and speeding away. Meantime, motorized cops approaching the bank intercepted the trio and took them into custody. The incident instantly became a hot item of conversation around the island with some citizens complaining about the poor quality of education provided in the US. “They can’t even teach how to rob a bank!” observed one elderly man sitting on the curb near the bank.
P13 Baptist takes first Lits here it four the stewdents at Mejro Baptist Kristin Acadmi! They one inglish sexshuns of the ministry ov educashun Konstitwoshun Day spelin B at rre sureline this wiik. On Monday, Baptist fifth graders Atina Schutz, Jessica Kamram and Demetrius Langrine challenged 10 other schools to win first place in the spelling B.