Journal 5/24/1985
P1 Critical committee OKs Compact “Obviously the Compact is moving along and with key high level people in the US administration and Congress supporting it, chances are looking good it will be approved this summer,” states US Department of State Status Liaison Officer for the Marshalls Mike Senko answering Journal questions. On May 15, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved the Compact in the form submitted by President Reagan. The committee made several amendments to the provisions of the joint resolution relating to its implementation, but made no amendments to the text of the Compact itself or changes which are inconsistent with the terms of the Compact.
P11 Kiribati-USSR fishing treaty A fishing treaty between Kiribati and the Soviet Union is expected to be formalized May 29, according to published reports in the Kiribati government’s official publication Te Uekera. The agreement, the first of its kind for the Soviets in the Micronesia area, has created a storm of debate in Kiribati, with a strong line of support for the idea being advanced by the Republic’s President Ieremia Tabai.
P16 Evacuation of Rongelap Evacuation of Rongelap Atoll was to have begun this week, according to a spokesman for the ship Rainbow Warrior, according to an Associated Press report. Steve Sawyer, coordinator for Greenpeace, which is assisting the radiation-related evacuation of Rongelap to the island of Mejjato in Kwajalein told AP by radio that the intention was to relocate men first for the purpose of building homes on the new island, and then remove women and children. The Kwajalein islet was made available to Rongelap people by the Kabua family.
Journal 5/23/1997
P1 N-waste action draws crowd A large crowd turned out for a public meeting at the Catholic Church Tuesday evening to hear about a nuclear waste feasibility study that will start soon. The Catholic Church sponsored the gathering as an information meeting in order to get the public involved in discussing the latest developments on the nuclear waste front. Minister for Ratak Litokwa Tomeing and Senator Tony deBrum were the two resource people at the meeting.
P3 Ho hum: Only lost for 150 days Two Kiribati fishermen lost at sea for 150 days arrived back home last week to their families who believed they were always alive, said Radio Kiribati news editor Batiri Bataua. Take Katatia and nephew Tamango Teitika were fishing in their 12.5 foot boat near the capital Tarawa when its engine failed. They washed up two weeks ago Friday at Mili, 150 days and 350 miles to the northwest. Bataua said the men were slim before they left. “Now they are really very skinny.” In 1992, two Kiribati fishermen returned home to find their families had held funeral services for them. They’d been lost at sea for a record-breaking 175 days.
P6 Feeding babies Food and nutrition specialists Ione deBrum and Julia Alfred demonstrated how to make cheap, nutritious baby food out of locally grown taro and bananas at last week’s baby show.
P7 RMI shows high thyroid rate A preliminary report on a thyroid study conducted in the Marshall Islands reported that there are a high number of thyroid tumors in the population of Ebeye and Majuro, “but no conclusions yet available concerning the relationship between possible exposure to radiation and the diseases we observed.” More than 6,000 Marshallese, mostly over the age of 40, who were alive during the nuclear tests of the 1950s, were checked during 1993 and 1994 by doctors from Tohoku School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan.
Journal 5/23/2008
P1 Young boy: ‘Juon wud in jikka’ Marshall Islands officials are targeting illegal sales of cigarettes and “dip” to minors under 18 years of age by local stores. The results of a new survey “are disturbing because the vast majority of businesses are selling tobacco to teens in violation of the law,” said one official. On Ebeye, 100 percent of the 29 stores targeted sold to teenagers, while in Majuro, 91 percent of the 100 stories checked illegally sold tobacco products to youngsters.
P4 MEC to raise power prices again Expect another rate increase for electricity starting in June. The only question is how much.
P8 Hundreds apply for US jobs Hundreds of hopeful job seekers are vying for job openings at three hotels in the US. Earlier in the month, recruiters representing Practical Employee Solutions and Imperial Palace Casino Resort flew to Majuro to interview potential employees. Over the past months Russell Langrine of Majuro Man Power, a local employment agency, has been coordinating efforts to prepare job seekers with resumes, medical checks and interview tips.