Journal 4/23/1982
P1 Japan, Marshalls sign bridge agreement
Japan and the Marshall Islands on April 20 exchanged diplomatic notes providing for Japanese grant/aid to construct a bridge and small boat channel on Majuro Atoll. President Amata Kabua, who signed for the Marshall Islands, hailed the event for the international recognition it gives the nation. Hideo Tsuji, Japan’s parliamentary vice minister of state for foreign affairs, cited historical ties between the two countries and said Japan was glad to be of help in nation building.
P1 Bikinians boycott Compact talks
Compact of Free Association talks on the radiation affected people open this afternoon, but the Bikini people will not be there. They want the US to release $3 million of their $6 million trust fund for immediate use before they will participate in Compact talks. Last year, the Kili-Bikini Council asked that the money be released because the older people want to use some of it before they die. The elders believe it will be years before they see compensation under Section 177 of the Compact.
P5 A poem about AMI
We’re the only one you’ve got, Though some say we’re not hot. We do the best we can, Believe me. If we bump you off a flight, It’s not ‘cos we’re flying light. We carry what we can. Believe me. If our flight’s a bit delayed, and your tempers do get frayed, We have our problems too. Believe me. So support your own airline, And with help we’ll turn out fine. Half a chance is all we want. Believe me. —Keith Burrow, AMI
Journal 4/26/1991
P29 Marshall Islanders in military honored
In an event hosted by the Women’s Athletic Club last Saturday at Charley’s Tavern, over 100 persons honored Marshallese members of the US Armed Forces. Among those in attendance were Marine Carney Terry and his mother, Soldier Melvin Narruhn and his parents, Army Master Sgt. Sailass Katjang, Reservist Baron Bigler and his parents, and the Alfreds, whose son Sandy, along with Moro Marcus, are still in the Persian Gulf. Following congratulatory speeches by Senator Tony deBrum and US Ambassador William Bodde, the guests were treated to a dinner prepared by the Women’s Athletic Club.
Journal 4/29/2011
P1 Super smart students
High school students Anthony Dujmovic Jr. of Majuro and Leimamo Wase of Kwajalein have both been awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Only 1,000 students worldwide have been selected to received the coveted scholarship this year, which entitles recipients to college funding through to a PhD.
P1 ‘I want my day in court’
Saying that negotiations have not produced a new land use agreement (LUA) for Kwajalein, Irooj Imata Kabua filed a motion Monday to take his case against the RMI government to trial. Kabua’s move steps up pressure on the RMI government and also suggests recent optimism about the possibility of a new LUA being in the offing was unfounded. Kabua originally filed suit in 2009, challenging the RMI government’s authority to lease Kwajalein to the US government without approval of the landowners as required by the Marshall Islands Constitution.
P22 RMI pupils honored in Hawaii
A large gathering of Marshallese parents and students, well-wishers, friends, teachers and sponsored packed the McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Park in Honolulu April 16 for the fourth annual Marshallese Education Day. The MED Committee recognized 65 Marshallese students from middle and high schools around the state for being on the honor roll in their respective schools. The RMI government, Hawaii State Legislature, and Hawaii-USA Federal Credit Union also provided additional awards to all of the honor students.