Journal 8/31/1982
P1 Cat and mouse antics amuse journalist
It’s easy to get to the camps of the Kwajalein landowners occupying their land on the main island of the Kwajalein Missile Range. Just go to the Ebeye dock and hop on the first boat. It’s a comfortable 10-15 minute ride in a typical outboard boat. Bilimon Langbata skillfully swung the bow into the wind and a young man threw out the anchor. Bilimon jumped out and delivered his cargo of food supplies at Coral Sands. The Washington Patrol Service security came out from behind the shrubs high on the beach for a closer look. Noticing something out of the ordinary — some white skin in the boat — he radioed for reinforcements. He continued to observe while we took his picture along with pictures of the dozen or so small houses and tents around the shelter. Normally the shelter would be used to get out of the rain or sun during an afternoon or weekend barbecue by KMR employees getting away from the stresses of urban life on a small island in the central Pacific. Today (August 27) is the ninth week of the landowners occupation of their islands for which their government has no lease or use agreement. Unlike that of World War II, this is a gentlemanly invasion…In Marshallese, the word “jodrik” is used to describe the action. It might be called a “strike” in English. If you are against the operation, you call it a strike, sit-in or occupation. If you are for it, the correct term is resettlement. —Dan Smith
Journal 8/30/1991
P14 Book quotes local people
Readers in Majuro are a-tingle as a result of a new book recently made available on the island titled, “The Edge of Paradise,” by PF Kluge. The book is a comprehensive and penetrating view of the island of Micronesia, and there is a special chapter on Majuro which is sure to interest both the general reader and the long-time Micronesiac. Quite a few local people are quoted in the book and one would suspect that some of them at least possibly wished they weren’t.
Journal 9/2/2011
P3 Women want Bill 93 now
Nitijela’s Bill 93 to prevent domestic violence brought a big turn out of people at
Wednesday’s Nitijela public hearing supporting the bill. Many testifiers said they supported the bill because it included language that protected all members of the family and addresses remedies such as counseling support for victims and abusers. Leroij Neimat Reimers, who was selected as the spokeswoman for all the leroij in the Marshall Islands, expressed the traditional leaders’ full support for the bill and urged the committee to pass it for the good of the country.
P6 Ladies as leaders
The first parliament training session for women kicked off Monday in Majuro at the ICC, with many top government leaders in attendance. Officially known as the “First Women’s Mock Parliament Session,” the training is focusing four days on training a group of 27 women in parliament rules and procedures, with the final day to be a mock session in the Nitijela chamber. Speaker Alvin Jacklick delivered an engaging talk in support of women running for political office. “If you want to get into Nitijela, get out and get people registered to vote,” he said to the women. This gives candidates the opportunity to talk to people about their goals and plans. Jacklick expressed disappointment that despite the increasing push to get women into elected positions only a few women filed nomination papers…Of the 96 candidates for Nitijela, only nine are women. Of the 80 candidates for mayor, only six are women. He said this is not good enough.