Journal 9/11/1987
P1 Patrol boat arrives on Majuro
The Marshalls has a new patrol boat that was christened September 4. President Amata Kabua gave a speech welcoming the boat. The ceremony included a christening of the Ionmeto, song and dance and refreshment for all who attended.
P7 TT going, going, gone!
Two-letter abbreviations assigned to the Pacific Islands affiliated with the United States will change January 1, the US Postal Service said. The abbreviation for the Marshall Islands will become MH.The Northern Mariana Islands will be MP, FSM will become FM and Palau will be PW. The old “TT” designation will be dropped.
Journal 9/10/1999
P1 Thyroid plague for older women
Nearly four in 10 Marshallese women alive at the time of the 1954 Bravo test at Bikini who were examined by Japanese medical doctors developed thyroid tumors, according to a progress report published in the Tohoku (Japan) Journal of Medicine. The results of a nationwide thyroid survey in the Marshall Islands “are important to all exposed populations in the world,” the Japanese, American and British authors of the report said. The survey of Marshall Islanders who were alive in 1954 showed that women have a much higher level of thyroid problems than men. Women had a 37.7 percent rate of thyroid nodules, while the rate for men who were alive in 1954 was 21.2 percent.
P2 Tuna trade booms
Majuro’s tuna transshipment business is booming again. The arrival of five carrier transshipment vessels over the weekend swelled the ranks of ships parked in Majuro’s lagoon to nine earlier this week. Since June, 107 purse seiners and 23 larger carrier ships have used Majuro’s port for transferring tuna. “We’re going to be really jammed up with vessels in a couple more weeks, said MIMRA fisheries officer Glen Joseph.
P13 Saipan’s $8,500 winner
Palau’s Tommy Remengesau, Jr. had four years to enjoy his Mobil All-Micronesia 360 pound marlin record — which stood up until the first day of last Saturday’s seventh annual All-Mike tournament, when Saipan Captain Tony Pangelinan’s team reeled in a 411 pounder. The ink marking the record on the scoreboard was barely dry when Pangelinan’s team broke their own record the following day with a 420 pound monster marlin. This won Saipan $8,500.
Journal 9/17/2010
P12 Government loses a year
The Joint Economic Management and Financial Accountability Committee (JEMFAC) resolutions underline how political intrigue and upheaval in the RMI during 2009 essentially made it a “lost year” in terms of focus by government on performance. The resolutions report on many things not done by RMI. This is largely the result of two motions of no confidence and a change of president late in the year.
P18 Citizens who aren’t eligible for US deal
Marshall Islanders and people who have become naturalized Marshallese citizens may not realize that there are two types of RMI passports: one that allows the holder to receive US visa-free immigration privileges, and one that does not. The amended Compact of Free Association is very specific about the eligibility for accessing Compact immigration provisions. How does the US government know who is eligible for visa-free entry to the US and who isn’t? The Attorney General’s office attaches a “certificate of actual residence” in the passport of naturalized citizens who are eligible for Compact immigration provisions. In addition, the RMI AG’s office is providing the US Embassy with a list of naturalized citizens who are eligible in response to a US effort to tighten control of entry to the US.