Pacific Magazine > Magazine > May 1, 2003

Briefs

People

• Hillman Sigrah, Kosrae State judge for the FSM Supreme Court administered the FSM bar exam to a record six individuals on Kosrae in March. Sigrah said that in all years past, seldom more than two people took the test at any given time. Currently, only two individuals on Kosrae are able to practice before the FSM Supreme Court. Both Americans and Kosraeans took the exam: assistant attorney general Dan Clearman, legislative counsels Paul Vignos and Rhonda Byers, Micronesian Legal Services attorney Lyndon Cornelius, Public Defender’s office attorney Sydney Skilling, and prosecutor Paliknoa Welley.

—OW

• The United States Postal Service announced that George V. Diaz became the new postmaster of the Northern Marianas on March 27. He replaces John W. San Nicolas, who retired in November. Diaz has served with the postal service for more than 30 years in Guam.

—FW

• The new chairman of the American Red Cross’s Pacific Island Council is Filisouaiga Ta’afua, deputy director of the American Samoa Government Employees Retirement Fund. The new post includes overseeing Red Cross chapters in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. Guam’s Jeff Cook held the post prior to Ta’afua.

—FS

• Deputy Prime Minister of Vanuatu Serge Vohor is the President of the Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States until July 31, 2003. The 78-member ACP Group includes 14 Pacific nations that are signatories to the 20-year ACP-EU Cotonu Agreement, the aim of which is to promote the economic, cultural and social development. Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Cook Islands, Micronesia and Niue are the new Pacific members of the ACP Group. The Pacific will next hold the presidency of the ACP Council of Ministers around the second half of 2007. During his six-month term, Vohor will preside over the next meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers and the ACP-EU Council of Ministers in Brussels, Belgium from May 12-16.

—GJ

• Michael Rosenthal Photo: Floyd K. Takeuchi

  Palau Minister of Justice Michael J. Rosenthal announced that the laws of Palau are now accessible by computer. The Publication And Law Access Unit established last year by President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. recently released the PALAU Law Search CD which allows the user to search for words or phrases in the national code, court cases, court rules and a variety of other legal documents. “The new CD greatly reduces research time and will improve the practice of law in the Republic,” says Rosenthal. “With easier access to the laws, the national government and private practitioners will be able to act with greater efficiency.” A sample of the CD can be viewed at the PALAU website www.palaulaw.org.

—NC

• Paige Johnson was named by PM&O Line president Robert T. Colson as the owner’s representative for Pago Pago and Apia. He worked with StarKist for 17 years before retiring recently to take up the new post.

—FS

• “Onerous, impractical and damaging,” is the way former Guam Delegate to the U.S. Congress Robert Underwood describes the new Compacts of Free Association for the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. In a letter to Pacific Daily News in March, Underwood said that the Compact plans to establish a U.S. oversight team based in Honolulu was a throwback to the colonial days of the Trust Territory when the islands were governed first from Hawaii, then Guam and finally Saipan.

—GJ

• Acting president of Nauru Derog Gioura suffered a heart attack within a few weeks of his appointment. Giorua was appointed, pending new elections in May, after the death of previous leader Bernard Dowiyogo in Washington. At press time, the 71-year old acting president was being treated in hospital in Australia.

—ND

• While the recent visit to Palau of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen aboard his mega-yacht Tatoosh was fairly quiet, he has left a governmental controversy in his wake. Apparently an arrangement was made between President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. and Edmund Wilkinson, a representative of Tatoosh, for the sale of eight used firearms and 30 rounds of ammunition for each weapon. The $5,000 transaction had previously been cleared through Justice Minister Michael Rosenthal. With Palau’s strict firearms laws the weapons were not delivered until the vessel was in international waters miles off shore. Rosenthal said the sale disposed of outdated weapons and provided money to replace them with more modern weapons. The Olbiil Era Kelulau, Palau’s National Congress, has raised questions as to the authenticity of the sale and the utilization of funds without legislative appropriation.

—NC

• Victory in the biggest canoe race in the history of the Marshall Islands went to a “home town” vessel, but the $10,000 cash prize went elsewhere. Ailinglaplap Atoll Senator Christopher Loeak’s nearly 30-foot outrigger canoe, captained by Jinet Nimoto, won the two-day sailing race at Ailinglaplap in an amazing photo finish. The race featured the largest outriggers to race in modern history—26-30 foot canoes with two-to-three man crews. A recreation of a famous Marshall Islands legend about the first sailing canoe, Jebro’s Race brought hundreds of visitors to the atoll for a week of cultural and sporting events. Race organizers had decided that if an Ailinglaplap canoe won the race, the $10,000 grand prize would go to the second place canoe—Sandy Alfred’s canoe representing Ailuk Atoll and captained by Rice Snight.

—GJ

• Frans Baan, head of the Suva-based European Commission delegation for the Pacific, hailed the April 1 start of the Cotonou Agreement as an “historic moment” in European Union-Pacific region relations. Cotonou is the new aid, trade, and development partnership between the EU and the 78-nation ACP (African, Caribbean, Pacific) Group. The agreement includes 320 million Euros (approximately US$320 million) for the 14 Pacific member nations.

—GJ

• American Samoan teacher Magdalene Augafa was honored recently with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science teaching. She teaches at Alataua Lua Elementary School.

—FS

• Fifteen months after he was sacked from his position as permanent secretary of the Solomon Islands Finance Ministry, Shadrach Fanega has been re-appointed. Previous secretaries acting between Fanega’s appointments were obliged to desert their posts after constant harassment and threats from members of the public demanding payments without authorization. As a consequence, parts of the ministry were closed for several weeks. PM Sir Allen Kemakeza has admitted he was wrong in replacing Fanega more than a year ago with a New Zealander. For his part Fanega said he accepted re-appointment only after “serious and frank” discussions with the PM and the Minister of Finance.

—ND

• Two new women members of the Papua New Guinea’s Western Highlands Provincial Assembly makes the provincial government one of the first to have more than one woman. The new members are Nancy Rus who replaced Paula Mek as women’s representative, and Maria Kunjil who was appointed as a community representative. Rus is the president of the Western Highlands Rural Women’s Empowerment and says that one of her aims is to help rural women develop small-scale businesses with the micro-credit scheme, The National reported.

—GJ

• The new Republic of China/Taiwan ambassador to the Marshall Islands is Lien-gene Chen. He replaces Ambassador Gary Lin who left Majuro in mid-March to take up the post of director general of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei. Majuro is Chen’s first ambassadorial post. His previous experience has been heavily focused in European affairs.

—GJ

In Memoriam

• Vice Speaker of Palau’s House of Delegates Steve Umetaro, who had been ill for some time, died in late February. Umetaro served Palau as an educator and director of the Bureau of School Administration. He remained director until his election to the House in 1996. Umetaro is affectionately remembered for his prowess in sports. In his youth he excelled as a baseball player and he continued, through the years, to coach youngsters in the sport. Umetaro was holder of two traditional Palauan titles in Aimeliik State. Flags flew at half-mast for five days.

—NC

• Former Vice Speaker of Palau’s House of Delegates and holder of a traditional title in Airai, Hideo S. Tell, fondly acknowledged as “Captain Tell,” died in early March. Tell attended the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy. Following graduation Tell served the Trust Territory government for many years in various maritime capacities until 1984 when he was elected to the House of Delegates of the Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK). Tell’s career in the HOD culminated as Vice Speaker of the 5th OEK.

—NC

—Contributors: Olivier Wortel, Frank White, Fili Sagapolutele, Giff Johnson, Nancy Chism and