Government Briefs
Government Briefs
Region -SM CNMI -FR FSM Islanders living 5,000 miles away from their home will soon be able to tune into to their local AM radio stations via the Internet, thanks to a plan of the Federated States of Micronesia Telecommunications Corporation to begin streaming radio broadcasts this year. "We're a public corporation and we wanted to do something good for Micronesians in the FSM and those living abroad," FSM Telecom general manager Takuro Akinaga told Pacific Magazine. -GJ Guam The court-ordered and decades-overdue closure of Guam's Ordot Dump appeared to hit a snag during December as the outgoing Guam Legislature passed a bill mandating that a new landfill not be located at any of the three sites currently under consideration. Proponents of the legislation suggest that a landfill be opened in Guatali, one of the sites under original consideration two years ago, but deemed unsuitable by Environmental Protection Agency officials. Though Governor Felix Camacho vetoed the bill on December 31, the incident seems to portend a political fray in the process that, for the past two years, seemed to be moving forward smoothly. -FW Marshall Islands Marshall Islands and Taiwan officials are discussing the possibility of establishing a small-scale loan program to provide seed funding to outer islanders and others. Foreign Minister Gerald Zackios told Pacific Magazine that during President Kessai Note's visit to Taiwan in December, he held discussions with officials at the International Cooperation and Development Foundation (ICDF) in Taiwan on several issues, including the possibility of a small loan scheme. ICDF deputy director Dr. Poi-po Lee says that one of several schemes that the organization is keen to pursue is a micro-finance program for small- and medium-sized businesses. -GJ Cracks are appearing in the Marshall Islands capital building in Majuro, a development that is expected to require costly repairs. The problem was discovered recently because the government has begun doing regular maintenance. "When (maintenance staff) started peeling the rug off the floor in the President's office, there were signs of cracks in the floor," says Public Works Minister Matt Zackhras. There is no indication yet that the building itself is unsafe, he says. -GJ Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. rejected the Uniform Compensation Bill submitted in December by the Olbiil Era Kelulau, Palau's National Congress, stating it "did not respect the clear intent of our people." After passage of initiatives on November 2 calling for a three-term limit for OEK members, Remengesau asked the Congress to enact a law for compensation based on attendance at congressional sessions. He introduced a measure proposing $350 per session-sustaining the current OEK compensation and office expenses of $44,000 annually. The bill submitted by Congress ruled out the $350 proposal in favor of $500-for an annual salary capped at $50,000-and added a proposal for retirement pay for OEK members who serve three terms in office. The OEK remains without compensation pending formulation of the new law. -NC Papua New Guinea The Papua New Guinea government has banned the import and sale of plastic shopping bags effective from Jan. 1. In-country manufacture and sale of plastic shopping bags will be banned as of June 1. PNG Environment and Conservation Minister William Duma warned that failure to observe the tough new law will be an offense under the Environment Act of 2000. Most major supermarkets in PNG capital Port Moresby expressed concern about the "short notice" given to them by the Environment and Conservation Ministry, saying they were not given alternatives. -AR Samoa The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), the dominant political force in Samoan politics over the past 20 years, celebrated its 25th year in December. HRPP was formed in 1979 by late Prime Ministers Tofilau Eti Alesana and Vaai Kolone. Both in their turn came to lead the party and the country as prime minister. -AT Company officials from Stagecoach NZ, New Zealand's largest bus company, visited Samoa in December to recruit some 30 staff for its New Zealand operations. The visit follows recruitment in Samoa earlier in the year of about 70 officers for the New Zealand Department of Corrections. The move is part of the New Zealand government's efforts to increase the number of Samoan migrants to New Zealand via the under-subscribed immigration quota agreement between the two countries. -AT American Samoa The U.S. Department of Justice has accused former territorial government education director Dr. Sili K. Sataua of using his position to conspire with companies on DOE contracts without regard for local procurement procedures. The charges allege that Sataua received about $9,000 in kickbacks and other compensation from these companies, which included Samoa Woods Products, the only company so far named in the complaint. Sataua's defense attorney, assistant federal public defender Alexander Silvert, says "We have reached an agreement of settlement and we will proceed along those lines." -FS Contributors: Samantha Magick, Frank Rosario, Frank Whitman, Giff Johnson, Nancy Chism, Alex Rheeney, Peter Niesi, Afamasaga Toleafoa and Fili Sagapolutele.
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