People Briefs
People Briefs
October 2005
American Samoa's Congressman Faleomavaega Eni underwent a successful
heart bypass operation at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda,
Maryland in late August. Faleomavaega, 63, is currently serving his eighth
consecutive term in Congress. Papua New Guinea Lands Minister Dr. Puka Temu is the latest parliamentarian
to be referred by the PNG Ombudsman Commission to the public prosecutor
for alleged misconduct in office. He allegedly failed to submit his 2001-2004
annual bank statements to the commission. Other referred parliamentarians
awaiting the appointment of leadership tribunals to investigate allegations
leveled against them are Works Minister Gabriel Kapris, Madang Governor
James Yali, and Manus parliamentarian Charlie Benjamin. Opposition leader
Peter O'Neill has also been charged by police with seven counts of misappropriation
and one count of conspiracy relating to a National Provident Fund scandal.
Antonio S. Camacho, vice chairman of the Northern Marianas Commonwealth
Ports Authority (CPA) board of directors, was elected president of the
Association of Pacific Ports (APP), at its Aug. 21 meeting in Seattle,
Washington. Larry M. Dinger is the new United States ambassador to Fiji, Nauru,
Tonga, Kiribati and Tuvalu. Ambassador Dinger has been serving as the
State Department's senior advisor to the Naval War College in Newport,
Rhode Island. He is a former U.S. ambassador to the Federated States of
Micronesia. Former Northern Marianas House of Representatives member Daniel O. Quitugua
has been appointed director of the commonwealth's Department of Labor's
Division of Administrative Hearing. The hearing division was established
to conduct administrative hearings on complaints filed by non-resident
workers against their employers as well as make determinations on deportation
matters. Auckland, New Zealand was the venue of the recent engagement between
Papalii Malietau Laupepa Malietoa, grandson of Samoa's Head of State,
and Fanetupouvavau, granddaughter of the king of Tonga. The engagement
continues a tradition of marriage between members of Polynesia's chiefly
families, especially Samoa and Tonga, where there was frequent and regular
contact before Europeans came into the Pacific. Bob Roberts, a U.S. citizen and president of the Samoan Village Resorts
on the western tip of Upolu Island, is contesting an order preventing
him from leaving Samoa. The order was issued by the Supreme Court on behalf
of a business partner and stockholder in the resort. Roberts claims he
does not owe anyone money and needed to travel urgently to the U.S. for
medical reasons. The Aqua Resort Hotel on Saipan has announced the appointment of Hiro
Sugie as the new general manager effective Aug. 1, replacing Ramon Cabrera.
Sugie has 11 years of management experience in the hotel industry, including
five years at Saipan Grand Hotel. Solomon Islands Governor-General Sir Nathaniel Waena in August made
a state visit to Australia. It was a reciprocal visit following Australian
Governor-General Major-General Michael Jeffrey's trip to the Solomons
earlier this year. During the visit, Waena personally presented the Star
of Solomon Islands to Australian Prime Minister John Howard in recognition
of the successful Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. Northern Marianas Public Auditor Michael S. Sablan is the recipient
of the prestigious President's Award of the Association of Government
Accountants (AGA). Sablan was commended for outstanding leadership, with
special recognition for advancing the certified government financial management
certification and AGA education programs. The New Zealand government has a new High Commissioner to the Cook Islands.
He is John Bryan, who was director of property and capital management
division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Wellington prior to his
appointment. He replaces career diplomat Kurt Meyer. The Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania had the
full attention of Guam's population during August as the Guam team reached
the tournament's semifinal round. In games televised live over ESPN, the
11- and 12-year-old boys went undefeated in international pool play, beating
teams from Russia, Canada and Mexico. In the international semifinals
the Guam team lost to defending champions Curacao 16 to 1, which went
on to win the international finals, but was then defeated by the U.S.
champions from Hawaii. Motarilavoa Hilda Lini of Vanuatu was given the 2005 Nuclear-Free Future
Award, in the "resistance" category. The award comes with a US$10,000
prize. Lini was to receive the award in Norway at the Nobel Institute
at the end of September. Jeff Borja, until recently president of Mobil Oil Micronesia and Mobil
Oil Guam, has moved to a position with ExxonMobil Fuels Marketing Co.
in Fairfax, Virginia. Borja, who is from Guam, became the first local
hire to head Mobil's operations in the region in 2002. He was replaced
by Kamal Singh from Fiji. A mother who lost her son to suicide early this year has formed the
first-ever Cook Islands' suicide prevention committee. Tia Napa-Bergin,
a law student and businesswoman, initiated the move in an effort to help
the island nation to understand and reach out to those impacted by suicide. Marshall Islands Public Works Minister Matt Zackhras and Marshalls Energy
Company General Manager William Roberts visited Pohnpei in early September
to discuss possible cooperation in fuel purchases. Zackhras, who is also
chairman of the MEC board of directors, and Roberts met with FSM Vice
President Redley Killion and other national and state officials to discuss
possible joint bulk fuel purchases to reduce costs. Twelve members of the U.S. Congress plus their spouses and staff stopped
in Guam for several hours on Aug. 9. The group was returning from 10 days
in China as part of a U.S.-China inter-parliamentary exchange. Guam Delegate
Madeleine Bordallo hosted a reception at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa
for the group and about 200 local business people, military officials
and government leaders. Congressman Faleomavaega Eni announced in August that Ianeta Sailauama
Tuia has been selected to serve as a Congressional Page under the U.S.
Congressional Page Program, to begin September 2005. Tuia, the daughter
of Pouafe and Lotofaatasi Tuia, attends Faga'itua High School where she
is an honor student. Papua New Guinea Parliament clerk Ano Pala is in hot soup over his handling
of a secret ballot in Parliament in 2003 for the country's next governor-general.
The PNG Ombudsman Commission says Pala's failure to reject defective nomination
forms on Sept. 18 and Dec. 4, 2003 was a dereliction of his constitutional
duty and amounted to misconduct in office. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has been made a Companion
of the Order of Fiji-the first time a non-Fijian has been given Fiji's
highest civilian award. Tuiteleleapaga Peseta Fue Ioane-the former American Samoa police commissioner-is
the new director of the Territorial Administration on Aging (TAOA) while
Soliai Tuipine Fuimaono returns to his post as the chief election officer
for another three years after their nominations by the governor were confirmed
by the Fono (legislature) in August. Also confirmed were Malaetele Dr.
Lui Tuitele as director of education, while former legislative financial
officer Velega Savali Savali Jr., is the new government treasurer. Pulefa'asisina Palauni Tuiasosopo, 67, was sworn in to office on August
29 as the new American Samoan Senator for the Lealataua District, replacing
former Senator Liua P. Taifane. Before joining the Senate, Pulefa'asisina
was director of the American Samoa Community College's Samoa and Pacific
Studies Program. In Memoriam Well-known businessman in American Samoa and retired U.S Navy officer
Lewis Elmer Gabbard passed away August 19 in Pago Pago at the age of 77.
The founder of Gabbard Electric Inc. and other family businesses, Gabbard
gleaned many years of experience in electrical work that started in a
power plant in Pago Pago during World War II at the age of 14. Tuvalu's former Governor General and Prime Minister Faimalaga Luka died
in Fiji Aug. 19. Luka spent 40 years in the civil service and in politics.
He was prime minister from 2000 until 2001. Former American Samoa chief justice Robert Gardner died in California
in August. He was 93. French Polynesian politician Henri Bouvier has died at the age of 92.
He was regarded the founder of French Polynesia's special autonomy status
vis-à-vis France. Former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange died on Aug. 13. Lange
was a fierce opponent of nuclear proliferation in the Pacific region. John Wittmayer, an associate professor in the Communication Department
at the University of Guam since 1989, died suddenly on Aug. 8. Robert K. Shoecraft, a former attorney general and chief justice of
the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, died in
Honolulu on September 1. He was 91. Shoecraft served as an officer in
the famed all-black U.S. Air Force unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, during World
War II. After he retired from the Trust Territory High Court, Shoecraft
practiced law on Guam for 10 years before moving with his wife, Alice,
to Honolulu. Contributors: Fili Sagapolutele, Alex Rheeney, Frank S. Rosario, Samantha Magick, Afamasaga Toleafoa, Bruce Edwards, Giff Johnson, Ulamila Kurai Marrie and Frank Whitman.
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