Page 6 - IB September 2024

Briefs Briefs

from New Zealand has gone up by 10%. The two largest source
markets do not change: they are mainland France and North
American Samoa America.
American Samoa’s Senate has passed a bill that will increase
fees paid to jurors for the first time in 44 years. The bill
acknowledges the “important role in the criminal legal Guam
system” jurors play and more than doubles jury fees to US$25 Lawmakers are looking to get a handle on the uptick in
for each half day and US$50 for each day a juror is in court. Chinese nationals illegally entering Guam by boat from the
The bill also states that 30% of all traffic fines imposed by the Northern Marianas. Senators introduced a bill to tighten up
court shall be used to pay for the increased jury fees.
the law and give Customs officers the ability to make an
arrest. Chief of Guam Customs, Vincent Perez, said since
2022, approximately 118 passengers have arrived illegally,
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and that is just those they are aware of. Under current laws,
The former Hyatt Regency Saipan may reopen in November they are only fined on arrival, but cannot be denied entry.
under a new brand name, MB Capital LLC, President David The bill seeks to make the illegal entry a felony punishable
Hood has said. The Hyatt closed in June 2024, with 38 years with a maximum five prison sentence and a minimum fine of
left in the lease contract. “We will persist. We will not just US$25,000 per violation.
give up. We’re going to be aggressive. We will not just rely
on a brand name,” said Hood. He said options for the new
operators are Sheraton, Westin and Hilton. Kiribati
A ban on diplomatic visits to Kiribati until 2025 has been
enforced to safeguard against ‘undue foreign influence’
Cook Islands during the formation of government. Incumbent Minister for
A major rat eradication project is underway on the Education, Alexander Teabo, told BenarNews the government
uninhabited island of Takutea. Led by the Te Ipukarea Society did not want to repeat past mistakes. “We say, ‘Well you can
and others, the project aims to “help the seabird colonies come but not today’, it’s time for us to concentrate on our
thrive” on the island. Takutea is home to a number of election. That’s our sovereign right.” A poll to elect a new
important sea bird species, including red-tailed tropic birds, president will be held in October.
red-footed boobies, brown boobies, masked boobies and
frigate birds.
Marshall Islands
Bikini Islanders have filed a lawsuit in the United States
Federated States of Micronesia against Arden Trust Company, seeking the return of
Japan has pledged around US$30 million to fund the Pohnpei tens of millions of dollars lost through what it says was
Port Expansion Project. The project will significantly expand “mismanagement” of two Bikini trust funds. “Under Arden’s
the quay, increasing the port’s capacity and improving the egregious mismanagement, the Resettlement Trust [Fund] was
FSM’s connectivity with domestic and international partners. obliterated, and the [Bikini] Claims Trust was gutted,” the
80-page civil complaint said. The trust funds were established
in the 1980s by the US Congress to provide ongoing support to
Fiji the Bikini Islanders displaced by nuclear testing that started
Sixty alleged fraud cases by individuals and employees of the in 1946.
Fiji Housing Authority are being investigated by the country’s
Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC). FBC
reported the cases are in relation to the illegal allocation Nauru
of lots and abuse of tender processes. One case has already Two children who were detained offshore in Nauru have won
been taken to court.
federal court settlements from the Australian government
for medical negligence and abdicating its duty of care. The
confidential settlements, which protect the identities of the
children and their families, are the first of 45 similar lawsuits
French Polynesia brought by the National Justice Project. The settlement sums
New Zealand has become French Polynesia’s third largest will be held in trust and managed by New South Wales and
source tourism market, according to latest statistics. In the Victoria until the applicants turn 18.
first eight months of 2024, the number of tourists coming

6 Islands Business, September 2024