Subscriptions to the Journal Online are $57 a year using PayPal. Click on the Subscribe button to purchase a subscription using your credit card. The Marshall Islands Journal —­­­ Friday, February 28, 201The4 1 College CMI bus gets a jump start of the Marshall Islands blessed its new bus last week, and as you can plainly see, the students are ecstatic. Photo: Hilary Hosia. $1 on Nitijela’s The Marshall Islands Majuro showdown on el-Sayed ISSN: 0892 2096 See page 2 Friday, February 28, 2014 • Volume 45, Number 9 Bravo link brings Japanese to RMI GIFF JOHNSON nearby the beleaguered Daiichi nuclear that followed the earthquake. But the A group of students from Fuku- plant in Fukushima, and uncertainties entire town, including Takahashi and shima, Japan is in the Marshall Islands about the future. her family, was ordered to leave the this week sharing their concerns about “The government says ‘don’t worry’ area the day after the March 11, 2011 nuclear contamination from the Daiichi (about radiation exposure) but recently earthquake and tsunami damaged the nuclear power plant as the Marshall we’ve seen many cases of thyroid Daiichi power plant, causing a melt- Islands marks the 60th anniversary of problems confirmed in the Fukushima down and ongoing radiation exposure. radioactive fallout contamination from area,” said Kai Sato, a Fukushima Three years later, Okuma “is a ghost the Bravo hydrogen bomb test at Bikini University student. town,” Takahashi said. It remains Atoll on March 1, 1954. “The government says it is safe (to off-limits to residents, with fences As Marshall Islanders launched a live in the Fukushima area), but I don’t blocking roads into the former town of week-long commemoration Tuesday believe it,” Sato said. There is uncer- 11,000. “No one can live in this town of the 15-megaton nuclear test that tainty among Fukushima City residents because of the radiation,” Takahashi caused widespread nuclear exposure, and “people don’t what is the correct said. She is worried about the safety severe health problems for islanders, information to believe.” of the area and despite her family roots and evacuations of populations from Keiko Takahashi lived in Okuma in Okuma extending four generations Fukushima residents Kaede Nagashima contaminated islands, the student Town, just 3.5 miles from the Daiichi back, she says “We shouldn’t go back, (left) and Keiko Takahashi in Majuro. group from Japan said Japanese are nuclear plant. She was fortunate to even if 100 years passes.” Photo: Hilary Hosia. facing similar problems of radiation live on a hill, so her home was not The concerns of the Japanese stu- exposure, forced evacuation from areas damaged by the devastating tsunami Continued page 2 Talk to us at [email protected] • Subscribe to the Journal Online at www.marshallislandsjournal.com 2 Friday, February 28, 2014 — The Marshall Islands Journal Fukushima El-Sayed issue takes students over Nitijela session visit with Former Marshall Islands President Ministry of Foreign Affairs was consult- local nuke Litokwa Tomeing called for the resignation ing and vetting the nomination first with of the Loeak Administration Wednesday UNESCO and once we got the okay from for nominating Jamil el-Sayed to become them we were going to bring this to Cabinet survivors an RMI representative to UNESCO. But and the President. This was just the start of in an extended debate at Nitijela, President the vetting process.” Christopher Loeak and Foreign Minister Muller said he’s thankful UNESCO From page 1 Phillip Muller both dismissed the issue as checked and notified the government dents about radiation safety issues mirror no big deal. through its UN Embassy and that he was those of Rongelap Islanders in the Mar- Tomeing said the failure to follow proper able to quickly correct the mistake. shall Islands who have been told one of procedures in the nomination by the Foreign But senators in Nitijela challenged their islands is safe for return. Most of Minister of el-Sayed was a clear violation of Muller’s “it-was-just-the-start-of-the- the elders who were on Rongelap when it Foreign Minister the Marshall Islands Constitution. vetting-process response.” was engulfed in a snowstorm of radioac- Phillip Muller. Argument about Muller’s nomination of Senator after senator highlighted normal tive fallout from the Bravo test in 1954 el-Sayed, who is reported to have ties to the government procedures for nominating have openly expressed fear of returning terrorist organization Hezbollah, dominated an ambassador — procedures, which they to their former home atoll, which they Nitijela’s three-hour session Wednesday. said are clearly spelled out in the Marshall evacuated in 1985. “The world is shocked by our govern- needs to address like climate change and the Islands Constitution. Ebon Senator John Despite being forced to evacuate the ment’s action,” said Tomeing. “Our con- Compact. He said the issue about el-Sayed Silk said the Constitution requires that all town where four generations of her fam- stitution has been violated and if we don’t had already been corrected. Foreign Min- ambassadorial nominees be Marshallese ily have lived, Takahashi said, “I’ve lost do anything about this now then we may ister Muller responded to all questions and citizens, be of good character and be ap- my life but not my soul.” Her long fam- never (recover). Step down now those of complaints related to el-Sayed’s nomina- proved by a Nitijela resolution. ily ties to the town have prompted her you who are not doing what’s right for our tion as “just a start of our vetting process.” “Knowing all this how could you sign to begin researching the town’s cultural country. I am asking you to step down for Muller said he never met El-Sayed and that an appointment letter?” asked Silk. “The your mistakes and stop wasting our time. he came recommended by friends as some- Constitution has been violated so now what history so she can preserve it for future Let others who really want to work for the one who understands UNESCO processes. are we going to do about it?” generations even if Okuma is never people of the Marshall Islands step up to “We sent a request to UNESCO first President Loeak attempted to downplay habitable again. do the job.” because we in the RMI do not have means the severity of the issue saying that the Sato said he was concerned that some Loeak interrupted Tomeing, saying there to do background checks and our staff do mistake has been corrected and as far as people in Japan believe that the nuclear are more important issues the government not have the capability,” said Muller. “The the rest of the world is concerned they are accident at Fukushima is a thing of “satisfied.” He then classified the nomina- the past and has been resolved. “The tion of el-Sayed as that of an honorary nuclear plant accident hasn’t stopped,” counsel post. Majuro Senator Brenson Wase he said. In addition to ongoing radiation objected to the President’s characteriza- leakage at the Daiichi plant, he says the tion, saying in fact the post was that of an government’s official health checks that ambassador. recently confirmed 75 cases of thyroid “The Minister sent to UNESCO an am- tumors and cancers among people living bassadorial appointment letter,” said Wase. in the vicinity of the plant shows that He added: “It was a French newspaper that health problems are continuing to be felt alerted the RMI government of the appoint- by the population as a result of radiation ment, not UNESCO.” exposure. Namdrik Senator Matt Zackhras said “It is a human rights issue for people that he personally contacted the RMI’s UN in the Marshall Islands and people in Embassy on the issue and they told him Fukushima,” he said of the radiation they knew nothing about the UNESCO exposures in both countries. nomination. “Had el-Sayed’s appointment Kaede Nagashima was born in Fuku- gone through he would have had 10 years shima City. She said the area is famous of diplomatic immunity,” said Zackhras. for its agriculture products. “But today, Earlier in the month, Minister of Educa- I don’t want to eat fruits from Fuku- tion Dr. Hilda Heine, who is chairman of shima,” she said. the UNESCO National Commission for the “I think they are dangerous (due to RMI, said she was unaware of the el-Sayed radiation contamination).” She has been nomination. involved in a project of sharing high school student-written poetry and stories expressing concerns about the nuclear plant accident to audiences in Japan and Fishing will share these in the Marshall Islands this week. “We need to tell the truth about the tournament radiation situation in Fukushima,” Na- gashima said. March 1 is not only the 60th anniversary “I tell people that the Fukushima of the Bravo hydrogen bomb test, it is also nuclear issue is related to them and is the day of a Marshalls Billfish Club mini still an issue. Three years after the ac- Total Points tournament. cident, some people say it is past. But Registration for the tourney starts at it’s not over.” 6:30pm at RRE shoreline on Thursday. “The nuclear testing (in the Marshall The tournament will start and end at RRE Islands) resulted in both immediate and shoreline. continuing effects on the human rights of Anyone wanting to see the weigh in of the Marshallese,” said a United Nations fish caught, lines must be out of the water Special Rapporteur following a visit to by 5pm, so after that is a good time to appear the Marshall Islands in 2012.