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Bordallo bill would utilize military tax monies for war claims

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Marianas Variety Guam, Jan. 8, 2013) – Guam senators are urging Delegate Madeleine Bordallo to modify her war reparation bill and explore alternative sources of funding other than Section 30 that is proposed in her legislation.

"Section 30 is money owed to the government of Guam," Speaker Judi Won Pat said. "I would prefer that it’s not used as offset for the survivors’ claims. I wish it had not been done that way."

Section 30 constitutes military tax remittances that are incorporated into GovGuam’s annual appropriations. Guam’s Section 30 collections are projected at $53 million in fiscal year 2013.

Bordallo’s H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, which was reintroduced in the 113th Congress last week, targets "future additional Section 30 funds attributable to the military buildup" to pay for war survivors’ claims.

"The...

‘Sensational’ story may hurt progress in exporting kava

By Len Garae

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post, Jan. 7, 2013) – In Vanuatu, kava dealers who export to the United States know the risk they are involved in saying it is like selling petrol where some buyers put it in their cars while others may sniff it, which means those that sell it have no control over how it is used in America.

However while the issue of the sale of kava drink mixed with other substances in America can perhaps cause the drinker’s head to spin out of control, one thing has to be made clear to one ignorant American reporter and the wider American public and that is that the dried kava that is exported there from Vanuatu, when mixed as a drink without any other substance, has not been proven by science to be a threat to the drinker’s health.

The article...

Samoa, other island states high in ranking

By Aurea Gerundio-Dizon

KOROR, Palau (Island Times, Jan. 7, 2013) – For the third time, Palau is recognized as one of the World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations by Ethical Traveler.

Ethical Traveler is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization from Berkeley, California. It reviews the policies and practices of hundreds of nations in the developing world every year. The organization then selects the 10 that are doing the most impressive job of promoting human rights, preserving their environment and upholding civil society – all while creating a sustainable, community-based tourism industry.

Since 2011, Palau has been chosen as one of the top 10 ethical destinations.

Joining Palau in the top 10 in 2013 are Barbados, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Ghana, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritius, Samoa and Uruguay.

In the Ethical Traveler’s website, the organization noted that island states (including Palau, Barbados,...

Company vessel dumped oil waste, engineer falsified documents

By Fili Sagapolutele

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (The Samoa News, Jan. 7, 2013) – The U.S. Justice Department has recommended that among other things, New Zealand based Sanford Ltd. be given a criminal penalty of $3 million with a portion of that money designated as community service to benefit the marine sanctuary in American Samoa, according to federal court documents.

A jury at the federal court in Washington D.C. last August convicted Sanford of dumping oil waste into U.S. waters outside American Samoa and falsifying records. The charges stem from the company’s fishing vessel San Nikunau’s visits to Pago Pago over the years. The company was convicted on six of the seven counts.

The jury also convicted James Pogue, a chief engineer on the San Nikunau, of falsification of records for stating that required pollution control prevention equipment had been used when it had not. He was also...