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By Paul C. Curtis

KAUAI, Hawaii (The Garden Island, Jan. 1) - The fast pace of development on Kauai in Hawaii, resort development in particular, and the infrastructure concerns that the rapid development has created and will continue to create, is the 2005 business story of the year.

There seems to have been a sea change in the feelings of many Kauaians, especially those who have become Kauaians in recent years, that development isn't necessarily a bad thing for the island. Not so long ago, Kauaians looked at Maui and Waikiki as places they didn't want Kaua'i to become. They were at home with the laid-back, neighbor-knowing-neighbor atmosphere, quite content, in fact, with the no-structure-taller-than-a-coconut-tree sentiment that got written into county law.

Yes, the new developments aren't more than four stories high (around 40 feet, the height of some of the taller coconut trees), but they are sprouting, or plan to sprout, from Hanalei to Kekaha. And, to...

‘SAFE HAVEN’ ABANDONED IN CNMI, PALAU EYED

By Gemma Q. Casas

SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, Jan. 2) – With the withdrawal of the "safe haven" proposal due to strong opposition of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands community, the humanitarian group United States International Mission is now considering Palau as an alternative site.

Dai Nguyen, field member of the USIM, said their group will look into alternative areas that have strong ties with the U.S., like Palau, to rehabilitate the rescued Vietnamese girls who were forced into prostitution in Cambodia.

Palau is an independent nation "freely associated" with the U.S.

On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Clyde Lemons Jr. issued a statement announcing the withdrawal from the Commonwealth Registry of Attorney General Pamela Brown’s proposed safe haven entry permit regulation.

Lemons said the decision was based on the large number of comments from those opposed to the plan which...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, Dec. 31) – Four members of New Zealand’s Pacific community are honoured in the New Year Honours List announced today.

The Auckland Justice of the Peace, Epafala Auimatagi has been awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for providing support for education, cutural awareness and health services to Pacific Island people.

He worked with the Justice Department helping prevent young people re-offending and advising the Probation Service.

Douglas Fua Alo, a member of the New Zealand Customs service also received the Queen’s Service Medal. Mr Alo, who is based in Thailand, played an important part in the New Zealand Embassy’s initial response to the tsunami crisis in Phuket.

His citation notes in particular his work with local officials dealing with the remains of those who died in the disaster.

Another Aucklander, Dean Marsters, received his QSM for services to Cook Islanders in New Zealand.

He served for 22 years as...

By Giff Johnson

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (Marianas Variety, Jan. 2) — United States funding that accounts for more than 50 percent of the College of the Marshall Islands operating budget will be at stake when the Western Association of Schools and Colleges meets in California in two weeks to decide whether the Majuro-based college will maintain its U.S. accreditation.

The college receives US$3.4 million of its US$6 million budget from U.S. federal sources — funding that depends on the college being accredited.

But for the past 18 months, the College of the Marshall Islands has been on "show cause" status, the final step before losing accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. More than 600 students, nearly all of whom use U.S. funding for tuition, could be affected by a loss of accreditation.

"The Western Association of Schools and College’s team made it crystal clear that the College of the Marshall Islands’ ticket to ride is...