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An international Air Transport Agreement now is in effect between the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. It paves the way for Air Marshalls to begin scheduled passenger and cargo services to the FSM.

The agreement was signed by transportation officials from both countries during ceremonies in the FSM capital of Palikir last week.

The agreement permits both scheduled services and non-traffic stops, for such purposes as refueling. Both nations also granted the other the right to conduct non-stop international air transportation across its territory, by designated FSM and Marshallese airlines.

Service by Air Marshalls to the FSM now is in the planning stage. Currently, the Federated States of Micronesia has no national airline, with international and internal services provided primarily by Continental Air Micronesia.

In signing the air agreement, the RMI and FSM officials noted that it may be affected by the terms of...

FIGIEL IN HAWAII

Western Samoan poet and writer Sia Figiel, winner of the 1997 Commonwealth Writer's Prize for the best first book in the Southeast Asia and South Pacific Region, will present a public reading in Honolulu on May 21.

Ms. Figiel will offer excerpts from her award-winning work, Where We Once Belonged, a fictional, poetic exploration of adolescence. It is written primarily in English, with some sections in Samoan.

In London, where Figiel received the Commonwealth Prize April 29, the judges commended the Samoan book for "its ability to evoke an entire community in all its vivid details."

The reading, presented by the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, will take place at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

DETAILS: Wednesday, May 21, 1997 Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawaii at Manoa 7:30 p.m. No charge Presented by the Center for Pacific Islands Studies Co-sponsored by: Hawaii Literary Arts Council Department of English,...

POHNPEI HILLSIDES REMAIN HAZARDOUS

After examining the Pohnpei villages where 19 persons lost their lives in mud slides last month, a U.S. Department of Agriculture soil analyst says the danger of additional landslides continues to exist.

The analyst, Phil Giles, reported that minor additional sliding occurred in the area of Iohl and Oumor villages after recent heavy rainfall.

Hillside soil structure in the region has been weakened as a result of land clearing for sakau, a mildly narcotic pepper plant, and other crops.

Meantime, the state of Pohnpei and Federated States of Micronesia governments have requested US technical assistance in dealing with the soil problem. The US has been asked to conduct a geological survey of Pohnpei Island, in an effort to identify all areas prone to future landslides.

An earlier request by FSM President Jacob Nena to U.S. President Bill Clinton, asking that Pohnpei be declared a disaster area and eligible for...

The 16-day Coral Reef Twilight Zone diving expedition, now underway in Palau, already has discovered 21 previously unknown species of marine life, including a metallic-blue damselfish.

Divers involved in the expedition, organized by Hawaii's Bishop Museum in cooperation with the Palau-based Coral Reef Research Foundation, are exploring Palau reef areas at depths of 500 feet or more, using advanced diving equipment called "rebreathers."

The ocean at this depth, where sunlight penetration ends, is known as the Twilight Zone.

From this point, the water then plummets into perpetual blackness.

Diver Richard Pyle reports that he collected three apparently new species of wrasses yesterday. While diving, he also encountered several gray reef sharks as well as a huge dog-toothed tuna which, he said, was much bigger than the sharks. They all passed each other without incident.

The current species collecting expedition in Palau ends May 19. Some of the...