The Journal brings you a variety of news from around the islands, keeping you up to date with developments around the Asia Pacific region.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will visit Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu – Taipei's three remaining diplomatic allies in the Pacific on a trip starting at the end of the month, according to media reports quoting his office, but no details were shared on U.S. transit stops. Lai was earlier reported to be planning stops in Guam and Hawaii.
Taiwan typically supports cash-strapped islands with aid or offers support to the islands with which it has friendly relations. In 2023, after Typhoon Mawar devastated Guam, a donation of $20,000 was made through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam to the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross, according to Journal files.
Other VIP travel in the region, brought Brig. General Christopher K. Faurot, mobilization assistant at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; to the Port of Guam on Nov. 22.
Regional military leadership joined community leadership in the Northern Mariana islands for a quarterly meeting of the Northern Marianas Stakeholders Meeting on Nov. 20. Attendees included Rear Adm. Gregory C. Huffman, commander of Joint Task Force-Micronesia; Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander of Joint Region Marianas; Christopher K. Faurot, mobilization assistant at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Lt. Governor David M. Apatang and Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan.
An update on construction projects was provided, according to a release from Joint Task Force-Micronesia and Joint Region Marianas.
Passengers passing through Hawaii on the way to the U.S. mainland will have an easier time, according to a Nov. release from the office of James C. Moylan, Guam’s delegate to Congress.
A new “Alternative Operating Procedure” has been established at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, which will “designate a TSA bag drop location within the airport's sterile area and would require a much shorter movement as it would be close to the baggage carousel,” the release said.
Passengers traveling through Japan from Guam can ticket their luggage through to their destination, but the Transport Security Administration insists arriving Guam passengers claim their luggage and re-submit it in Hawaii.
Air Marshall Islands has ordered a pair of Textron Aviation Cessna SkyCourier turboprops.
The two passenger-configured SkyCouriers will be deployed out of Majuro “to support intra-island travel,” Textron Aviation said on 21 November.
Air Marshall Islands operates two De Havilland Canada Dash 8s and two Dornier 228 turboprops.
In other aviation news, Japan Airlines now offers free Wifi on international and domestic flights. How much free Wifi passengers will receive will depend on the class of travel, with Economy class passengers receiving one hour, and First/Business class passengers receiving two hours, according to JAL.
An expedition aboard Ocean Exploration Trust’s Exploration Vessel Nautilus has set sail to map and explore ocean habitats around the Palauan Islands, according to a Nov. 25 release.
Following two E/V Nautilus expeditions focused on exploring the deep sea in the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, this 17-day expedition will center on surveying the oceanography and current flow around the Palauan Islands, and how this affects both near and offshore ecosystems, including those within the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. For this purpose, the team will deploy a fleet of robots from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, including wave gliders, buoyancy gliders, autonomous surface vehicles, and vertical profilers, the release said.
The expedition team will include scientists from Palau’s Coral Reef Research Foundation and researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, along with educators, engineers, scientists, and mariners from OET’s International Corps of Exploration.
The expedition is the third one funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute as a contribution to the U.S/ government commitment made at the 7th Our Oceans Conference to support ocean mapping of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. These expeditions have already mapped more than 19,052 square kilometers of Palau’s ocean
The Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Saipan Chamber of Commerce are seeking feedback from their memberships.
The Guam Chamber members “about their experience in recruiting and retaining employees, considering the reported challenges faced by many companies,” it said on Nov. 21. “Findings from the survey will be shared with members, which can help inform business practices and policy development,” the Guam Chamber said. The Saipan Chamber has launched a survey “to ensure that the training opportunities we offer align with the needs and preferences of our members,” it said on Nov. 23.
Despite a Nov. 22 ribbon cutting “celebrating the completion,” motorists were advised that from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, throughout the daytime “the contractor [InfraTech International] will continue shoulder work along Route 14B (Ypao Road) and on the sidewalk.” During this time, expect minimal lane shifts and intermittent lane closures, according to a Nov. 22 release from the Guam Transportation Program at the Guam Department of Public Works.
The Guam administration also held a ribbon cutting on May 31 to “celebrate the resurfacing” of Ypao Road by Hawaiian Rock Products, according to Journal files. mbj
News roundup for the region
News roundup for the region
- Date Posted: Nov 25, 2024
- News: Guam, Japan, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
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News roundup for the region