A Le Ko Kau Forum

March 19, 2012

His Excellency Johnson Toribiong

Re:  Senate Bill No. 8-109,SD2,HD7,CD2

Dear Excellency President Toribiong:

At the request of the Ministry of State to the Council of Chiefs to submit our comments on the above-referenced bill on or before March 20, 2012, we write to provide our comments.

IN THE

SUPREME COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU

TRIAL DIVISION

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________________________                Civil Action No­­­________

Updated: scroll down to see the president’s response.

Link to the following below article: http://www.pacificfreedomforum.org/

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Pacific Freedom Forum, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS– A presidential order banning Palau’s Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil from giving her legal opinion directly to those seeking raises serious concerns over access to information and freedom of information for the island nation, says regional media watchdog the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF.

By “Mersad Ngirchoteot” —-

ng chimol tekoi el kmal kedeb eng di sel bo dosaod er ngii eng sebeched el kmo ng diak a ulebengelel. ak kekerei el buik e sel kim moruul a bisakng ea ki blecheol melau ordomel el lild lolab a mechut el simbung ma llel a babier el ikel diak dousbech, ngak a blechoel mo ra olchertoll el mo melai leng mle olechui ra blimam. becherei se kuk mo tara taem. ma ki dmul ngii el babier e melau ordomel lousbech er sel nguil el kora diak el sal mekeald ma diak el sal mengchat, sel kora di ngara belngel. e mekekokemam el lomeltii ordomel el morsel kimomdasu er ngii, lotobed ra mo ungil bisakng, el beketaut e locha kmal mo betok a cheldil. meng kelteketel a taem el diak sal lomdasu er tial tekoi el melau, ngak tial klungal chad el mla mo bechiil loungalek ra terung el redil el chimong a teriuch a rekil ma chimong edei rekil, e kol mocha medengelii a kuk tara belkul tial tekoi. ea kumdasu e tiang a lmuut el betok a usbechel ma belkul el kmal di kau a sebechem el metik er ngii e ousbech er ngii. e ngak a kuk mo melasem lomeskid a usbechel el ngak omes er ngii ra chelsel a klengar rengak ma beluulchad el dengara chelsel. me kumuchel lomes ra beluad, chelechal taem eng uai a lengara ringel daob ra betok longarm ma chelbuul ra klechad, betok a duubech luchul a kerreior ma dakd lomerk ra rrau reng ra beluu. me ke de kora mo diak dodengei el kmo ke de bedul ker a lebebil ra taem. e mo kaiuechib osenged ra betok el tekoi, ma remerredeled a mo diak el sal bleketakl meng mengal rullid el mo suebek a rengud. a rebebil a kmu sesei ma rebebil a kmu sesei, ma debeltid eng kuk bebil. a rekaidelengelangel ma rekadederecher ra teliang. ma rekuk di lukong el rengud ngmla merasm a ngerir. ma rebebil el diak bol luk a ngerir el rengud toked a matmatong. 

The following letter was sent to Tia Belau or publication (September 5, 2011)

August 31, 2011

Dear Attorney General:

I am surprised that you have chosen to respond to my letter via comments to the Island Times claiming that your dismissal of ROP v. Diaz, Crim. Case No. 09-067, was necessitated by the fact that the Defendant was acting as a citizen and not as a Senator when he committed his wrongful conduct. How disheartening that your Office is willing to mislead the public when the evidence completely belies your claim.

The following letter was sent to Tia Belau for publication (September 5, 2011)

August 31

Dear Ms. Berg:

Thank you for your letter dated August 26, 2011. I welcome an opportunity to respond to your concerns. I know that you disagree with the decision of my office to dismiss the criminal matter involving Mr. Diaz. I will make an effort to explain what led to that decision.

OBAKLECHOL KUNIWO NAKAMURA’S REMARKS

5TH MICRONESIAN TRADITIONAL LEADERS CONFERENCE

NGARACHAMAYONG CULTURAL CENTER

NOVEMBER 23,2010

In the interest of time, I will give my simple and brief remarks this morning in English.

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/142761.htm

Palau is a transit and destination country for a undetermined, but relatively small, number of women from countries in the Asia-Pacific region who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and, to a lesser extent, men from the Philippines, China, and Bangladesh who are in conditions of forced labor. Some employers recruit foreign men and women to work in Palau through fraudulent representation of contract terms and conditions of employment. These foreign workers willingly migrate to Palau for jobs in domestic service, agriculture, or construction but are subsequently coerced to work in situations significantly different than what their contracts stipulated – excessive hours without pay, threats of physical or financial harm, confiscation of their travel documents, and the withholding of salary payments are used as tools of coercion to obtain and maintain their compelled service. Some women migrate to Palau expecting to work as waitresses or clerks, but are subsequently forced into prostitution in karaoke bars and massage parlors. Non-citizens are officially excluded from the minimum wage law making them vulnerable to involuntary servitude and debt bondage.

The below scholarship information was sent to me for sharing with readers. Here’s the link: http://www.lis.unt.edu/leap/scholarships.php

UNT/LEAP Scholarships available to 23 students

The UNT/LEAP scholarship program will offer twenty-three scholarships and related support for Pacific Islander citizens living in American Samoa; the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) comprised of the states of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap; Guam; the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI); and the Republic of Palau. Through funding from the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, students will receive full tuition scholarships to complete the University of North Texas master’s program.

Since 1981 after the institution of  the national and state governments under the  constitution  that we wrote and approved, a schism or  competition between the traditional system and modern democratic system, has been brewing. And it is clear that the imported democratic governance-electing those who govern -that we learned from the Americans is winning in overpowering and superseding the traditional system-appointed chiefs by clans to govern-that has evolved and developed for centuries in these islands.