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MVA moves to address concerns of Japanese gov’t
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Posted on Sep 21 2000
In what could be the first concrete step to address concerns raised by the Japanese government on the safety of its travelers to the CNMI, the Marianas Visitors Authority said yesterday that they will ask the Legislature to pass a law that will regulate the operation of dive shops on the island.
MVA Board Chair Dave M. Sablan said the tourism office has received information that some dive shops operated by Koreans have as much as 60 students with only one diving instructor.
“We are quite concerned about this type of practice so we are going to ask the Legislature if they can enact a legislation to correct this bad practice. How can one instructor handle many students if an accident occurs?” he said.
The decision to look into the operation of dive shops was prompted by the Japanese government’s travel advisory warning Japanese tourists bound for the Northern Marianas that there are a lot of diving related accidents on the island.
The advisory, posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the Northern Marianas, particularly Sapan , as an unsafe destination, due to growing crime incidents.
Mr. Sablan said MVA will begin coordinating with the Department of Public Health the immediate acquisition of a decompression or hyperbaric chamber, a very important equipment to save the life of people in diving accidents.
DPH Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez has earlier expressed willingness to work with MVA in acquiring the equipment since it will also be needed for the use of diabetic patients.
“These accidents will just ruin the reputation of the island considering the fact that we are being promoted also as an ideal diving destination,” Mr. Sablan added. On the security issue, the travel advisory has noted the many incidents of theft at Obyan beach victimizing divers.
Last week, a member of the Korean group who went diving in the Grotto area was reported missing for more than an hour but was later on found floating at the Cowtown area near the cliff line.
