FLASHBACK March 18, 1999

‘Recovery a long shot’[/B]

Although Japanese arrivals to the CNMI have shown little signs of improvement, the recovery of Japan’s tourism market and economy will not take place until the year 2001, according to an airline executive. Dousing hopes of many businessmen and local officials on the immediate rebound of the Japanese economy, the world’s second largest, any sign of improvement would only be a very slight increase compared to what was experienced in the late 1980’s, said Tom Shigemitsu, director for international passenger marketing and sales planning of Japan Airlines. This developed as an analysis of the island’s economy showed that the Northern Marianas is headed for recession between now and 2005.

Due to the increase in outbound travel from Korea, Asiana Airlines has decided to provide direct Seoul-Saipan service using a B767 six times a week beginning April 2. However, on July 21, 1999, Asiana will begin providing daily flights to Saipan, according to Perry John Tenorio, managing director of the Marianas Visitors Authority. “We are definitely seeing the recovery of the Korean market primarily due to the economic improvement in Korea,” Tenorio said. Currently, Asiana’s daily B 767 flight with 260 seats is shared by Guam and Saipan.

Police storm Garapan[/B]

It was no accident that the streets of Western Garapan were surprisingly scarce of skimpily dressed women roaming around Friday night. The unusually quiet ambiance in the otherwise busy commercial district had officials suspecting that word may have already leaked out of an instantaneous raid which was about to be conducted at Saipan’s central business zone that night. Since its formation Tuesday of last week, the Governor’s multi-disciplinary task force against prostitution wasted no time in going about its assigned mission by taking to the streets of Western Garapan to zero in on a number of suspected illegal activities reportedly widespread within the area.

TINIAN—Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino said Saturday that economic slowdown has rendered the management financially incapable to pay permit violation penalties imposed by the Coastal Resources Management. Tinian Dynasty Hotel Manager Tom Liu said their current revenue-generating capacity prevents the management from paying $370,000 plus penalties for their failure to hook up to the Commonwealth Utilities’ Corporation’s 20-megawatt power plant on the island. As part of the management’s self-imposed austerity measure, Liu the hotel has to depend on its nine generators for power and water supply. These generators provide Tinian Dynasty approximately 10-megawatt electricity, which is enough to cover the entire hotel and casino operations.

Gov’t waits and see on FDM[/B]

Commonwealth officials are taking the position of wait-and-see, as developments continue to unfold in the lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity versus the U.S. military for its bombing activities on the Farallon de Mendinilla Island. And despite the court’s ruling that the military bombings in the Farallon de Mendinilla violates a 1918 migratory bird treaty, military exercises on the island continues, with the Emergency Management Office warning the public-especially fishermen, tour operators and commercial pilots-to stay away from the area. Live fire exercises are scheduled daily until Friday, from 7am to 12 midnight. These would resume the following Sunday, and would last until March 31. They would be conducted on a similar time schedule daily.

The U.S. Navy’s bombing practices on Farallon de Mendinilla Island were being carried out despite the refusal of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a permit in connection with Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Center for Biological Diversity said. “The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, one of the oldest conservation statutes in existence, has since 1918 flatly prohibited harm to migratory birds absent a permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,” said a statement made by the environmental group, which was posted on its web site. “The Service refused to issue such a permit to the Navy in 1996, but the Navy has continued to bomb the island anyway, claiming that the Treaty Act doesn’t apply to federal agencies,” it continued.