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Submarine cable draws concern of NI advocates
Unknown to advocates for the resettlement of the Northern Islands and to those that oppose the U.S. military’s use of Pagan, there currently is a submarine cable running parallel through or to the Northern Islands.
Based on a submarine cable map online, the China-U.S Cable Network, or CHUS, shoots up from Guam and appears to cross into the Northern Islands between Pagan and what appears to be Asuncion.
This relatively recent finding by Northern Island advocates have them expressing concern over the lack of knowledge about the cable and its non-accessibility. They also question whether the cable extending from Guam and connecting to Asia encroaches on the CNMI’s three-mile exclusive economic zone.
CHUS was ready-for-service in January 2000, according to the cable map website.
Verizon, AT&E, KDDI, Tata Communications, China Telecom, and Chungwa Telecom are among the 22 telecom companies from all over Asia as well as New Zealand and elsewhere that are listed as owners of the submarine cable.
Jerome Aldan, Save Pagan advocate and proponent for resettlement of the Northern Islands, said the discovery of the submarine cable comes as “no big surprise.”
“The discovery of the submarine cable running through or by the Northern Islands is no big surprise given the heightened military interest of the islands. We are urging the CNMI [Department of Public Lands] office and the [Department of Land and Natural Resources] office to further investigate the existence of those cables and whether or not the CNMI is either directly or indirectly benefiting from this submarine cable,” he said.
In an interview, Manny Pangelinan, acting secretary of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, confirmed the submarine cable as something of interest.
On the question of whether the cable encroaches on the EEZ, he said it must first be determined under whose authority the cable was laid.
“Further research is needed before we make any conclusions,” he said. “I know definitely that if they are encroaching in our water, we can write to them and talk to the governor and see what is going on with this and what approach we can take.”
CHUS can be viewed at www.submarinecablemap.com.
