10 October 2012

"Dire need for international attention and direct action" to address self-­‐determination of Guam - CHamoru speaker tells U.N.



TIARA R. NAPUTIGuahan Coalition for Peace and Justice, said that in April, a joint statement released by the United States-Japan Security Consultative Committee confirmed that approximately 5,000 Marines and their dependents would be relocated to Guahan. Since the United States military already controlled one-third of the island, the indigenous Chamorro people were in danger of being pushed further to the margins by the threatened inundation of the island with thousands of military members and associated personnel. The island’s dependency status impeded the indigenous rights of the Chamorro and their ability to participate in the decisions that affected their culture, land, and lives.

On the subject of a lawsuit filed against the definition of “native inhabitant of Guam” as a condition for the self-determination plebiscite, she added that the case demanded attention from the United Nations. While it outwardly appeared to be a reverse discrimination case, it had nothing to do with protecting civil rights or preventing race discrimination. The lawsuit demonstrated an attempt by a Guahan resident to invoke United States’ domestic and legal processes and preemptively deny the long-colonized peoples of Guahan the opportunity to exercise the inherent right of self-determination.





Read full statement of Tiara R. Na’puti delivered to the United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Committee  (Fourth Committee) on The Question Of Guam on October 9, 2012.


Turks & Caicos Islands to return to elected dependency governance



The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR) will facilitate a team of observers to take part in an election observer mission in the TCI, Governor Ric Todd announced last Thursday.


The election observer mission will be in the TCI from 6-12 November 2012 and present its report to the governor before departure. 

During a busy programme on polling day, Friday, 9 November, the team will cover seventeen polling stations on Grand Turk, Providenciales, South Caicos, Salt Cay, North and Middle Caicos.

The team has now been selected, in coordination with the Association of Caribbean Electoral Organisations (ACEO), and will include Members from the UK Parliament and the Parliament of Gibraltar together with observers from BVI, The Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica and St Lucia. 

“Applying the highest international standards has been crucial to the reforms and changes that have been brought about over the last three years,” said Todd. “It is a logical extension of this process to make sure that we show the world that we can meet and exceed the highest standard of conduct through this election monitoring team’s judgement, conclusions and report.”

The election observer team members are:

1. Gasper Jn Baptiste, Deputy Chief Elections officer, St Lucia.

2. Joe Bossano MP, Minister for Enterprise Training and Employment, Gibraltar

3. Thomas Doherty MP, UK Parliament

4. James Duddridge MP, UK Parliament

5. Sherlyn Hall, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Parliamentary Registration Department, The Bahamas

6. Keith Lowenfield, Assistant Chief Election Monitor, Guyana

7. Rev. Lowenfield, Assistant Chief Election Monitor, Jamaica

8. Juliette Penn, Election Commissioner, BVI