From COFACAN:

Good news!  H.R.15,  the House version of comprehensive immigration reform that restores Medicaid access for U.S. residents present under COFA, has gained a key supporter-- Republican Representative Jeff Denham of California!  This is the third bill in the House, along with H.R.912 and S.744, that would restore federal Medicaid access for U.S. residents present under the Compacts of Free Association.  

Please consider contacting Representative Denham to thank him for his support of this measure, that would restore health justice for members of our COFA community!  

In the meantime, we can help build on this momentum -- 

If you would like to contact your representative to encourage their support of this measure, please go here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and enter your zip code.  It will take you to a page with link to your Congressperson's website.  E-mail or call them at the number provided (weekends or after hours are good -- you can just leave a message on their answering machine) and please let them know that 

1. You live in their district, and 
2. You support comprehensive immigration reform bills HR15 and S744 including especially the restoration of Medicaid for U.S. residents present under the Compacts of Free Association.  

More importantly, please forward this ask on to your friends and relatives, and let them know that their support is critical to passing this legislation!  With only a few weeks left in this Congress, your voice could be the critical push that we need to get this historic measure passed.  Mahalo piha!

For those who may have missed it, the United Nations Special Rapporteur released a 2012 report on the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands, finding that U.S. nuclear testing "resulted in both immediate and continuing effects on the human rights of the Marshallese."  

Through interviews with government officials, ministers, academics, local communities and members of the press, the report noted that "the effects of radiation have been exacerbated by near-irreversible environmental contamination, leading to the loss of livelihoods and lands.  Moreover, many people continue to experience indefinite displacement."    

As part of its recommendations, the report also urges the United States to:

1.  Continue to provide the Marshall Islands with assistance in developing its health infrastructure;
2.  Continue to support the protection of the environment and support Marshallese efforts to develop their own atmospheric, marine and terrestrial monitoring capabilities, as well as strengthen the capacity of the Marshall Islands to address new threats from the impacts of technological progress;
3.  Continue to assist in the development of national public health and disaster response plans, including implementation capacity;
4.  Support a comprehensive nationwide terrestrial and marine survey to map the presence and concentration of radiogenic and other toxic substances remaining from U.S. military activity, and assist in securing, containing,  and remediating hazardous sites;
5.  Strengthen accountability and transparency mechanisms to ensure that atoll-administered funds benefit the constituents intended;
6.  Provide full funding to the Nuclear Claims Tribunal to award adequate compensation for past and future claims, and explore other forms of reparation, including restitution, rehabilitation and measures of satisfaction, and consider the establishment of a truth and reconciliation mechanism or similar alternative justice mechanism;
7.  Adopt a presumptive approach to groups currently excluded from programs created to assist survivors of nuclear testing, whereby individuals exposed to nuclear fallout would be presumed eligible;
8.  Issue a presidential acknowledgment and apology to victims; and
9. Maximize the benefits of the joint task force established to discuss progress in the implementation of the Compact of Free Association with an emphasis on open and frank engagement to enhance accountability of both parties under the Compact.

Download the report here, or read a summary in the United Nations press release.

From the University of Hawai'i East West Center, the Center for Pacific island Studies, and the Center for Biographical Research:

On Friday, November 1st, 2013, at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Burns Hall from 12 - 1:15 p.m:

Giff Johnson will speak on the current  nuclear situation in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. His talk will highlight formerly secret US  government documents about  its nuclear testing program and how these alter the "official" version  of the Bravo hydrogen bomb test at  Bikini Atoll in 1954. He will also address recent developments concerning the nuclear issue from the  Pacific Islands Forum held in Majuro, a UN Special Rapporteur's report on the US  nuclear testing legacy, and other issues in the Marshall Islands. 
 
Johnson is the author of the recently published biography Don't Ever Whisper —Darlene Keju: Pacific Health Pioneer, Champion for Nuclear Survivors.  This book tells the powerful story of Marshall Islander Darlene Keju, who championed the cause of nuclear weapons test survivors when others were silent, and who implemented innovative community health programs that gave hope to a generation of troubled youth. For more information about  Don’t Ever Whisper, visit www.donteverwhisper.com/. 
 
Giff Johnson has lived in the Marshall Islands since the mid -1980s.  He edits the weekly 
Marshall Islands Journal and is a regular con tributor to several regional news med ia. His 
previous books include  Collision Course at Kwajalein: Marshall Islanders in the Shadow of 
the Bomb (1984) and  Nuclear Past, Unclear Future  (2009).  

Download the flier here.

It's been a while since we last updated this blog.  However, that does not mean that we have not been busy!  Stay tuned for more posts in the near future.  In the meantime, check out these new media developments that continue to shed light on the issues and activities of our U.S. residents present under the Compacts of Free Association:

New Connections!  Micronesian Connections featuring Father Francis X. Hezel available online

Please check out Episode 14 of Micronesian Connections, featuring Father Francis X. Hezel, teacher, historian, author, Jesuit priest, and long-time resident of Chuuk, now available online thanks to ‘Ōlelo Community Media.

Al Jazeera spotlight

Please check out this latest article by Al Jazeera detailing the issues facing U.S. residents present under the Compacts of Free Association, as well as the history of the U.S. relationship with the Freely Associated States.  Mahalo nui to author Jon Letman for his great coverage of our issues and for giving a voice to many of our concerned community members here in Hawai'i nei.  

Hana Hou hana hou!

Check out this latest article from Hana Hou magazine on Land of Eb star Jonithen Jackson, whose film portrayal of life as a Marshallese on Hawai'i Island has been receiving international recognition in a number of film festivals.  Mahalo to Hana Hou, the in-flight magazine of Hawaiian Airlines, for spotlighting the ingenuity and passion of one of Hawai'i's own.

Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts including developments in the U.S. House of Representatives and for a rare opportunity to meet Giff Johnson, long-time resident of the Marshall Islands, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal, and biographer of outspoken Marshallese activist Darlene Keju! 

Mahalo nui to Representative Colleen Hanabusa and Representative Tulsi Gabbard for their efforts in including healthcare restoration for U.S. residents present under the Compacts of Free Association, in a comprehensive immigration reform measure introduced in the House. Modeled after Senator Hirono's similar provision in the Senate immigration reform measure, S.744.  This is the second House vehicle after H.R. 912 that would restore Medicaid for our COFA community members; with all of the attention focused on comprehensive immigration reform, this may be our best shot yet at closing a federal oversight that has taken its toll on too many lives.

Members of COFACAN (the Compact of Free Association Community Advocacy Network) have been hard at work advocating for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform measures, that would also ensure the restoration of Medicaid for COFA citizens residing in the U.S. (see picture, left).  With the help of the Hawai'i Coalition for Immigration Reform, hundreds of postcards have already been collected and sent to House speaker John Boehner, to encourage him to hear a comprehensive immigration reform measure.  Letters to the editor, coordination with advocates on the U.S. continent, and continued communication with our Congressional delegates will all help get this job done -- but we need your help!

If you would like to learn about and participate in similar activities to address the PRWORA problem facing our community members present under the Compacts, please sign up for action alerts and other news via our home page.