Ngeremlengui gains Ngerchelechuus, Ngardmau gains reef
By: L.N. Reklai
(Ngerulmud, Palau) Appellate Court upheld the Trial Court’s decision on November 16, 2016, delineating the boundary between Ngeremlengui and Ngardmau from reef to the highest mountain.
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Affirming the Trial Division’s decision, the Appellate Division basing its decision on the municipal charters, put the boundary marker for the two states from reef rock known as Delsachel el Chiloil at Klairemasech Reef to the mouth of Ngermasech River up to Ngerchelechuus and on to Ngel.
This decision greatly expanded the land portion of Ngeremlengui to include Ngerchelechuus mountain but Ngeremlengui lost a large portion of its reef. It also expanded the maritime boundary of Ngardmau State but at the same time, Ngardmau lost a great deal of its land to Ngeremlengui, including Ngerchelechuus.
Both States contested each section of the decision that was not in their favor. Each filed an appeal contesting the decision.
On November 16, the Appellate Division issued a ruling that the municipal charters described the same common boundary and that the Trial Court should have put more emphasis on the descriptions. Nevertheless, it believed that the error did no harm to the rights of the parties and the Trial Court’s factual determinations of the locations of the chartered boundary points were not wrong.
The Appellate Court affirmed the decision of the Trial Division and rejected the appeals of both Ngeremlengui and Ngardmau. [/restrict]