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Senate, Council of Chiefs Silent After Whipps Signs U.S. Deportee MOU

By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (AP) — Weeks after formally opposing a U.S. proposal to transfer deportees to Palau, neither the Olbiil Era Kelulau nor the Council of Chiefs has publicly responded to President Surangel Whipps Jr.’s decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States agreeing to accept up to 75 third-country […]

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Palau Orders Flags at Half-Mast to Honor Late Aimeliik Leader Kalistus Ngirturong

KOROR, Palau (Jan. 6, 2026) — Calling his passing a moment of “utmost homage and deep sadness,” President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. has ordered all Palau national flags flown at half-mast for five days to honor the late Kalistus Ngirturong, a former delegate of Aimeliik State and the traditional high chief, Rengulbai of Aimeliik. Presidential […]

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Palau Assures Shipping Registry Services Continue Without Interruption

By: L.N. Reklai Koror, Palau (January 6, 2026) — “All registry services continue without interruption and in full compliance with international standards,” said Hayes Moses, director of the Bureau of Marine Transportation, as the Palau government moved to reassure shipowners and maritime partners of the stability of the Palau Open Ship Registry. The Ministry of […]

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After Decades of Abandonment, Beluu er a Ngchesechang Reclaims Its Place in Palau’s Cultural Landscape

By: Summer Kennard AIRAI, Palau (December 29, 2025) — “People may have left the village physically, but their hearts and minds remained there,” Airai State Governor Norman H. Ngiratecheboet said as the historic village of Beluu er a Ngchesechang undergoes renewed life following decades of abandonment through a community-led cultural restoration effort. Community-led restoration of […]

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PALAU REACTS TO WHIPPS’ DEPORTEE DEAL AS QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER PROCESS, COSTS AND TRANSPARENCY

By: L.N. Reklai & Summer Kennard KOROR, Palau (Dec. 29, 2025) — Shock, anger and unease have dominated public reaction in Palau following President Surangel Whipps Jr.’s decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on Dec. 24 agreeing to accept up to 75 deportees from the United States in exchange for $7.5 million in U.S. […]

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