Flashback November 14, 2000

Japanese arrivals fall 10% in October[/B]

The controversial travel advisory issued by the Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September has apparently taken its toll on the CNMI tourist industry, pulling down the number of visitors ferried by Japan Airlines by 10 percent in October.

However, JAL officials emphasized that intensified promotion on domestic tourism in Japan and the lack of activities on the island were the major reasons behind the plunge in the overall number of Saipan-bound Japanese travelers last month.

A report obtained from the airline company disclosed arrivals from Tokyo dropped seven percent in October 2000 to 9,904 from last year of the same month’s 10,656 Saipan-bound travelers who were ferried by the Japanese flag carrier.

DPH creates bioterror task force[/B]

Health Secretary Joseph Kevin P. Villagomez has formed the Department of Public Health Bioterrorism Task Force following the anthrax scare that gripped Saipan last week.

The task force, chaired by the health secretary, is composed of representatives from the different divisions of the Department that include the Commonwealth Health Center administrator, the director of medical affairs, an epidemiologist, environmental health specialists, pharmacists, emergency room staff and three certified hazardous material personnel.

“We’re pooling together so that we have a quicker response time,” Villagomez said. “Unfortunately, things like these happen at different times. People can get their mails at 1 or 2 in the morning, and when they open them, they go into crisis at that time, and they want to know what’s going on.”

Babauta, NMI govt sued[/B]

The Civil Service Commission filed a lawsuit yesterday against Gov. Juan N. Babauta and the Commonwealth government, in an attempt to prevent the termination of several civil service employees who have been converted to exempted position.

The commission, which is seeking to strip the Governor of control over the Office of Personnel Management, asserted that some statutory provisions giving Babauta powers over personnel matters, as well as an executive order creating excepted service positions, are unconstitutional; thus, they should have no force and effect. The commission also assailed the Governor’s legal authority to appoint its executive director.

“The government and civil service employees will sustain irreparable damage and the government will incur substantial liability unless the government is restrained from terminating the employment of the employees whose positions have been made exempt from the civil service by reason of Public Law 13-1,” said the complaint filed at the Superior Court.

China Southern Air brought in close to 10,000 tourists to the Northern Marianas since the air carrier began direct charter flight to the Commonwealth in April 2002.

The tourists-who arrived through the bi-weekly flights of the air carrier to Saipan-boosted the recovery efforts of the CNMI tourism industry, Tinian Dynasty Hotel Manager Tom Liu said.

Since April 2001, over 8,000 tourists flocked to Saipan and Tinian using China Southern Air’s Boeing 757, which utilized almost 50 percent of its 104-flight permit to the Commonwealth.

Liu said China Southern Air would also be instrumental when the West Tinian International Airport opens for direct flight to Tinian in early 2003. The hotel manager, however, refused to disclose plans for additional flight permit for the air carrier when its license expires on April 2003.