Previous Story
Safe haven rep refuses to give up hope
|
Posted on Jan 18 2006
The United States International Mission has not given up hope on its safe haven project, which was overwhelmingly rejected by the local community in a public hearing last month.
David J. Sablan Jr., the Guam-based president of USIM Saipan, said the non-profit organization is hoping to have a dialog with the Fitial administration.
“At the moment, we are waiting to have the new administration settle in. The governor has a lot of matters he has to prioritize. As we begin our dialog with the new administration officials, we will surely keep the leadership in the Legislature informed of our progress, including our critics,” Sablan said in an email to the Saipan Tribune.
USIM Saipan is seeking to establish a safe haven in the CNMI for Vietnamese girls sold to prostitution in Cambodia. The Attorney General’s Office, under then AG Pamela S. Brown, proposed regulations that would have allowed for the establishment of a safe haven.
A public hearing was held on the draft regulations on Dec. 29, 2005. But due to strong opposition, the AGO withdrew the proposal until further notice.
Former deputy attorney general Clyde Lemons Jr. said that the AGO, as provided by law, would consider fully all written and oral submissions regarding the proposed Safe Haven Entry Permit regulation.
Lemons said the AGO needed time to review all the submitted comments given the volume of the written submissions and the length of the public hearing had on Dec. 29, 2005.
“Not much has been happening since the hearing on 12/29/05, though many people have come to me and others in our organization encouraging us not to be discouraged by what happened at the hearing, but to continue to get good regulations in place so we can do our humanitarian program. Many have pledged to support our program,” Sablan said in his e-mail message.
He added, “As we have committed to the people, our safe haven pilot project will not be a burden on the Commonwealth’s resources. We are a good program for the CNMI, not one that takes away from the resources of the Commonwealth, but a program that will actually add to the economy in a very positive way.”
