Letter to the governor and NMI Legislature:

Dear Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and CNMI Legislature:

I am a 69 year-old Japanese man who has been a tourist to Saipan for many years.

My first trip to Saipan was 35 years ago, back in 1971. Since then I have visited Saipan many times. During each visit, people were friendly and kind, and I was grateful to see beautiful sunsets in the beach. This time, I have been visiting my friend and every evening I would walk along Beach Road to enjoy the sunset.

The reason I have decided to write you is to tell you about an incident that happened at Beach Road. As a loyal visitor to your beautiful islands, I hope that you will take this letter seriously. I want to keep coming back here, but I would like to know that Saipan’s leaders care about the welfare of repeat visitors like myself.

On Jan. 11, 2006, I was walking as usual with my friend. Around 5:20pm I found myself across from Joeten Motors, when a skinny man with long hair passed me on my left and suddenly turned and punched me in the face. Due to this violent and unprovoked punch I felt dizzy and disoriented. This man kept attacking me until he had apparently broken the skin above my eye. I also suffered a strong punch to my chest that left a big bruise. This bruise is so painful I have a hard time sleeping even now.

According to the police officer, the man who attacked me is a local Carolinian who has mental problems. My question is: Whose responsibility is it to take care of people with mental problems to prevent them from attacking innocent tourists? From what I hear, this man seems to have a record of threatening and attacking people. As far as I know, he cannot simply stay in jail precisely because of his apparent mental disabilities. If he is too much for your local prison to handle, then he certainly should not be allowed to roam the streets without any help.

Many of my local friends have said there is no budget to take care of people like him. Honorable leaders, I implore you: Please take care of your own people. It pains me to feel unsafe on the streets of Saipan, and unprovoked attacks by islanders will undoubtedly hurt your reputation, and by extension, your economy. But it is perhaps even more saddening to think that islanders are not taking care of their own flesh and blood, especially people whose mental capacities are lacking and they are violent through no fault of their own. I have faith that you will also feel compassion for people with disabilities to put them somewhere safe for themselves and others, and that you will see the business sense in ensuring Saipan’s reputation as a “safe” destination for tourists. Feeling safe, as you probably know, is paramount to Japanese people.

Since the attack, I have stopped walking. I am very disappointed, because walking is what I really enjoyed doing every day. Have you been walking along the Beach Road pathway? I see many people who are completely relaxing and enjoying their time with friends, children, and babies. Do you think we should have to worry while enjoying the CNMI’s public places?

Please remember that repeat visitors are important to the islands’ economy, and when something like this happens to one of us, it could hurt the reputation of your islands thereby damaging the already dwindling tourist numbers. However, it is in your power to correct this problem and to assure people like me that it is safe to return time and time again. All I really want is to enjoy Saipan’s beautiful sunsets without fear.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my situation.

Satoshi Takeuchi
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