Sen. Arnold Palacios (R-Saipan) said he does not believe that the proposed military exercises on Tinian and Pagan will have an effect on the influx of Chinese tourists in the CNMI.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we trying to scare ourselves here?\u201d Palacios, who has been very vocal on his opposition to the proposed military exercises, said.<\/p>\n
He said the biggest number of tourists from mainland China go to San Francisco and New York in the U.S. \u201cAre we going to sacrifice our islands, if we do not do this or do that, then what? I am not trying to challenge anybody here,\u201d Palacios said.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the proposed military exercises will involve generations. \u201cThis is not just for the present, but will affect multiple generations,\u201d he said. \u201cSo what are we gonna roll over and play dead again?\u201d<\/p>\n
Palacios said that the CNMI has \u201ca voice\u201d even if it is such a small community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the U.S government is going to kill our economy because we did not give them two of our islands to destroy, then what are we doing with this kind of a national government?\u201d Palacios said. \u201cWe need to start asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rep. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan) said that \u201cwith all due respect,\u201d he also disagreed with the observation that saying \u201cno\u201d to the proposed military exercises will affect the CNMI tourism industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s got it the other way around. Case in point is what is happening right now. There\u2019s no military presence in the CNMI, but there is a visa waiver (program) for the Chinese. There is military presence in Guam but no visa waiver,\u201d Demapan said.<\/p>\n
The lawmaker added that, \u201cour worry then for the Commonwealth should be, after we allow the proposed military buildup is when our visa waiver program could be in jeopardy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rep. Ralph Yumul (Ind-Saipan) earlier said the CNMI should be \u201copen-minded\u201d to the U.S. military\u2019s plans, considering that the federal government has considerable control particularly on tourism.<\/p>\n
The member of the House minority bloc said the federal government has always monitored tourism in the CNMI and that it can \u201ceasily control the number of tourists coming in, particularly Chinese tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that leaning too much toward the Chinese market could send the wrong signals to the Department of Defense.<\/p>\n
Currently, Chinese tourists enter the CNMI via a parole arrangement, allowing them to travel to the CNMI without a U.S. visa. Japanese and Korean tourists do not have the same restrictions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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