Amador Osima

Amador Osima has pleaded guilty to first-degree escape and resisting arrest after threatening correctional officers with a butcher knife during his August 26 escape from Koror Jail.

Associate Justice Honora Remengesau Rudimch accepted the guilty pleas as knowing and voluntary in an October 21 judgment.

When his request was denied, Osima pulled a butcher knife from his pants and attempted to strike officers as they approached.

Officers pursued him, but he escaped through the facility’s main gate and fled toward Ngesekes.

An officer found him near the SDA Elementary School. Police said he dropped the knife but resisted handcuffing and tried to take the officer’s holstered firearm.

Another officer helped restrain him and he was handcuffed at around 1:08 p.m.

Prosecutors also charged him with assaulting two officers after his return to jail. The judgment does not state the outcome of those assault charges.

The escape followed a March 16 incident in which police said Osima climbed through a damaged window security bar and over the perimeter wall and fence. Officers recaptured him two days later beneath the Land and Survey building.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 12 at 1 p.m. in Courtroom 104.

First-degree escape carries a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $25,000 fine. Resisting arrest carries a maximum prison term of one year and a $1,000 fine.

1.Ken Suzuky

2.Warren Fukuichi

 Angaur voters will decide on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, who will lead the state for the next two years, as educator and former legislator Warren Fukuichi challenges incumbent Governor Kennosuke Suzuky for the third time.

The two most recently faced each other in a special election earlier this year following the recall of Governor Natus Misech. Their first contest was six years ago, when Suzuky won his first bid for governor.

In the Olbiil Era Ngeaur (OEN) legislative race, five incumbents face five challengers. The incumbents are President (Speaker) Audrey Rafael, Vice President Helena Gulibert, Arkagius Yamada, Ethel Arurang, and Gene Larson. Some have also served in previous legislatures.

The challengers are Olkeriil Kazuo, Arnold Asao, Marvin Ngirutang, Jake Ramon, and Michael Vereen.

The five elected legislators will join three traditional chiefs representing the state’s villages. The fourth traditional seat is vacant following the death last month of Uchelbelau Lorenso Edward.

The incoming leaders will face several challenges, including water shortages during the current severe drought, access to drinking water, transportation during rough weather, limited economic development, and a lack of jobs.

Other issues include the uncontrolled monkey population, removal of an old barge, repairs to the Regina IV and constitutional amendments.

Deborah Meresebang Wiley has been recognized as the new Uodelchad ra Ngeruios in a ceremony by the Ngarauodelchad on October 24, 2026 at Ngercheluuk, Ngiwal.

Uodelchad ra Ngeruios is the female counterpart of Uongruios — the top ranking chief of Ngiwal.

Police officer Marsei “Mars” Orrukem pleaded not guilty on Thursday, October 22, 2026, to assault and terroristic threatening charges stemming from allegations that he beat and threatened an inmate inside Koror Jail while off duty nearly a year ago.

Orrukem appeared with defense counsel Brendlynn O. Joseph before Supreme Court Associate Justice Peter Huffman. Special Prosecutor Tamara D. Hutzler represented the Republic at the arraignment, during which Orrukem pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Orrukem is a member of President Surangel Whipps Jr.’s security detail and the husband of Justice Minister Jennifer Olgeriil.

Although the incident was addressed administratively, criminal charges were not filed until nearly a year later. The delay drew public attention and questions from the media and lawmakers.

At a Senate hearing last week, Hutzler said she had been on the verge of suing the Attorney General’s Office to obtain case information before receiving the material that enabled her to file charges.

Huffman released Orrukem on $500 cash bail with conditions, including surrendering his passport to the Clerk of Courts, subject to an exception for previously planned travel through November 2, 2026. Orrukem must also sign an extradition waiver, attend all court proceedings and commit no further legal violations. A status conference is scheduled for November 20, 2026, at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 103.

The charges were set out in an information and affidavit of probable cause filed on October 13, 2026, following an investigation by Office of the Special Prosecutor analyst Klerang Recheked. Count One charges Orrukem with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both. Count Two charges him with first-degree terroristic threatening, a Class C felony carrying up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

According to the affidavit, Orrukem entered cellblock B9-A at Koror Jail on November 25, 2025, while off duty. Investigators alleged that he kicked inmate Brett Loi Eungel in the chest, pinned him to the concrete floor and punched him in the face and head. The alleged assault followed Eungel’s detention for panhandling and allegedly asking the president’s daughter for money.

The affidavit cites statements from on-duty officers and inmates describing the alleged attack and threats. Inmate Omar Takada Omar reported hearing Orrukem ask, “Why did you do that to President’s child?” before warning, “If I see you around Meyuns, I will beat you up.”

The affidavit further alleges that Orrukem returned early on November 26, 2025, released Eungel without authorization and instructed him “not to discuss anything to anyone,” threatening further harm if Eungel was seen in public.

First Secretary Ianthe B. Douglas

By Elilai Rengiil

First Secretary Ianthe B. Douglas of Palau’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has urged the UN to align its development support with island countries’ priorities and deliver practical results on the ground.

Speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) at the Second Committee’s 16th plenary meeting on October 15, Douglas said assistance must be accessible, predictable and tailored to the needs of small island developing states.

The alliance said SIDS often need specialized expertise to carry out national development plans. Meeting those needs requires a sustained and effective UN presence.

AOSIS highlighted the importance of UN country teams, particularly arrangements in which one office serves several countries. It said these multi-country offices should be regularly monitored and adjusted where necessary to ensure effective services.

The alliance also sought early information about proposed reforms and the criteria used to determine how UN country teams and multi-country offices are organized.

That information would help countries make informed decisions about the future of UN development support, Douglas said.

AOSIS maintained that the General Assembly should remain the forum for decisions on the UN development system and its reform because every member state has an equal voice there.

The alliance called for stronger national ownership, better coordination among UN agencies and support aligned with countries’ priorities.

It said the goal must be a UN development system equipped to help island countries implement the 2030 Agenda and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for small island developing states.

Pacific leaders, investors and food producers will meet in Vanuatu from November 3 to 6 to seek practical ways to strengthen local food production, improve access to healthy food and secure investment in farming and fisheries.

The gathering will focus on making the region’s food systems more resilient, from production and processing to transport and sales.

Organizers say climate change, food insecurity, economic pressures and supply disruptions are affecting how Pacific countries produce food and make it available to communities.

The forum aims to connect governments, farmers, fishers, businesses and researchers with financial institutions and development partners. 

Discussions will cover support for local producers, stronger markets, affordable healthy diets and adaptation to climate change. 

The four-day program will begin with a ministerial roundtable on national priorities and discussions on private-sector partnerships. Sessions on November 4 will address crop, livestock and fish production, healthy diets and diet-related diseases.

The third day will focus on climate resilience, financing, food supply chains and the use of digital technology, data and artificial intelligence in agriculture.

The final day is scheduled to include the launch of the Pacific SIDS Investment Programme and Agrifood Investment Platform, followed by the adoption of a ministerial declaration.

Expected participants include Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat, Agriculture Minister Ian Wilson Toagalana and senior FAO officials. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu is scheduled to participate virtually.

Pacific ministers, regional organizations, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development are also expected to attend, alongside farmers’ organizations, businesses, researchers and youth.

Senate Bill No. 12-80 would gradually raise government employees’ normal retirement age to 65 and set pension contributions at 6% of gross pay for employees and 7% for employers beginning January 1, 2027.

The bill passed its first reading last month and was introduced by Senate President Hokkons Baules (by request).

The measure seeks coordinated reforms to Social Security and the Civil Service Pension Fund. The provisions reviewed call for coordination, not a merger, retaining a separate pension fund and board. 

The bill warns that Social Security could exhaust its fund within 10 to 15 years without reform and says the civil service pension’s existing retirement age and contribution structure are becoming unsustainable. 

Under the proposal, employees born in 1967 or earlier would retain a normal retirement age of 60. The age would rise by one year for each subsequent two-year birth group, reaching 65 for those born in 1976 or later. Earlier retirement would carry reduced benefits. 

The Social Security amendments in the bill show a revised benefit formula.

Alternatively, combining the systems could reduce administrative duplication and simplify transfers between public and private employment. 

However, a merger would require protecting earned benefits, reconciling different rules and financing transition costs. It would not automatically eliminate funding shortfalls.

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is calling for fairer access to development funding, saying debt payments and costly borrowing are limiting the money available for hospitals, schools and infrastructure.

Palau’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations First Secretary Ianthe B. Douglas delivered the appeal on behalf of the alliance, known as AOSIS, during the United Nations General Assembly’s Second Committee general debate on October 5.

“We do not face only a shortage of finance. We face a problem of where finance flows, on what terms, and according to whose measure of need,” Douglas said.

According to the statement, the global funding gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals now exceeds $4 trillion a year. 

Official development assistance (ODA) fell by 23.1% in 2025, while small island developing states received less than 1% of global foreign direct investment flows in 2024.

Debt-service burdens across small island developing states have also reached two-decade highs, the statement said.

AOSIS called for financing decisions to account for countries’ vulnerability, rather than relying on national income alone. 

It urged wider use of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to reflect challenges such as geographic isolation, disasters, and exposure to external economic shocks.

The alliance said scarce public funds needed for essential services and stronger infrastructure were instead being absorbed by debt payments.

“Development finance cannot mean indebting the vulnerable simply to withstand the next shock,” Douglas said.

AOSIS urged support for the SIDS Centre of Excellence to put its Debt Sustainability Support Service into operation. It also called on development partners to reverse aid cuts and fulfil their commitments.

Private investment has an important role, the alliance said, but cannot replace public assistance in countries and sectors where investors cannot or will not invest.

The statement also stressed that island states protect oceans, ecosystems, and biodiversity that benefit the wider world, making affordable financing for them a global investment.

By Tia Belau News Staff

A petition seeking to recall Ngardmau State Legislature Speaker Terence Miozawa and Floor Leader Neil Fisher was submitted to the Palau Election Commission (PEC) on October 19, 2026, following the legislature’s passage of a second resolution to impeach Governor Jennifer Ngiraiwet.

The petition, signed by 54 voters, was submitted the same day Ngiraiwet filed a second complaint seeking to invalidate the latest impeachment resolution.

The petition states: “This petition is based on their leadership in adopting Resolution No. KN 11-19-2026, urging the Governor to terminate the proposed contract with S4 Co. without a public hearing, without due regard for the Joint Venture Agreement previously executed between the Ngardmau State Government and S4 Construction Co., and without respect for the Governor and Chief Beouch, who executed the Joint Venture Agreement. The undersigned believe such actions were taken without adequate public consultation and were contrary to the expressed support for the project.”

PEC is presently reviewing the petition and will announce the date of the special recall election.

The recall petition challenges Miozawa’s and Fisher’s leadership in adopting Resolution No. KN 11-19-2026, which urged the governor to terminate a proposed contract with S4 Construction Co.

The petitioners say the resolution was adopted without a public hearing or adequate consideration of a joint venture agreement (JVA) previously signed by the Ngardmau State Government and the company. They also contend that the action showed a lack of respect for Ngiraiwet and Chief Beouch, who signed the agreement.

Meanwhile, the impeachment election is scheduled for November 13, 2026. Ngiraiwet has asked the court to issue an order stopping that election while her second complaint is considered.

Justice Peter Huffman, who presided over the first case before his ruling was overturned on appeal, is handling the second complaint. A hearing on the governor’s motion is scheduled for today, October 26, 2026.

The proposed port project includes sand dredging, port development and other work, some of which began several months ago. The port project has reportedly earned opposition by those not involved in the project.

Sources within and outside the state have confirmed that some powerful politicians and retired officials who were connected with the previous port project that failed are fueling the opposition and may have some strong outside sponsors.  

James Kennedy

By Elilai Rengiil

In a ruling filed on October 20, the Trial Division granted part of the ROP’s request to decide the case without trial and denied Kennedy’s competing request.

The ROP sued in June 2025 to collect fines that totaled $13,000 as of April 2, 2025, and seek orders stopping Kennedy’s practice and requiring compliance. The regulations require lawyers conducting specified transactions to establish internal policies to help prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

Kennedy failed to submit compliance policies, seek an exemption, or request an extension by December 1, 2023, the court said.

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) imposed a $1,000 fine in January 2024, followed by monthly $1,000 fines beginning May 1, 2024.

Kennedy challenged the FIU’s enforcement authority, the regulations’ constitutionality, and the adequacy of notice about continuing fines.

The court rejected those arguments, finding that the Olbiil Era Kelulau lawfully delegated enforcement powers to the FIU and that its director’s appointment was constitutional.

Although a sanctions letter named another recipient, the court found Kennedy received adequate notice through his court mailbox and repeated warnings. It also rejected his claim that personal animosity drove the lawsuit, finding insufficient evidence.

However, the court declined to stop Kennedy’s law practice under the statute cited because the government had not shown his business license was first revoked, a required step.

The court did not decide the ROP’s separate request for an injunction on equitable grounds, which was not presented for consideration at this stage. A status conference is scheduled for November 6, 2026, at 1 p.m. in Courtroom 104 in Koror.