Haruo Ignacio Remeliik (1 June 1931 –30 June 1985) was the first President of Palau from 2 March 1981 until his assassination on 30 June 1985. He is buried at Kloulklubed in his home state of Peleliu. Remeliik was of mixed Japanese and Palauan descent. [1]
Remeliik studied priesthood in Truk. Later he returned to Palau and became an associate judge. In 1968,he won a seat in Palau legislature and became vice speaker. In 1970 he was appointed as deputy district administrator for the Palau district of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. [2] In 1978 he became a member and later also president of the constitutional convention. In 1980,he was elected as the first President of Palau,and he won re-election in 1984.
Remeliik was shot in the driveway of his home by an unidentified gunman. [3] Six months after the killing,two relatives of Roman Tmetuchl and another man were arrested in connection to the killing;however,they were later released. [4] [5] The case went through two different U.S.-based prosecutors before being tried in 1997. [6] In March 2000,former presidential candidate and convicted felon John O. Ngiraked claimed responsibility for the conspiracy to kill Remeliik. [6] [7] Persistent allegations that Remeliik was killed by the CIA due to his firm anti-nuclear stance have continued after the trial and Ngiraked's confession. [8]
Palau,officially the Republic of Palau,is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The republic consists of approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caroline Islands with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Thomas Ongelibel Remengesau,also known as Thomas Remengesau Sr.,was a politician in Palau. He was Vice President of Palau from 1985 to 1988,and acting President of Palau in 1985 and President of Palau from 1988 to 1989 following the violent deaths of two previous presidents.
Lazarus Eitaro Salii was a politician from Palau. He served as the second elected President of Palau from 25 October 1985 until his death by suicide on 20 August 1988,amid bribery allegations.
Alfonso Rebochong Oiterong was a politician from Palau who served as the country's Vice President from 1981 to 1985. Despite internal problems in Palau during the Remeliik administration,Oiterong was perceived as an honest,capable and dedicated civil servant. In addition of the vice presidential post,he was the minister of state aka minister of foreign affairs.
Ngiratkel Etpison was a politician and businessman from Palau. Etpison was elected President in 1988 and served from 1989 until 1993,becoming the country’s first elected president to serve a full term in office.
The defense of Palau is the responsibility of the United States,but local police matters are handled by the Palau Police,the national police force. Some of the sixteen states also had separate police departments during the 1980s and 1990s.
Roman Tmetuchl was a Palauan political leader and businessman. He grew up in Japanese-controlled Palau and joined the Kempeitai,the Japanese secret police,during World War II. After the war,he became the leader of Palau's Liberal Party. He worked in the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1964 to 1978 and advocated for Palau gaining a separate status from the rest of Micronesia. He became governor of Airai and engaged in three unsuccessful Palauan presidential campaigns. As a businessman,Tmetuchl led several construction projects for his business holdings and for the Palauan community,including the Palau International Airport and a Seventh-Day Adventist clinic.
Johnson Toribiong is a Palauan attorney and politician. Toribiong became the president of Palau,following his victory in the November 2008 election,and left office in 2013. Before 2020 elections,Toribiong has run for president four times - in 1992,1996,2008 and 2012.
Kloulklubed,also spelled Klouklubed,is the main settlement on the Palau island of Peleliu. It is situated at the northern end of the island,located near Imelchol Village and Koska. The village was a centre of Japanese operations during World War II,and the remains of the Japanese communications centre is still standing in the village. A monument to the Battle of Peleliu is also located in the village.
There is a small Japanese community in the Pacific Island country of Palau,which mainly consists of Japanese expatriates residing in Palau over a long-term basis. A few Japanese expatriates started to reside in Palau after it gained independence in 1994,and established long-term businesses in the country. Japanese settlement in Palau dates back to the early 19th century,although large scale Japanese migration to Palau did not occur until the 1920s,when Palau came under Japanese rule and administered as part of the South Seas Mandate. Japanese settlers took on leading administrative roles in the Japanese colonial government,and developed Palau's economy. After the Japanese surrender in 1945,virtually all of the Japanese population was repatriated back to Japan,although people of mixed Japanese-Palauan descent were allowed to remain behind. People of Japanese-Palauan descent constitute a large minority of Palau's population as a result of substantial intermarriage between the Japanese settlers and Palauans. They generally identify with,conforming to cultural norms and daily lives with the Palauans.
Chinese have been settling in Palau in small numbers since the 19th century. The early settlers consisted of traders and labourers,and often intermarried with Palauan women. Their offspring quickly assimilated with the local populace and generally identify themselves as Palauan. In recent years,Palau has seen a growing expatriate business community from Taiwan,after Palau established formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1999.
The sport of baseball is widely played in Palau,having been introduced by the Japanese during their occupation of the island nation. The highest level of league play in Palau in represented by Palau Major League (PML),which is overseen by the Belau Baseball Federation. The country is represented in international play by the Palau national baseball team.
General elections were held in Palau on 30 November 1984 to elect a President,Vice-President,Senate and House of Delegates. All candidates ran as independents. Incumbent Haruo Remeliik won the election for President with 50.9% of the vote,whilst Alfonso Oiterong was re-elected to the post of Vice-President.
William Vincent "Vit" Vitarelli,also referred to as Rubak in Palau,was an American educator and architect. He worked for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) from 1948 to 1970. He was stationed in various islands in Micronesia,including Palau and Ebeye,and participated in various educational and community development projects.
PSS Remeliik II is a Guardian-class patrol boat in the service of Palau's Division of Maritime Law Enforcement,built,and provided by Australia to replace the Pacific Forum patrol boat PSS Remeliik. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Australia helped its smaller neighbours,in the Pacific Forum by building small patrol boats so they could protect their own sovereignty. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),had extended an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 200 kilometres (120 mi) off the shores of all maritime nations,and for small Island nations in the Pacific protecting their EEZ would be an overwhelming problem.
David Ramarui was a Palauan politician. He served as a member of the Senate of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) prior to Palau separating from the territory,and then as Minister of Social Services in the Palauan government.
Haruo Ngiraked Willter is a Palauan civil servant and politician,and former Minister of Administration of Palau responsible for public finances.
John Obeldabl Ngiraked (1932–2003) was a Palauan politician and criminal.
Santos Olikong was a Palauan politician and a former Speaker of the House of Delegates of Palau. He was also a senator,bank manager and cabinet minister.