Clean up passports-for-sale taint, minister says

The reputation of the Marshall Islands is still sullied by its sales of passports to Asians and other foreigners and the issue has clouded ties with the United States, new Foreign Minister Alvin Jacklick said.

The issue of passport sales “always pops up” in every discussion with US officials, he said.

“We have to put this behind us and move forward. It’s an uncomfortable situation for the Marshall Islands.”

From the mid-19905, the Marshall Islands began selling hundreds of passports to Asians - principally in China - earning the country tens of millions of dollars.

But government auditors have repeatedly queried the handling of the revenues by government officials and agents.

And the US government lodged numerous complaints with the Marshall Islands after many of those who bought passports used them to try to enter the United States.

Under the provisions of a treaty between the US and the Marshalls, natural bom Marshall Islanders can live, study and work in the United States without needing a visa. The government announced in mid -1996 that sales were halted, but Jacklick says he understands that passport sales have continued.

Jacklick said sales of Marshall Islands passports to aliens has caused friction with the US and had had a negative impact on the ordinary Marshalls citizen living in or travelling to the Unite States.

“The passport scheme has created a situation where Marshallese are targeted as illegal immigrants because of suspicion that they are passport purchasers,” he said.

Jacklick indicated he and the cabinet would be discussing the matter in the next few days, and he intended to “pursue an aggressive policy to determine if passport sales are continuing.” Personally he said he would like to see the Nitijela (Parliament) repeal the law authorizing sales of passports. In 1996, the former foreign minister Phillip Muller said the passport program was “totally stopped,” Jacklick

said. “But we still see Marshall Islands passports being advertised in papers (overseas).”

Afp

The Marshalls reputation has been sullied by sales of passports to Asians