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FSM Citizens' Advisory Committee Meets with President Mori in Honolulu

Honolulu, Hawai'i (FSM Consulate Office in Honolulu) September 30, 2009 - His Excellency Emanuel Mori, President of the FSM, met with the FSM Citizens' Advisory Committee (FSMCAC) and other interested FSM citizens living in Honolulu on September 30, 2009. President Mori thanked the committee members for their time to meet with him and said he hoped that the representatives of each state in the meeting will share the issues discussed with the other citizens in living in Hawaii.

The meeting started with a short opening statement by the Chairman of the FSMCAC, Mr. Taka Alphons of Pohnpei State. He also informed President Mori and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin Robert that the citizens outreach program in Honolulu had started with a basketball tournament for men and a volleyball tournament for both men and women. Teams representing the States of Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae and Yap are competing in these tournaments.

President Mori and Secretary Robert briefed the committee members on the latest developments in the National Government, including accelerated implementation of the infrastructure projects in the four States in the FSM and their recent meetings in New York, which included their participation in the UN General Assembly.

Mr. David Wolphagen from the FSM Immigration Office informed the committee on the current status of the new passport computer system which will be installed shortly in Guam and Honolulu. The new processing system will cut down on the number of days a passport takes to be processed and delivered to a citizen living abroad.

The meeting concluded with questions and answers from the members of the FSMCAC and the other citizens who attended the meeting. President Mori also reminded the FSMCAC members and the other citizens who attended the meeting of the challenge in continuing to uphold the need to be good citizens in the State of Hawaii.