Mark
Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the
Northern Marianas correspondent
A last-minute visa
mix-up nearly prevented Kiribati from joining the 65th Board
of Directors Meeting of the Association of Pacific Island
Legislatures (APIL) general assembly, according to a senior
government official.
Speaking to RNZ Pacific on the
sidelines of the event at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan,
Birimaka Tekanene said his delegation mistakenly believed
they did not need a US visa to enter the Commonwealth of
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
“The problem that we
encountered is that we were told by the secretary that we
don’t need a visa to come down to the CNMI because we are
part of Micronesia. I think there’s a misunderstanding
there,” Tekanene said.
“When we arrived in Narita
Airport, we were told that we needed a visa to come to the
CNMI, the same as Guam.”
Kiribati citizens must travel
to Fiji to apply for a US visa at the US Embassy
there.
However, due to the confusion, Tekanene said
the delegation only went to Fiji to obtain a visa to Japan,
where they had a connecting flight en route to Guam and
Saipan.
“But when we arrived at Narita Airport before
we departed for Saipan, we were told that we needed a visa,”
he said.
“So, we had to call the APIL president and
tell him about our issue. That’s when the CNMI and Guam
worked together, and we were finally advised that we could
board the plane and come down to the CNMI.”
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
Tekanene
said CNMI House Speaker Edmund Villagomez, who also serves
as APIL president, helped resolve the matter.
“We are
so fortunate that the president of APIL and members of the
secretariat really, really helped us,” Tekanene
said.
“This is the first time that we know that
there’s a visa exemption program by the US. We’ve been given
that opportunity, but at the same time, we were told that
this is an exceptional case and probably the only one that
will be given now.”
Tekanene expressed hope that
Kiribati could one day be included in the US Visa Waiver
Program.
“Every time we have to come over to
Micronesia, either Guam or the CNMI, we hope that we can be
given that same status, or something to do with the visa, so
we won’t have any problems coming down to Micronesia anytime
we attend APIL,” he said.
He added that with the Miss
Micronesia Pageant having recently taken place in Nauru, it
would be beneficial for Kiribati citizens to have easier
travel access to Guam and the CNMI should either host future
editions of the regional event.
“We are Micronesians,
and we hope that we probably look into that-or that APIL
will look into that-so that we don’t have a problem in the
future.”
Villagomez commended the Kiribati delegation
for their perseverance amid the travel
difficulties.
“I know you’ve come a really long way to
get here – a couple of days longer. But we really thank you
for your patience and for making it out here today,” he
added.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
