The
September 10 - 23, 2025
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Kaselehlie Press
The
September 10, 2025
Free bi-weekly publication
KASELEHLIE PRESS Kpress@mail.fm
PO Box 2222 Kolonia, Pohnpei, FM 96941
Vol. 25 Issue No. 19
(691) 320-6547
POPA audit cites misuse of hospital supplies fund by former leadership; CID investigation launched By Bill Jaynes The Kaselehlie Press September 6, 2025 Kolonia, Pohnpei — An inspection of the Pohnpei Department of Health and Social Services’ (DOHSS) Medical Supplies Revolving Fund has uncovered systemic weaknesses in financial management, leading to unallowable expenditures, unauthorized transfers, and even a temporary negative fund balance. The audit, conducted by the Office of the Public Auditor (OPA) at the request of the Pohnpei Legislature, covered transactions from October 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024. Importantly, the report clarifies that its findings concern practices under the previous administration and not the current Director of
DOHSS, Stuard H. Penias. The inspection revealed that the Revolving Fund was operated without formalized policies, adequate oversight, or a proper authorization process for financial transfers. In several cases, money was transferred to the state’s General Fund without written approval from the Director of DOHSS. Some transactions were carried out based only on verbal instructions, leaving no paper trail and eroding transparency. Among the most serious concerns, auditors identified the following: •
Unauthorized transfers totaling over $2.7 million to the General Fund, including more
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Trump Executive Order halts parcel shipments from FSM to the United States and beyond
FSM Postal Services notices warned of a U.S. ban, but international parcels are caught too By Bill Jaynes The Kaselehlie Press September 8, 2025 Pohnpei — U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order ending dutyfree treatment for low-value imports has prompted the U.S. Postal Service to order the FSM Postal Service to stop accepting parcels to the United States. Only flats such as letters and magazines, along with diplomatic and military mail,
are still permitted. Notices posted in FSM Post Offices earlier this month informed the public of the U.S. ban. What those notices did not say, however, was that parcels bound for other countries are also caught up in the suspension, since every package leaving the FSM must first pass through a U.S. Postal Service hub. FSM Postmaster Epel Ilon sat for an interview on September 8 to explain the situation, the
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reasoning behind it, and the uncertainty now facing FSM residents who rely on international mail How the Ban Began On August 29, 2025, Ilon said his office received an email from Honolulu— the FSM’s liaison point with the U.S. Postal Service—instructing them to “immediately stop mailing of parcels to Honolulu.” Because all international parcels from the FSM must be routed through either Guam or Honolulu, this effectively shut down package shipments to the United States and potentially to Click here for continuation on page 4