We here at Guam Politics support the passage of Resolution 405, the full text of which can be found on the Guam Legislature's website. Introduced by Senators Aline Yamashita (R) and Rory Respicio (D), it is "Relative to encouraging the accurate location attribution of the Challenger Deep in order to create the widespread awareness of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Micronesia and secure potential economic benefits for the people of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and Micronesia".
As mentioned in the Resolution, the area encompassing the geographic feature now known as the Marianas Trench has been an integral part of the life of the region's people going back thousands of years. Also touched on in the Resolution is that nearly every expedition exploring the Trench has been launched from Guam (due to the geographical proximity). We believe that the people of the islands surrounding the trench should be able to realize any economic benefits that come from media publicity of trench diving and any other commercial activities that go along with it.
We strongly disagree with those who oppose this resolution for whatever their reasons may be. No one told anyone to dive into the trench, but as long as they are doing so and they are realizing the benefits..than those benefits should extend to their hosts as well.
#have a great weekend Guam!
