Micronesia Sun Bright News from the Deep Pacific
Photos by the Office of the President, Republic of Palau
By Christopher Cottrell
September 23, 2026, Palau___President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. joined Pacific Islands and international leaders at President Donald J. Trump’s USA Reception, held on the occasion of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly where he will reaffirm strong lessons from the recent Pacific Islands Forum in Palau.
President Trump delivered a powerful speech at the UNGA deriding Iran’s global disruption of peace, with the full speech here.
Whipps Jr. recently stated, “Across our ocean, change is constant. We face global shocks, climate change, and rapid technological change. But as Pacific people, we are voyagers. We do not drift aimlessly; we adjust our sails and move forward together. As I often say, we are not asking others to solve our problems for us. We are inviting them to walk and collaborate with us.”
The US is joining Palau in this endeavor on many fronts, mainly battling drugs, especially from Chinese triad mafia groups. Yesterday the Chinese Prince Group had visa restrictions placed on 32 members by the Department of State. Recently, more flows of meth coming from Macau and Hong Kong have been targeting Palau, with the Micronesia Sun releasing a report on this shortly.
President Trump noted at UNGA, “Upon taking office, I designated the drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and unleashed the United States Armed Forces to eliminate them.”
