A threatened pearl of the Pacific

Ashok Warrier

AS a Foreign Service officer, I was privileged and fortunate to visit some of the most exotic places on this planet. One such country was Palau. Located to the east of the Philippines, this country, a grouping of several small islands, can be seen as a mere speck in the western Pacific Ocean. Palau is concurrently accredited to the Indian mission in the Philippines, where I was once posted. With a population of just around 20,000, this tiny island-country has had a history of being sold, annexed, ruled and governed by various foreign powers, ranging from Spain and Germany to Japan and later the US. Palau, which still retains trappings of the American connection, has the dollar as its official currency, with its citizens free to travel and enter the US without a visa.

Palau was an important military base for the Japanese during World War II. When I visited the country, Koror was its most important and inhabited city. It also served as the provincial capital, though it has since been replaced by Ngerulmud as the seat of the government.

During a call on the Foreign Minister of Palau (I had accompanied India’s Ambassador to the Philippines, who was visiting Palau to present his credentials to the President), I remember the minister saying that one of the most popular eateries in Palau was owned and run by an Indian. The minister was spot on. The place was indeed buzzing with people. The enterprising owner of the restaurant was from Kerala. Being the lone Indian in the country, he was overjoyed in getting Indian visitors and treated us to a sumptuous meal cooked and served with great care and attention. He himself served us sizzling kebabs with a savoir faire that was fascinating and unique. I guess the swaying coconut trees, the availability of abundant fish and the virgin coconut oil of Palau may well have reminded him of his own state back home in India.

Another part of my three-day stay in Palau was a visit to the virgin beaches replete with eye-catching seashells, rocks and corals. The waters were azure and crystal-clear. Palau is a bliss for lovers of water sports. Although terms like ‘blue economy’ might have surfaced and started becoming popular only in recent times, I remember that even during my visit, a good 15 years earlier, environment and ecology meant a lot to the people of Palau. ‘Global warming’, rising water levels etc. were matters of great concern, and not entirely without reason, as these pose a serious challenge to the very existence of this small, almost idyllic island nestling like a threatened jewel on the rim of the Pacific Ocean.