Roman Tmetuchl (February 11, 1926 – July 1, 1999) was a
Palau
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
an political leader and businessman.
He grew up in
Japanese-controlled Palau and joined the
Kempeitai
The , , was the military police of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The organization also shared civilian secret police that specialized in clandestine and covert operation, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, HUMINT, interrogated suspects ...
, the
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese secret police, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the war, he became the leader of Palau's Liberal Party. He worked in the Congress of the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...
from 1964 to 1978 and advocated for Palau gaining a separate status from the rest of Micronesia. He became governor of
Airai
Airai, located on the southern coast of Babeldaob island, is the second-most populous States of Palau, state of Palau. It contains the country's chief airport, Roman Tmetuchl International Airport, and is connected by the Koror–Babeldaob Bridge ...
and engaged in three unsuccessful Palauan presidential campaigns. As a businessman, Tmetuchl led several construction projects for his business holdings and for the Palauan community, including the
Palau International Airport (which was later renamed in his honor) and a
Seventh-Day Adventist
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...
clinic.
Early life
Tmetuchl was born in the Eloklsumech clan of
Airai
Airai, located on the southern coast of Babeldaob island, is the second-most populous States of Palau, state of Palau. It contains the country's chief airport, Roman Tmetuchl International Airport, and is connected by the Koror–Babeldaob Bridge ...
in 1926. He grew up in
Koror
Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state.
History
In the oral tradition of ...
while Palau was under Japanese control.
He attended a Japanese elementary school in Koror and excelled in mathematics. During this time, he worked as a janitor and paperboy.
Tmetuchl was also a sprinter and jumper and was, according to
William Vitarelli, regarded as the fastest sprinter in Palau and Guam in 1949.
Later in his life he would coach teams and sponsor Palau's athletes in the 1969
Micronesian Games
The Micronesian Games (or Micro Games, MicroGames) are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands). The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially du ...
.
In 1943, he was recruited to work for the
Kempeitai
The , , was the military police of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The organization also shared civilian secret police that specialized in clandestine and covert operation, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, HUMINT, interrogated suspects ...
, the
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
's military police in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
He started with various cleaning jobs and then worked for Lieutenant Colonel Aritsune Miyazaki. He participated in military drills and exercises, and learned about the war's status at police headquarters.
After the war, he returned to Koror and started working for the
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
at a quarry. Tmetuchl, who at that time could speak
Palauan and
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, started learning
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
.
He was recruited in a teacher training group and learned more English. In 1948 he traveled to Guam for further training and testified at a war crime trial for twenty
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
personnel.
At the age of 23, he was placed in the 11th grade at
George Washington High School in
Guam
Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
.
He graduated in 1951 and was one of the top ten students of his class.
Political career
Early political activities
Tmetuchl was a leader of Palau's Liberal Party throughout his political career.
In 1950, he led Palau's second
workers' strike
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Working class, work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Str ...
to raise wages.
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s he worked in
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...
(TTPI) positions such as translator, public defender, counselor, administrative assistant, and district court judge.
During the 1954–1955 academic year, he studied law and social welfare in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
under a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
scholarship.
On April 9, 1956, he succeeded his brother Toribiong Uchel as president of Palau's local legislature ''Olbiil era Kelulau era Belau'' (Palau's House of Whispered Decisions).
He worked from 1954 to 1962 to regain
Ngerekebesang Island
Ngerekebesang Island (alternative names: Ngerekebesang Hamlet, Arakabesan) is an island in the state of Koror, Palau, where the office of the President of the Republic of Palau was located before the capital was moved to Ngerulmud. It is composed ...
, which the TTPI had acquired from the Japanese government.
Congress of Micronesia
In
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
, he was elected into the First Congress of Micronesia for the TTPI.
He ran for re-election in 1966 and lost his senate seat to David Ramarui. In 1968, he won a congressional seat by popular vote. He served from 1969 to 1970 on House committees and congressional groups regarding future political status and budget planning. He introduced a political resolution on July 28, 1969, calling for Micronesian independence in at most seven years. The resolution was referred to another committee, and no further political action was taken.
He ran for a seat in the senate against
John O. Ngiraked
John Obeldabl Ngiraked (1932–2003) was a Palauan politician and criminal.
Early life and career
John Obeldabl Ngiraked was born 1932 in Ngiwal, then part of the South Seas Mandate. He was born into the Udes clan. He attended George Washington ...
in 1970 and won the popular vote.
A few days later, a local man named Hitler attempted to shoot Roman. A man named Heinrich Ngowakl stated that he was tasked by Tmetuchl's political opponent
John O. Ngiraked
John Obeldabl Ngiraked (1932–2003) was a Palauan politician and criminal.
Early life and career
John Obeldabl Ngiraked was born 1932 in Ngiwal, then part of the South Seas Mandate. He was born into the Udes clan. He attended George Washington ...
to carry out the assassination, but soon realized he could not personally do it and so he gave the gun to Hitler. Tmetuchl ultimately decided not to press charges.
Senator Ambilos Iehsi filed a
minority report questioning the election's results by noting an irregularity in the write-in votes.
The senate held a session which reviewed the election results and ultimately accepted them. Tmetuchl became a senator in the Congress of Micronesia by taking his oath of office on January 29, 1971. His defining position as senator was advocating for Micronesian independence.
He also advocated for filing war claims for the damage Palau received during World War II.
In 1974, Tmetuchl led Palau's newly formed Select Committee on Development and supported a bill which would allow Palauans to write their own constitution. He advocated for a loose federation with the other Micronesian islands and for separate status talks with the United States. To achieve this, he gathered a separatist faction in Palau's legislature.
He initially supported Palauan independence but then changed his position to support a status similar to the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.Lin, Tom C.W.Amer ...
.
A 1975 editorial in the Palauan newspaper ''Tia Belau'' criticized Tmetuchl's new position, calling it "out of tune" with local opinion.
Since 1974, rumors spread around the islands that the Palauan government was going to build a superport on Palau. Environmental groups such as the Save Palau Organization opposed this superport and believed that supporting separate status would stop the proposed superport.
On March 15, 1976, Tmetuchl and fellow politician Sadang Silmai traveled to Tehran, Iran to meet with officials from the
National Iranian Tanker Company
The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC, , ''Sherkat-e Meli-ye Naftkesh-e Iran'') is a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, which was privatized in 2009. As of 2011, NITC was owned by funds managing pensions for 5 million Iranians. ...
and
Nissho-Iwai Company
is a ''sogo shosha'' (general trading company) based in Tokyo, Japan. It is engaged in a wide range of businesses globally, including buying, selling, importing, and exporting goods, manufacturing and selling products, providing services, and pl ...
to assure them that they could secure a superport on Palau.
Tmetuchl ultimately rejected the superport idea by November 1976.
From 1976 to 1978 Tmetuchl acquired several American advisers:
Stuart Beck served as a legal counselor to the Palau Political Status Commission (PPSC),
William Brophy became Tmetuchl's political adviser, Thomas Gladwin became an unpaid consultant, and
John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the ...
became an unpaid adviser to the PPSC.
Tmetuchl and the PPSC attended the
United Nations Trusteeship Council
The United Nations Trusteeship Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, established to help ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and sec ...
in July 1976, and then flew to Washington, D.C., to discuss Palauan separate status negotiations.
Groups supporting Palauan unification with other Micronesian districts petitioned the government to expel Tmetuchl from his senate seat. On February 25, 1978, the senate of the Congress of Micronesia voted to censure and expel Tmetuchl from his position.
In April 1978, he signed the Statement of Agreed Principles for Free Association in
Hilo, Hawaii
Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...
. The Palauan
House of Chiefs
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
declared that Tmetuchl had "acted outside the ambit of his authority and responsibility." However, Tmetuchl declared that most Palauans agreed with his actions. The ensuing referendum showed that 88% of the island's voters favored separatist status.
Presidential campaigns
Tmetuchl ran for
president of Palau
The president of the Republic of Palau is the head of state and head of government of Palau. The president is Direct election, directly elected to a four-year term, and can be reelected once in a consecutive manner.
List of officeholders
; ...
in 1980 and lost to Remeliik. Tmetuchl stopped supporting the
Compact of Free Association
The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are international agreements establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia ( ...
and used his power in the senate to oppose Remeliik's administration.
He became governor of Airai in January 1981 and acted as a negotiator in three workers' strikes against Remeliik's administration.
Tmetuchl ran for president again in 1984 against incumbent Remeliik and
Yutaka Gibbons
Yutaka Miller Gibbons (17 January 1944 – 4 November 2021) was the ibedul of Koror from 1973 until his death in 2021. He was also an anti–nuclear weapons activist and political candidate.
Early and personal life
Gibbons was born in Palau in 19 ...
, but lost again to Remeliik.
Remeliik was shot and murdered in 1985. Olbedabel cast suspicion of the murder on Tmetuchl's nephew, preventing Tmetuchl from running for president in August 1985.
He again ran for president in the
1988 elections which was conducted under a
plurality voting system
Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which the candidates in an electoral district who poll more than any other (that is, receive a plurality) are elected.
Under single-winner plurality voting, and in systems based on single-member ...
. He received 26% of the vote, or just 31 votes fewer than the winning candidate
Ngiratkel Etpison
Ngiratkel Etpison (3 May 1924 – 1 August 1997) was a politician and businessman from Palau. Etpison was elected President in 1988 and served from 1989 until 1993, becoming the country’s first elected president to serve a full term in office.
...
; the near-tie led Palauan
electoral reform
Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems that alters how public desires, usually expressed by cast votes, produce election results.
Description
Reforms can include changes to:
* Voting systems, such as adoption of proportional represen ...
, where elections are conducted under
majority
A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below.
It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...
voting, with a
second round
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
if no candidate received more than half of all votes cast. Faced with political defeat once again, Tmetuchl decided to focus on his business holdings and his family life.
Business career
Tmetuchl owned various businesses throughout his life, including real estate, several restaurants, a travel agency, and a hardware store.
In the 1950s, Tmetuchl traveled with his friends to the United States. During the long trip, he learned how to make hollow concrete blocks which cost 35 cents. He took this technique to Palau and made blocks from Japanese concrete structures. With help from his uncle's saw mill, he built a number of houses from these concrete blocks.
He established a construction company in 1952 and purchased land in Koror and
Babeldaob
Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerulmud, is located on Babel ...
.
Tmetuchl and his associates helped
William Vitarelli, an employee of the TTPI, build schools on Palau by fundraising the project and petitioning the TTPI for a builder's contract.
After John O. Ngiraked accused Tmetuchl of not paying the project workers enough money, the courts examined this claim and found that the workers were actually being overpaid. The village of
Ngchesar
Ngchesar, also known as Oldiais, is one of the sixteen states of the nation of Palau in Oceania.
History
The terraces in the village of Ngerngesang are examples of archaeological sites in the area, through radiocarbon dating, are believed to da ...
issued a public apology for the ordeal and Tmetuchl sponsored a party for the workers.
In 1966, the high chief Ibedul Ngoriakl commissioned Tmetuchl and his work force to expand a small office building close to the TTPI District Administration office. While under construction, the structure was damaged by
Typhoon Sally on March 1, 1967. Ibedul Ngoriakl re-located the construction of his office to the site of a chief's meetinghouse and allowed Tmetuchl to retain his previous damaged project. Tmetuchl repaired and expanded this building, now called the Pacifica Development Corporation Group building, into one of Palau's most important buildings in terms of economics and politics.
In the late 1970s, Tmetuchl acquired the rock quarry on Malakal island from Hawaiian Rock.
He helped fund the construction of the Seventh-day Adventist High School during this time.
In 1983, Tmetuchl met the businessman Masao Nishizono in Japan, and they became business partners to build an airport terminal and hotel in Airai. Nishizono stopped construction for these projects in June 1984 and lawsuits delayed the opening of the Grace Hotel. Tmetuchl acquired this hotel after Nishizono committed suicide in 1990 and renamed it the Airai View Hotel. The hotel eventually opened in July 2000.
In 1984, he built a private power plant in Airai with two electric generators, which he renovated after
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
n electrical engineers inspected it in 1996.
On March 4, 1985, Tmetuchl opened Palau's first local bank in Koror.
While serving as governor of Airai in the 1980s, he led projects to create a clan house and four modern-style ''bai''s, or a men's meetinghouses.
In 1986, he constructed twelve houses in an Airai hamlet using imported Chinese labor.
He designed and constructed Airai State Elementary School, which he opened and dedicated on March 6, 1989.
Inspired by the Seventh-day Adventist Clinic on Guam, Tmetuchl funded the transformation of a building into a similar clinic. The clinic, located in the Ngerbeched hamlet of Koror, opened on May 26, 1991.
In 1997, he led a construction project that built a Sabbath School building adjacent to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
His net worth during this year was estimated to be over $30 million.
The next year he donated some of his land and money for the construction of a new Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Ngchesar
Ngchesar, also known as Oldiais, is one of the sixteen states of the nation of Palau in Oceania.
History
The terraces in the village of Ngerngesang are examples of archaeological sites in the area, through radiocarbon dating, are believed to da ...
. He died in 1999 while the church was still under construction.
Death and legacy

Roman Tmetuchl started feeling ill in January 1999. His health gradually declined in the following months and he died on July 1, 1999, of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
.
He was a member of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...
and would read his
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
every day.
The President of Palau,
Kuniwo Nakamura
was a Palauan politician who served as the president of Palau from 1993 to 2001. He had earlier served as vice president of Palau from 1989 to 1993, under Ngiratkel Etpison.
Background and early life
Nakamura was the son of a Japanese immigra ...
, proclaimed a state of national mourning for Tmetuchl.
On April 11, 2006,
Palauan senators Reklai, Koshiba, Seid, Diaz, and Dengokl on April 11, 2006, proposed to rename
Palau International Airport as the ''Roman Tmetuchl International Airport''. The senate passed this resolution on May 4, 2006, which stated that, "The Roman Tmetuchl International Airport is a fitting name for Palau's international airport due to Mr. Tmetuchl's numerous years of valuable services he provided to the Republic and for the assistance he provided in developing the airport." In 2008, the Tmetuchl family built a chapel at Belau National Hospital to honor and continue Roman's legacy.
References
External links
*Photograph
1956–7at the Trust Territory of the Pacific Archives, hosted by the
University of Hawaii
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tmetuchl, Roman
1926 births
1999 deaths
20th-century businesspeople
20th-century Palauan politicians
Construction in Oceania
Members of the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Palauan businesspeople
Palauan independence activists
Palauan male sprinters
Palauan Seventh-day Adventists
People from Koror