John Obeldabl Ngiraked (1932–2003) 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 ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

Early life and career

John Obeldabl Ngiraked was born 1932 in

Ngiwal Ngiwal is one of the sixteen states of Palau. It has a population of 282 (census 2015) and an area of 26 km2. On June 21, 2018, Japanese ambassador Toshiyuki Yamada gave Japan's multipurpose center to Ngiwal. Geography Ngiwal is situated ...

, then part of the

South Seas Mandate The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the " South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following W ...

. He was born into the Udes clan. He attended 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 ...

. Fluent in both English and Japanese, Ngiraked was a senior interpreter and translator for the Palau Administration before becoming a district prosecutor, and then a law clerk, for the Office of the Attorney General. He was appointed a member of the Palau District Advisory Council from 1955 to 1956.

Congress of Micronesia

Ngiraked was elected in 1965 to the Congress of Micronesia. He was elected as the president of the upper chamber in July 1965, but was replaced by

Tosiwo Nakayama was the first President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). He served two terms from 1979 until 1987. Biography Nakayama was born on November 23, 1931, on Pisaras, part of Namonuito Atoll in what is now Chuuk State. At the time of his ...

in the same month. He was re-elected as president again from July 1967 to 1969.

Roman Tmetuchl Roman Tmetuchl (February 11, 1926 – July 1, 1999) was a Palauan political leader and businessman. He grew up in Japanese settlement in Palau, Japanese-controlled Palau and joined the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police, during World War II. ...

was his political rival for a senate seat in the 1970 elections to the Congress of Micronesia.

Palauan political career

Ngiraked ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of Palau in the elections of 1980, but lost to

Haruo Remeliik Haruo Ignacio Remeliik (1 June 1931 – 30 June 1985) was the first President of Palau from 2 March 1981 until his assassination on 30 June 1985. He is buried at Kloulklubed in his home state of Peleliu. Remeliik was of mixed Japanese and Pala ...

. In 1984, before Remeliik's reelection, Ngiraked declared that Remeliik's government was in despair and called on the president to resign. Remeliik was assassinated in June 1985. Ngiraked was appointed and confirmed as the

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

Lazarus Salii Lazarus Eitaro Salii (17 November 1936 – 20 August 1988) was a politician from Palau. He served as the second elected President of Palau from 25 October 1985 until his death by suicide on 20 August 1988, amid bribery allegations. Salii was e ...

from 1985 to 1988. He acknowledged his involvement in the three months of violence in Palau in 1987. He unsuccessfully tried to acquire the Ta Belau party nomination for President to succeed

in 1988. He ran again unsuccessfully for the presidency of Palau in the 1988 elections without Ta Belau backing. In March 1993, after findings of a special prosecutor, and a trial, Ngiraked and his wife were found guilty of aiding and abetting the assassination of President Remeliik in June 1985. In March 2000, he claimed responsibility for the conspiracy to kill Remeliik. Ngiraked was the author of ''Heritage Belau'' (1999).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngiraked, John 1932 births 2003 deaths 20th-century Palauan politicians Ministers of state of Palau Members of the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Palauan civil servants People from Ngiwal