Thomas Esang "Tommy" Remengesau Jr. (born 28 February 1956) is a
Palauan politician. He served as the
Palauan president between 2001-2009 and 2013-2021. He served as a Senator in the
Palau National Congress
Palau has a bicameral legislature, the Palau National Congress (), consisting of the House of Delegates and the Senate of Palau, which both sit at the capitol complex in Ngerulmud, Melekeok State. The House of Delegates has 16 members, each s ...
between his two administrations.
In sum, Remengesau was elected
Vice-President of Palau in 1992 and 1996, then president in 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016.
Intending to make Palau less dependent upon
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
aid, Remengesau has promoted the expansion and growth of tourism in Palau with the slogan "Preserve the Best and Improve the Rest". The "best" refers to Palau's especially bountiful and diverse marine water resources surrounding the islands, and, as a venue of underwater attractions, its reputation among the very top in the world. In foreign affairs, Remengesau has actively advanced Palau's presence in the
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 ...
, elevating Palau to leadership among the international community through such environmental initiatives as the Micronesian Challenge. He is also a leader among South Pacific nations in advocating
awareness of global warming and its effects in the
South Pacific Region.
Early life
Remengesau was born in
Koror, Palau. His father was
Thomas Remengesau Sr., who was District Administrator of Palau during the
Trust Territory era, as well as Minister of Justice, Vice President, and briefly President of Palau. His mother, Ferista Esang Remengesau, also served as
First Lady of Palau.
Remengesau was educated at
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...
in
Allendale,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, in the United States, graduating from there in 1979.
Political career
First service as senator, vice presidency, and first presidency

At 28 years old, Remengesau targeted the youth voting bloc of Palau and successfully lobbied for their support, in the process becoming known as one of the forefront advocates for the youth of Palau. Remengesau was then elected in 1984 to the Palau National Congress (Olbiil Era Kelulau), carried by the youth and a grassroots campaign to become the youngest senator in the nation's history at the age of 28. In 1992, he was elected
Vice President of Palau
Vice President of Palau is the second-highest position in the executive branch of the government of Palau, after the President of Palau, president.
The vice president is elected in popular elections separate from presidential elections. When ...
and served two terms. He held the additional portfolio of
Minister of Administration of Palau. In 2000, with the support of outgoing President
Kuniwo Nakamura, he won the presidential election, defeating ex-senator
Peter Sugiyama by a margin of 52% to 46%.
He easily won re-election in 2004, defeating Polycarp Basilius by a margin of 66.5% to 33.5%, in a race dogged with rumors of improper financial influence from Taipei and Beijing.
As Senator again
Remengesau announced in 2008 that he would seek a senatorial seat in the
Senate of Palau
The Senate of Palau is the upper house of the Palau National Congress (''Olbiil era Kelulau''). The Senate has 13 members serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies. Since January 2025, the Senate has 15 members. No political parties ...
in the
2008 general election.
He came in 11th in the election.
Remengesau was succeeded by President
Johnson Toribiong on January 15, 2009.
In April 2009, Special Prosecutor Michael Copeland, who served as Assistant Attorney General of Palau,
launched an investigation along with a Special Task Force, stating that "office received information that gave probable cause to believe evidence of criminal activity is contained on the hard drives of seized computers." Senator Remengesau decried the whole process as an act of "selective prosecution". After much speculation and media tabloid surrounding the investigation, Remengesau was found only to have been guilty of not filing properties of land and their values and accrued interest. Remengesau was charged with 19 counts of violating Palau's code of ethics for failing to disclose his interests in real properties and other assets in 2002 and 2003. The charges bear on the lack of filing of the transfers and the values of said properties. Remengesau has said that, "I am being charged for basically technical information related to the filing of personal assets under the
Code of Ethics law." “It was incomplete but it’s not like that we did not file anything. When we filed in years 2000-2002, we believed that what we were filing was in compliance with the law,” Remengesau said.
When asked about the verdict, he replied: “It is interesting because in our inquiries, roughly 90 percent filed the same way I did. And it is also an eye opener. I learned a lot from this trial and I hope other officials will also learn something from this because they will now change the way they disclose their assets.” He added, “From now on, everyone who acquired land through tradition will also disclose it in their financial disclosure.” In April 2010, Associate Justice Kathleen Salii imposed a fine of US$156,400 on Remengesau. Although prosecutor Michael Copeland recommended a fine of US$1,357,500, Copeland would go on to express his satisfaction with the sentence in media interviews.
Second presidency
He took office as President again in 2013, after defeating his successor
Johnson Toribiong in the
November 2012 Palauan election. Due to his work regarding Palau's environment, Remengesau received the Pacific Champion Award in 2013, as well as the
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 ...
'
Champion of the Earth title, the Inspiring Conservation Award, and the IGFA Conservation Award, all in 2014. In 2016, he received the Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in National Stewardship.
He appeared in the 2016 documentary film ''
Before the Flood'' to discuss the vulnerability of Palau to
sea level rise
The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...
.
He was challenged in his bid for a fourth term in the
November 2016 election by his brother-in-law, Senator
Surangel Whipps Jr. He received 5,109 votes compared to Whipps' 4,854.
He succeeded his father as the
Maderngebuked of
Ngaraard
Ngaraard is one of the 16 states of the Republic of Palau, and was originally named Kerradel.
History
Ngaraard's history can be divided into four eras corresponding to Spanish, German and Japanese domination up to World War II.
Spanish colo ...
.
Personal life
He is married to
Debbie Remengesau.
Honors
*
Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon (Republic of China - 2007)
References
External links
Official biography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Remengesau, Tommy
1956 births
20th-century Palauan politicians
Palauan Roman Catholics
21st-century Palauan politicians
Children of presidents
Finance ministers of Palau
Grand Valley State University alumni
Living people
Members of the Senate of Palau
People from Koror
Presidents of Palau
Traditional chiefs of Palau
Vice presidents of Palau