Alii! We sendgreetings from pristine Palau, our homeland encircled by the brilliant waters of the western Pacific Ocean. Palau is a nation of 20,000 people in the westernmost part of Micronesia, 2,000 miles south of Japan, 830 miles southwest of Guam, 400 miles north of Papua New Guinea, and 950 miles southeast of the Philippines. We are the Indigenous people of Belau, the traditional name by which we call our nation,now known as the Republic of Palau. In 1947, the United States assumed administration of Palau under the auspices of the United Nations as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands following World War II. In 1982, Palau signed a compact of free association with the United States, which took effect on Oct.