.—.-. . . .* ✎✌ ● ✎ ✚ . . . -2-,” interested in resettlement on Wake, but the Pentagon has .. declar~:that any such resettlement is out of the question. Palmyra, a privately-owned atoll consisting of 39 - islands, poses two major disadvantages for the Bikinians. First, and most important, it is more than 2,000 miles from — ‘the Marshall Islands; a move to Palmyra would thus isolate ,, .. the Bikinians from their traditional environment. Second, although the total land area of all 39 islands in the atoll is over two square miles, none of the islands has as much living area as Kili, where most of the Bikinians “nowlive. Given Palmyra’s distance from the Marshalls, the people would want to live together in one central area, but a move to Palmyra would not permit this. Moreover, most of the Bikinians have rejected the \ possibility of moving to Hawaii, 2,400 miles northeast of the Marshalls, because they fear they would lose their Marshallese ,/ / ,/ identity and cultural heritage. With respect to the Marshallese atolls the Bikinians visited, resettlement possibilities are virtually nonexistent. First, there is already some social friction between the Bikinians and other Marshallese peoples, and the . continued special treatment the Bikinians will require in the post-Trusteeship period (e.g., food programs and medical care) may -- well contribute to greater strains. resettl&ent Moreover, on part of an atoll might create a ghetto environ- ment, with the Bikinians being regarded as intruders and