PALIKIR, POHNPEI. January 6, 2024 – It is with great sadness that the Office of the Speaker announce the passing of Senator Paliknoa Kun Welly of the State of Kosrae who has been the two-year representative of his state since becoming a Member of the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia during the Fifteenth Congress in 2007.
The late Senator Welly passed away on Friday – January 05, 2024, in his village of Walung in his beloved state of Kosrae – he was 72. The family has requested the state and national governments to respect the late Senator Welly’s final wishes to forgo any official gathering, wake or state funeral. In accordance to the late Senator’s wishes, the burial has been scheduled for the next day - which is today January 6, 2024, at 4pm at the home of his parents in Finpeah in the village of Lelu.
The late Senator Welly was first elected in 2007 as the State of Kosrae’s two-year representative to the 15th FSM Congress and has since been re-elected to maintain his role in the national Body. In 2013, he was elected Vice Speaker of the 18th Congress. The late Senator Welly has maintained the dual chairmanship of the Congressional Standing Committee on External Affairs and chairmanship of the Kosrae Delegation. He is survived by his wife Shrue and their children Kilafwakun, Arthy, Itchiro, Wilma and their grandchildren.
Prior to his political life, the late Senator Welly has wide ranging experience from military field artillery to convenient store management to chief prosecutor.
Born December 24, 1951, the Kosrae native was class valedictorian for both elementary (1967) and high school (1971). Right after high school, Welly left for the USA in pursuit of higher education at the United States International University (USIU) in San Diego, California. In June 1974, Senator Welly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton in Field Artillery, as Fire Direction Control Man until he was honorably discharged in August of 1978.
Two years after his discharge from the Marines, Welly worked in management for the Circle-K Corporation in San Diego where he spent the next 10 years. In 1991, while working in retail management Welly enrolled at the California State University - Turtlock and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement.
In 1995, Senator Welly returned to his home state of Kosrae and worked for the State Government for the next three years as the Administrative Officer for the Department of Education. Welly meanwhile was unrelenting in his pursuit of higher education and enrolled in an extension program through the University of Hawaii-Manoa for a Masters degree in Education Administration.
Upon his educational achievement, Senator Welly in July of 1999 accepted the role of Community Development Officer for the College of Micronesia Land Grant Kosrae Office and held the post for the next three years. In December of 2001, Welly became a member of the Kosrae State Bar and four years later became a member of the FSM Bar in 2005. After passing the Kosrae Bar, he immediately accepted the position of Chief Prosecutor for the Kosrae Attorney General Office. For the next 5 years, Senator Welly maintained his role as the Chief Prosecutor for the State of Kosrae until 2006 when he accepted a position at the state run Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority (KIRMA) as the Environmental Lawyer.
In 2007, Welly ran for and was elected as Kosrae States’ representative to the Fifteenth FSM Congress and was selected to Chair the Congressional Standing Committee on External Affairs and has maintained the chairmanship from the 15th Congress until the current body.
On May 11, 2013, during the 18th Welly was selected to Vice Speakership and during the reorganization of the 19th body resumed chairmanship of the Standing Committee on External Affairs and maintained his chairmanship up to the current 23rd Congress.
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