The Results of the FSM National Government’s Internal Investigation into Allegations of FSM Postal Services Mishandling & Means of Systemic Improvement

FSM Information Services

Press Release

The Results of the FSM National Government’s Internal Investigation into Allegations of FSM Postal Services Mishandling & Means of Systemic Improvement

PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On November 27^th, 2019 His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), instructed the Honorable Ginger Porter Mida, Postmaster General (PMG) of the FSM, to investigate allegations on social media regarding the handling and receipt of international parcels. On February 21^st, 2020 PMG Mida formally reported to the President her findings, and the steps the Postal Services have taken to build citizens trust. The primary outcomes are that the FSM Postal Services have extensive evidence to demonstrate how parcels are accounted for and protected, but virtually all incoming shipments of mail include one or more damaged parcels, and citizens’ awareness of how to best protect their mail may be less than ideal.

“In my ten years of service as Postmaster General, we’ve never had any thefts of parcels,” PMG Mida said. “We employ Postal Inspectors whose entire duty is to safeguard the mail. Safeguarding the mail is my duty, too, and I’m committed to it.”

In early December 2019, the FSM Postal Services completed installation of 24/7 video surveillance at its facility in Kolonia. This was primarily to build citizens trust and confidence in the Government, as no cases of theft are known to the FSM Postal Services and documentary evidence of how the FSM Postal Services protect parcels from theft is extensive. Examples of such documentation include whether parcels are received damaged or opened, how many parcels arrive on a given flight, and how many parcels are distributed.

Regarding the inspection of parcels, Customs Officers—who are not employees of the FSM Postal Services, but in practice operate in the same facility and closely collaborate together—reserve the right to physically inspect incoming packages. All imports and incoming parcels are subject to physical inspection by customs officials. Certain types of items, and those worth certain values, can be charged import duties. Customs fees and/or duties are not FSM Postal Service fees, but one often pays them within the same physical facility. A future release will describe this in more detail.

When asked why parcels might arrive damaged, wet, or missing content, PMG Mida offered several explanations, including that said parcels arrive in multiple locations for resorting and redistribution. “But the real question you’re asking is,” PMG Mida said, “what can I do, as a person, to prevent this from happening to me?”

PMG Mida provided the following recommendations:

1. Insuring your package so that it is signed upon receipt—this makes sure that there is a name attached to your package, improving transparency and accountability, and also ensures that if the package is lost that you are entitled to receive compensation;
2. Ensuring your package is equipped with a tracking number—this will allow you and your family to find out where the package is. Be mindful that an “in transit” status for more than a week is worth following up on.
3. Be completely honest in filling out your customs declaration form—you are required to specify exactly what is in the parcel, and to advise if the content you are sending is flammable, perishable, or fragile;
4. Make sure your information on the parcel is completely clear—and for additional security, include a copy of your address and the recipient’s address inside the box, too; redundant information can only protect you, and if the package is damaged and lost in the Dead Letter Branch, if your information is also inside the box it can ensure it’s retrieved;
5. After 30 days from the day the mail was sent, complete a claim (the PS-1000 form) in the FSM Post Office; the clerk will have you sign the claim and it will be sent to the Post Office the mail originated from—i.e., if a mail didn’t arrive from Cincinnati, your signed claim will also tell Cincinnati what happened; you can also file a claim online at www.usps.gov
6. Come to the FSM Post Office with your questions, comments, and concerns—the staff can provide you with more information than social media can;
7. Citizens with concerns regarding their parcels are asked to please call the FSM Postal Service at +691-320-2614 or email the FSM Postal Service via its contact form on the website here: https://post.gov.fm/contact-form/