Guam

Madeleine Bordallo's comments come after President Donald Trump scrapped a programme that protected immigrants brought illegally into the US as children from deportation.

Implementation has been delayed until March, but Ms Bordallo said the decision was unnecessary.

She said the programme known as DACA allowed 800,000 people, including some neighbours and friends on Guam, to live and work in the community and for many, the US was the only country they know.

Ms Bordallo says the reversal of DACA affects Guam and its residents.

The Pacific Games Council has visited Samoa and Guam in the past fortnight to evaluate their bids but said with no government support forthcoming in Tahiti their initial expression of interest cannot be evaluated further.

The President of the Tahiti Olympic Committee, Tauhiti Nena, said they tried to persuade the administration to reconsider their decision no avail.

Yesterday, Kim Jong-Un said he was reviewing pans to strike the island's waters although he called on the United States to ease tension.

The bureau's director Jon Denight said visitor arrivals in the first 12 days of August were up five percent on the same period last year.

Mr Denight said tourists due to visit Guam were being assured the island was safe.

"Guam has had a long history, 50 years, of tourism and we are known as a family-friendly, safe destination," said Mr Denight.

"If we were given 14 minutes to decide what to do with our lives, do you think you'd have enough time?"

Gofigan was referring to the length of time the Guam Homeland Security department estimates it would take a North Korean missile to reach the island. It's not idle debate.

Last week, North Korean state media said it was drawing up plans to fire four missiles less than 25 miles from Guam's coastline, placing the Pacific island in the center of the increasingly hostile rhetoric being lobbed between Washington and Pyongyang.

In a statement last week, Gen. Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army, said the plan to fire "four Hwasong-12 intermediate-range strategic ballistic rockets ... to signal a crucial warning to the US" would be ready by "mid-August."

Recent days have seen a significant escalation of tensions in the region as preparations are put in place for a possible launch in Guam, Japan and South Korea.

A notice put out by Guam's Joint Information Center Saturday warned residents how to prepare "for an imminent missile threat."

This week Pyongyang's state-run news agency said its army would complete plans in mid-August to fire four intermediate-range missiles over Japan to land near Guam, a US territory and military base, amid increasingly heated rhetoric over the North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Guam's governor Eddie Calvo said there was no heightened threat but the government had issued a preparedness fact sheet, which covered what to do before, during and after a nuclear attack.

He said the regime would be in trouble "like few nations have ever been" if they do not "get their act together".

His comments came after Pyongyang announced it had a plan to fire four missiles near the US territory of Guam.

The New Zealand Defence Force has confirmed an Air Force aircraft is in Guam as part of a military exercise.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent weeks after North Korea tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.

State media said the plan would then be presented to the leader Kim Jong Un who will make a decision on whether to proceed.

The report cited a commander in the Korean People's Army who said the Hwasong-12 rockets will cross the skies of Japan and hit the sea 30 to 40 kilometres from Guam

"The Hwasong-12 rockets to be launched by the KPA (Korean People's Army) will cross the sky above Shimane, Hiroshima and Koichi Prefectures of Japan," the report said, citing General Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the Strategic Force of the KPA.

The countries are Guam, Samoa and Tahiti.

Tonga was initially confirmed to host the 2019 Pacific Games but withdrew the right to host a few months ago saying the cost of hosting the event will affect the economy.

In press statement the PGC said it is delighted with this response and thanks the three countries for stepping forward with their intention to host the 2019 Pacific Games and delivering a strong vote of confidence in the importance of the Games and the benefits of hosting them.

A medical team aboard the USS Dewey examined the helicopter crew and reported no apparent injuries.