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Hawaiian palace occupied anew; about 20 arrested
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-17 16:05 Akahi Nui claims to have been coronated in 1998. Nui, a retired heavy equipment operator from Haiku, Maui, was released pending investigation. He said Saturday he'll be back. "I plan it. I know I can take it over. With the help of God, I will take it over," he said. The takeover of the palace, built in 1882 when the islands were ruled by a monarchy, came on Admission Day, a state holiday marking Hawaii's admission to the United States on August 21, 1959. Several Native Hawaiian organizations have rival claims to sovereignty over the islands. Another group calling itself the Hawaiian Kingdom Government occupied the palace grounds April 30 and has been getting permits to set up on the grounds each week since then. That group claims to be operating a functioning government from the palace grounds. The ornate palace is operated as a museum of Hawaiian royalty. King Kalakaua built it, and it also served as the residence for his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, the islands' last ruling monarch. Liliuokalani was imprisoned in the palace after the 1893 US-supported overthrow of the monarchy. After falling into disrepair, the palace was restored in the 1970s as a National Historic Landmark. It now includes a gift shop and is open for school groups and offers tours. Hawaiian activists have long used the site for protests against the US control of the islands. |
