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Bekijk Volledige Versie : Hawaiians march for an independent state



lennart
20-10-03, 22:37
Supporters of Hawaiian independence wearing bright, floral shirts marched through town Sunday, shouting "Aloha," and distributing flyers to passers-by, hoping to gather support for their cause.

The march, a smaller version of the "Aloha Marches" in Washington, D.C. that attracted thousands of supporters two years ago, is one of several events scheduled across the country to heighten awareness about the Hawaii independence movement.

Kaiopua Fyfe, an organizer who lives on the island of Kauai, said many Hawaiians consider the United States' governance of Hawaii to be an illegal occupation of a country, similar to the British Empire's colonization of India and the current situation in Iraq.

"They should allow us to participate in our own self-determination," he said.

The Hawaiian islands have been part of the United States since the U.S. military overthrew the last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, in 1959.

Fyfe and other Hawaiians insist that Hawaii has suffered as the U.S. military and land developers have sought to overtake the land. Pineapple and sugar plantations, long the island's core industries, also have declined as companies have moved their factories to Third World countries with cheaper labor practices.

"Everything we have has to be imported in," said Imaikakoloaenui Nauha, who lives in Modesto, but was born and raised in Honolulu. "Hawaii is one of the richest states, yet it's the poorest because of the state that America has left us in."

He said Hawaiian were able to support themselves long before becoming part of the United States and they have no need for the economic benefits the United States offers.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/10/19/state1900EDT0056.DTL