Mayor Kim to Withdraw County Police from Maunakea
Mayor Kim to Withdraw County Police from Maunakea
Governor David Ige announced at a press conference on Thursday that he will withdraw all State law enforcement personnel from Maunakea, after the Thirty-Meter Telescope International Observatory informed the Governor that it would not move forward with construction at this time.
Chief Paul Ferreira of the County of Hawai‘i’s Police Department has stated that he will withdraw all police personnel from Maunakea by 3:30 p.m. on Friday, December 20, Mayor Harry Kim said.
Mayor Kim said that there was no information regarding TMT’s timetable, as to if or when they will resume planning for construction of the telescope on Maunakea.
In the meantime, Mayor Kim said that the County government is working to establish communication with the kia‘i to address the current situation, with the intent of restoring flow of traffic and public access to Maunakea Road to all of the community.
“It is my goal that this will be the beginning of a true meeting with all parties to see how this issue can be resolved, in finding a way forward,” Mayor Kim said.
