Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 6, 1 Iune 1990 — Trustees declare [ARTICLE]

Trustees declare

Pacific not toxic waste dump

By Ann L. Moore Assistant Editor, PubIications The burning of toxic weapons on Kalama (Johnston) Island and the use of the island by the United States without regard to Native Hawaiian rights are protested in resolutions passed unanimously by OHA trustees. They declare that the rights of Pacific Island nations eome before those of any other nations when it comes to the use of the Pacific Oeean and its islands. On April 27, the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs unanimously passed three resoIutions declaring: Kalama (Johnston) Island is a part of the ceded land trust held for the benefit of Native Hawaiians; the fate of the Pacific oeean must rest with Pacific Island people, and non-resi-dent nations have no right to jeopardize the oeean. The trustees declared they unanimously encourage protest of the current plans by the U.S. government to ship, store and burn ehemieal weapons on Kalama Island. Further, trustees deplore

and oppose any plan that allows stockpiling or dumping of lethal chemicals or other toxic wastes in the Pacific environment and they eall for an environmentaDy safe and elean Pacific Oeean. Foreign nations have a history of imposing their will on Pacific Islanders from the first westerncontact, through annexation, to the present, trustees declared in the resolution titled "Affirming The Rights Of Pacific Islanders." Trustees noted the recent agreement between former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and West Germany's Chancellor Helmut Kohl to transfer the stockpile of obsolete U.S. ehemieal weapons from West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany) to Kalama Island for burning. Concerning this agreement trustees declared the U.S. and West German governments have no right to make a bi-lateral agreement whieh would protect West Germany from the weapons whieh will jeopardize the Pacific Oeean, the food resources it provides for island people, and the lives. continued page 15

No toxic waste

/rom page 1 of those people. The U.S. military has stored large amounts of lethal ehemieal weapons outside the U.S. for years and Congress has passed a law forbidding the return of nerve and mustard gas to the continental U.S. In the text of the resolution, trustees pointed out that when the decision to incinerate the toxic waste (now stored in West Germany) was made no consultation was sought with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Neither was the State of Hawai'i, through any of its officials, given the opportunity to comment on the agreement. In fact, trustees noted, no Pacific Island nation or forum of Pacific Islanders were notified or consulted concerning trans-shipment of the huge quantities of lethal chemicals. Trustees feel these chemicals endanger the entire Pacific Oeean ecosystem and the inhabitants of all the Pacific Islands. The United States Army is undertaking the trans-shipment. Meanhme, on Kalama Island, the army hasbuilt

an incinerator. After inspecting it aspart of her job as chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Installations and Facilities, U.S. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder said the subcommittee members eame away with their fingers crossed that the incinerator will work. Ranking subcommittee minority member, Congressman David Martin, told the press that the United States spent half a billion dollars on the facility, that it is time to go ahead and "let's hope it works." In the resolution OHA trustees eall on all nations and people of the Pacific to protest the shipment, storage and burning of toxic chemicals before any and all forums, national and international, anel to bring pressure to bear to stop the continued abuse of the Pacific Oeean. Copies of the resolution were sent to the appropriate agencies of the United Nations, environmentally concerned organizations world-wide, the Federal Republic of Germany, the President of the United States, all concerned U.S. federal and state departments and agencies and the media.