TMT’s Construction to Resume On Wednesday

Construction on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project will resume on Wednesday despite continued confrontation from people who hold Mauna Kea sacred.

According to an Associated Press report, approximately 20 people have camped outside the construction site of the TMT.

Some protestors told media that they are ‘bracing to be arrested’ when work on the project starts up again.

On April 2, 31 people were arrested by the police officials after they blocked attempts for TMT crews to reach the construction site.

The arrests ignited the debate, both at local level and globally, on the divide between protecting Mauna Kea, its natural resources, and cultural significance, and the booming interest in astronomy.

The project promises to bring money and jobs into the local economy and aims to make Hawaii a leader in the field.

The group of 31 people that were arrested, known as the ‘MaunaKea 31 or Koakuamauna, are now again calling for an end to the TMT project, citing the Hawaiian term ‘Ho’oponopono’.

‘Ho’oponopono’ is not a process of mediation or any type of negotiation. It is an honest and strict process and an attempt to correct the things that have been going wrong.

The Koakuamauna group is asking leaders from every organization including Governor David Ige, University of Hawai’i at Hilo chancellor Donald Straney, University of Hawai’i president David Lassner, and TMT chairman Henry Yang, to come to a conclusion using this Hawaiian practice instead of going through the courts.

It is said that the call for Ho’oponopono is also being made in the courts. On June 18, the option was presented to 20 of those Koakuamauna members during a court appearance in Waimea by Judge Barbara Takase. The group of 31 says that two of its members declined to take that option and chose to proceed to a trial.