Dutch officials turn away man lobbying for Hawaiian sovereignty

Hawaii Tribune-Herald
December 8, 2000

By Chris Loos - Tribune-Herald

A Puna man who traveled to Europe to lobby for Hawaiian sovereignty was denied entry into the Netherlands on Tuesday because he was holding a passport issued by the Hawaiian Kingdom rather than the U.S. government.

Lance Paul Larsen and three other Big Island residents were detained by Dutch immigration officials and returned to San Francisco, according to a reporter who traveled to the Netherlands to cover Larsen's case at The Hague for an Oahu-based Native Hawaiian newspaper.

Larsen reportedly presented Dutch immigration officials with his Hawaiian Kingdom passport and a Global Citizen passport.

"Using an American passport would have compromised my case," Larsen said, according to reporter Ka'iulani Edens of the Hawaii News.

Larsen's case started in 1998 and 1999 when he was arrested for driving without license plates, a driver's license, a safety sticker or registration.

Larsen responded that he doesn't fall under the authority of U.S. officials because he is a subject of the Hawaiian Kingdom and not a citizen of the United States.

He filed a federal lawsuit, suing the United States and the Hawaiian Kingdom governments. Larsen accused the defendants of violating international treaties of 1849 by allowing the United States to impose its law against Larsen within what he says is still the Hawaiian Kingdom.

In October 1999, Larsen and representatives of the Hawaiian Kingdom agreed to dismiss the United States from the federal lawsuit and settle their case through the Permanent Court of Arbitration, established in 1899 to resolve international disputes.

Larsen's attorney, Ninia Parks of Honolulu, is asking the world arbitration court to decide whether the Hawaiian Kingdom violated Larsen's rights and, if so, whether there is any remedy.

Although Larsen maintains that he is a subject of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Dutch officials who sent him back to the United States identified him as an American citizen.

Dutch Immigration officials also deported Larsen's wife, Kawehi Kanui, along with Kahu TeRangi Ruwhiu and Kaliko Kanaele.

Larsen's arbitration hearing began Thursday without him, Edens said. The court indicated its first item of business is to decide whether it has jurisdiction to proceed without U.S. participation.

http://www.hilohawaiitribune.com/display/inn_news/NEWS3.TXT

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