FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Hawaiian Kingdom
Council of Regency
Honolulu

January 25, 2000

HST 2300 Hrs.

Arbitration Proceedings, at The Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague, Netherlands

    The dispute stems from a federal lawsuit filed in the United States Federal Court, District of Hawaii by a Hawaiian national, Lance Paul Larsen, against the United States Government and the Hawaiian Kingdom Government as co-defendants. Also named in the case as nominal defendants were: the United Nations, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Germany, Portugal and Samoa.

    In the federal lawsuit, Lance Larsen accused both defendants (United States & the Hawaiian Kingdom) of violating their 1849 Treaty of Commerce, Friendship and Navigation by allowing U.S. domestic law to be imposed within the territorial dominion of the Hawaiian Kingdom over the person of Lance Paul Larsen.

    On October 29, 1999, a settlement was reached between representatives for Lance Larsen, and representatives of the Hawaiian Kingdom government, agreeing to dismiss the United States and all nominal Defendants from the lawsuit and stipulate to the Federal Court their intention to settle their dispute under the rules of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The settlement, subsequently approved by U.S. Federal Judge Samuel King, resulted in a dismissal of the lawsuit and stipulated that Lance Paul Larsen and the Hawaiian Kingdom submit the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration for final and binding arbitration.

    The Arbitral Tribunal is asked to determine, on the basis of the Hague Conventions IV and V of 18 October 1907, and the rules and principles of international law, whether the rights of the Claimant, Mr. Lance Paul Larsen, under international law as a Hawaiian subject are being violated, and if so, does he have any redress against the Respondent Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

    For updated information on the Arbitration proceedings, please refer to http://www.alohaquest.com/arbitration.

Mahealani Pai, PCM
Communications Officer, special attache
Office of Foreign Affairs
Phone: 1 808 239-5347
E-mail: regenthk@lava.net